I'm a practical person, so it is usually true that when a piece of kit stops working for me either because it is broken or because there is a better alternative, I throw it out.  I bought this large, insulated, stainless steel French press after several observations. The first was that the best-tasting coffee I'd ever had came from a french press. The second was that the Capresso coffee maker I'd been using for a long time had a thermal carafe instead of a heater.  And whenever the coffee in it got cold, I could simply pour it into a cup and heat it in the microwave. Was it as good as fresh brewed? Absolutely not.  Was it better than coffee kept hot on a hot plate surface? Is air lighter than gravel.  Really, the reheating thing works well.  If you drink one or two pots of coffee in a day, it just seems insane to make all the coffee one cup at a time. It would leave little time for anything else.

So with some hope that I could make coffee that was better than that of my coffee maker, and with the hope it would stay that way - more or less - I ordered this large stainless steel vacuum insulated Bodum french press.  The pot arrived. I made some coffee.  Like an idiot, I didn't actually measure the coffee grounds or the water. The resulting brew was a little weak for my taste. I tried one or two more times and was never wowed.

But flavor was not why I ultimately stopped using it.  The problem I experienced was impatience.  It takes about two minutes for my old Capresso to turn out a decent cup of coffee.  But with this guy I had to wait three minutes for the water to boil.  Then I had to wait five more for the brew to finish.  And to know when that five minutes was up I had to set my Kitchen Aid timer.  And and to do this I had to remember to hit the start button so it would know the answer to the question "Five minutes from when?" Otherwise it would just wait and not time anything at all. That's another problem, but its one that the Bodum invites in light of its function.

As certain people addicted to coffee will tell you, there is a mental state that exists early in the morning before the consumption of coffee that somehow precludes both patience and meticulousness.  Grinding coffee beans, loading the coffee-maker with both beans and water, and hitting the start button can be sometimes be about as much as one can undertake before the first cup of morning brew.  The special ministrations required to operate a french press can be daunting before one has had coffee.  And after one has had coffee, they seem redundant.

So this magnificently crafted, beautifully designed, expensive coffee maker is not used to make coffee in my kitchen.  Should I throw it out or sell it on e-Bay?  Certainly not!  I use it to brew tea later in the day.  It leaves the old teapot in the dust.
I'm a practical person, so it is usually true that when a piece of kit stops working for me either because it is broken or because there is a better alternative, I throw it out. I bought this large, insulated, stainless steel French press after several observations. The first was that the best-tasting coffee I'd ever had came from a french press. The second was that the Capresso coffee maker I'd been using for a long time had a thermal carafe instead of a heater. And whenever the coffee in it got cold, I could simply pour it into a cup and heat it in the microwave. Was it as good as fresh brewed? Absolutely not. Was it better than coffee kept hot on a hot plate surface? Is air lighter than gravel. Really, the reheating thing works well. If you drink one or two pots of coffee in a day, it just seems insane to make all the coffee one cup at a time. It would leave little time for anything else. So with some hope that I could make coffee that was better than that of my coffee maker, and with the hope it would stay that way - more or less - I ordered this large stainless steel vacuum insulated Bodum french press. The pot arrived. I made some coffee. Like an idiot, I didn't actually measure the coffee grounds or the water. The resulting brew was a little weak for my taste. I tried one or two more times and was never wowed. But flavor was not why I ultimately stopped using it. The problem I experienced was impatience. It takes about two minutes for my old Capresso to turn out a decent cup of coffee. But with this guy I had to wait three minutes for the water to boil. Then I had to wait five more for the brew to finish. And to know when that five minutes was up I had to set my Kitchen Aid timer. And and to do this I had to remember to hit the start button so it would know the answer to the question "Five minutes from when? " Otherwise it would just wait and not time anything at all. That's another problem, but its one that the Bodum invites in light of its function. As certain people addicted to coffee will tell you, there is a mental state that exists early in the morning before the consumption of coffee that somehow precludes both patience and meticulousness. Grinding coffee beans, loading the coffee-maker with both beans and water, and hitting the start button can be sometimes be about as much as one can undertake before the first cup of morning brew. The special ministrations required to operate a french press can be daunting before one has had coffee. And after one has had coffee, they seem redundant. So this magnificently crafted, beautifully designed, expensive coffee maker is not used to make coffee in my kitchen. Should I throw it out or sell it on e-Bay? Certainly not! I use it to brew tea later in the day. It leaves the old teapot in the dust.