Bodum Brazil 8-Cup (34-Ounce) Coffee Press

Comment: Here's my routine:
I boil up some water in my electric kettle.
I throw some coarsely-ground coffee into my empty Bodum Brazil coffee press -- I usually use 6 scoops for a full pot.
I let the water cool just a little bit before pouring it in-- boiling water makes the coffee bitter, dontcha know-- and I fill that puppy up.
I stir it around, and let it sit 4-5 minutes before plunging the grounds to the bottom. (Is it wrong that it's so very satisfying to press the plunger?)

I pour it into my Leifheit Thermal Carafe, where it stays hot all day.

I am a happy gal.

I use this daily, and it's sturdy, easy to use and clean, super-simple to use, and makes some delicious coffee.

Note: If you're a person who believes in super-sized everything, be warned that when this thing says "Eight Cups," it means "Eight European-sized dainty portions of coffee" not "Eight giant American-sized travel mugs of coffee."

Comment: I love the strong coffee that comes from a press pot. The Bodum is easy to assemble, use, disassemble and clean. The only problem I encountered was when the glass carafe chipped. No trouble, though; I went back on Amazon and found that Bodum offers a plastic replacement. I am back to enjoying press pot coffee with less worry about the carafe.

Comment: I've used this coffee press for a couple times since I got it from Amazon. It works great, although the glass looks very fragile. I have to be very careful when I clean it.

Comment: Had this item about a month now (8-cup size). I use six level scoops for a full 'pot'of strong coffee. Makes about 3-4 "American cups" (8oz +). More than I can drink in a day, so I share with office-mates.


PROS:
1)Coffee tastes better from this than from my drip coffee maker, IMHO. This is of, course, the number one reason for getting any coffee maker -- otherwise we'd all drink instant and save the trouble of brewing and cleanup. Reading some reviews here and foodie-type sites, the great taste is because the 'natural oils' from the beans are not filtered out by a paper filter. I don't notice 'oily' coffee or any other change in texture but I do notice the upgrade in taste and that earns four stars right there.
2)(YMMV on this)My office has a hot-water spigot at the water cooler so I get hot coffee slightly faster than the generic drip coffee maker where I have to wait until all dripping's done to get my one cup cleanly. If you don't have a ready source of hot-water, more time will be added waiting for water to heat up.

CONS:
1)You'll still get some 'silt' (micro grounds), even when you coarse grind your coffee. This is mostly due to my grinder, I guess, but a work-around is that I've started to use a small strainer as my scoop. Using this, most of the silt is discarded -- but some still gets through.

2)Keep in mind that the round-ball press handle prevents the mesh part from reaching all the way to the bottom of the container. Because of this, if you put 4 or less scoops (i.e. making a only a cup or so), there's still some space leftover and you don't get that extra squeezing out of flavor from the grounds. Also, I think I got a little more 'silt' when trying to get the last drops out than I got from a full load. Perhaps a packed set of grounds traps more silt than a loosely packed mound.

3)Cleanup is pretty messy, and is my biggest CON for me. As AZshooter recommended, I also use a stream of water to get out the grounds. Works WAY better than trying to scrape them out dry into the trash bin. This, of course, requires a drain and water source. Also, a few grounds always get stuck in the metal frame that holds the mesh in place. I have to use a toothpick to get them out.

Lastly, be sure to drink all the coffee quickly OR separate it from the gounds by pouring the coffee into another container (e.g. thermos). The acidity of the coffee grounds begins to taint the flavor of the liquid above if you leave them together for an hour or longer. This and CON #2 should weigh into consideration as to which size French press to buy.

Comment: 34oz is the key rather than 8 cups - I assume Brazilian cups are only 4.25 oz? Feel bad for the Brazilians - my tea "cup" is a 1-liter glass mug! So it's perfect! Works great with loose leaf tea, and coarse home ground coffee. An espresso grind will not do good things.
*** Easy to clean the screen if you unscrew it a bit or remove it completely - hold knob (in right hand) and carefully turn press plate clockwise - then run under hot water, do not over tighten when you screw it back on! Check your screen before each use, it should be evenly curved around and about half way up the spring. Be careful not to bump it on the handle tab when inserting it in the beaker - it can fold under the spring. Wrinkles, folds, or gaps will let particles into your beverage.