The ultimate after-dinner device in one-upmanship to prove your skill as host. It makes a darn good cup of coffee. But I'm willing to forecast this will be secondary to the "OOOOooohh" factor.
Plus it looks great on display between brewing sessions.
Negative Product Points
Being the ultimate host doesn't come cheaply.
Clean up is a hassle - but not any more than the standard french press.
Total liquid size is about 1 liter. If you and your coffee mate have more than one guest it's likely you'll need a supplemental brewing method for the second cup everyone will want.
Don't try to rationalize this within the household budget. Just do it. The luxury convertible sports car can wait another month or two.
Detailed Commentary
Great coffee can be had for $24 in a french press. But that's not the point when it comes to this purchase.
The detailed review and fellow geeks have described the quality with spot on accuracy. Get it for the quality of coffee. Tell your coffee mate that this is will be an heirloom for the lil' family roasters. But the raison d'etre for this gorgeous device transcends quality and things that receive a scored rating. Le cour a ses raisons que la raison ne connait point. And when this arrives in your home you'll fee like speaking French and get the whole point. Meanwhile -- the heart has its reasons that reason knows nothing of. Does that sound romatically over the top? Well, you're starting to catch on about this machine.
After the dishes are cleared and the conversation has a nice simmer, bring out this centerpiece of the meal. Go ahead and rationalize it as making great coffee. Then launch into the history of the device -- the 1895 patent, the history of the Royal company, the height of coffee making mechanisms and devices at the end of the century (all of this is available online by using a search engine), and of course, the nice salesman. By that time, the water will be transferred, the vacuum action begun, the crowd will be further entranced. After that, the tarts and truffles will seem quaint.
Buying Experience
I bought the gold plated finish. Bought it from Patrick Van Den Noortgaete at the Fancy Food Show where we were both exhibiting. Patrick is the ultimate nice guy salesman (i.e., genuine nice guy) who convinced me that I really didn't want copper or anything that takes time to polish. On that point he was absolutely right, but, alas, gold is more expensive than less precious metals.
