ONE OF THE BEST FRENCH PRESSES OUT THERE.
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During my Barista Training course, I was introduced to several different types of coffee brewing equipment. The list goes on from different commercial grade espresso machines to vacuum brew pots to French Press and others. Of all the brewing apparatus that I drank coffee from, though, the French Press stood out as my favorite.
Fast forward a few years. Now, as an MBA student at Central European University in Budapest, Hungary, I was needing coffee for those late-night study sessions. Being in Europe where the population has a refined palate that demands great coffee (i.e., espresso and cappuccino; good ol’ American drip coffee is not readily available), I was in a bit of a quandary when it came to having coffee for study jam sessions until I walked in a large American chain coffeeshop near my apartment. I saw on the shelf a Bodum French Press. Thinking back on my barista school days, I remembered my fondness for French Press coffee. Well, there was my answer for coffee during study session question, so I purchased the French Press. I was also lucky to find an actual roast of coffee that I enjoyed from that large-chain purveyor of generally bad tasting coffee that is dark-roasted-to-the-point-that-it-tastes-like-drinking-cigarette-ash coffee. My future love affair and involvement with Bodum French Presses started on that cool fall evening at West End mall in Budapest. I spent the rest of the MBA program brewing decent coffee for my friends and classmates during our long and sometimes late-night study sessions.
Here I am 14 years later, still brewing coffee with the same Bodum 34-oz. Chambord French Press that I bought along the banks of the Danube. I keep this original French Press at my desk at work. The red paint is peeling off and the handle is a bit loose and occasionally I have to tighten up the filter to the plunger, but the French Press still works. The filter is tight in the carafe so little to no fines pass through. That old French Press consistently brews a great cup of coffee once or even several times a day.
Having such luck with the old French Press, and since it is sitting at my desk at work, I decided to buy a new one for home, so I chose to buy another Bodum Chambord French Press. The new one is the exact same as the old except the metal is bit shiner and the handle is tight. I guess that I should not expect anything different since Bodum has been producing the Chambord since 1944. 80 years of excellent coffee brewing. They are not messing around.
My recommendation is an overwhelming MUST BUY for the Bodum Chambord French Press. My long history of using the same press for the last 14 years with no problems is a testament to the durability of the product. So, if you are looking to upgrade your coffee game from basic drip, follow my lead and get a French Press—or if you currently have a French Press and it is not a Bodum, you need to upgrade to the best.
—Joe from pegritzandjoedrinkcoffee.com
Pegritz and Joe Drink Coffee 
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