In the vast, diverse, and competitive world of pour over coffee makers, Bodum has carved its own place.
With this Bodum pour over coffee maker review, we see how well this coffee maker performs. It’s not enough to be “good”. Just like Bodum lords over the world of French Press, the domain of pour over coffee makers is ruled by Hario, Chemex, and maybe Kalita Wave. But then Bodum is no stranger to taking on the competition and coming out as the winner.
Overview Of The Bodum Pour Over Coffee Maker
There are three major components of the Bodum Pour Over Coffee Maker:
- Carafe
- Filter
- Neckband
Buy the Bodum Pour Over On Amazon
Neckband Aesthetics And Function
The neckband or insulation band is largely an aesthetic component, though it has a good practical purpose as well. When you’re done brewing, you can pick the carafe from the neckband and pour coffee into your cup.
By itself, the carafe will be hot due to the poured coffee. And since the filtering and pour over process takes place at the neck, that part will be hot too. So with the entire system being hot after brewing, the band provides an excellent point for usability.
For most variants, the band is made from silicone and is available in several colors. Cork variants of the band are also available to provide a different and interesting look.
The band is a good example of aesthetics and function coming together. Since it is available in several colors, there’s a good chance you’ll find the color you’re looking for.
How The Carafe Shapes The Coffee Maker
The carafe forms the body of this pour over coffee maker. It is made from heat-resistant borosilicate glass, which enables it to cleanly handle the hot pouring coffee. Its overall form is pleasing as well. The base of the carafe is well-rounded and tapers towards the neck.
This forms a spot to place the filter and brew your coffee. Going beyond the neck, the carafe flairs again and takes a circular open form at the top. Here, you’ll also find a spout for more convenient pouring of coffee.
The spout is rounded. Though it does its job fairly well, I’d have preferred a more pronounced spout that makes it easier to pour coffee from the carafe.
How Bodum’s Filter And Carafe Get Along
Bodum comes with a pour-over metal filter. This filter is quick and easy to work. For some time after its launch, the company included a gold-tone metal filter with its coffee maker. That one’s gone now, with the simpler metal filter taking its place.
Functionally, there is little difference between the two filters. Aesthetically and practically, there isn’t much difference between the two.
However, it lacks the same appeal as a gold-tone filter. Whatever way we consider, the gold-tone seems more capable. Perhaps that’s just a psychological belief, but it can alter many people’s buying decisions.
The greatest benefit of a metal filter is that it does not add its own taste to the coffee it is filtering. No essential oils from the coffee are removed by this type of filter. They’re simple, straightforward and reusable.
When in use, the filter is placed at the neck of the coffee maker. It is supported at this spot by the general shape of the carafe.
Price And Value For Money Equation
One of the greatest strengths of the Bodum Pour Over Coffee Maker is the value for money it offers. Even with the brand name and use of high-quality materials, it is priced very competitively. For example, when compared to Chemex, Bodum coffee maker is practically cheap. The excellent combo of brand name and price makes it tough to resist.
Other considerations too play well for this coffee maker. It is available in several sizes. Bodum Pour Over 34 oz is the popular medium size. You can also find this coffee maker in 17 oz and 51 oz variants.
Maintenance and cleaning of this coffee maker are relatively easy too. Bodum coffee maker is dishwasher safe, so regular cleaning is a breeze. It might occasionally need a deep clean, especially for the metal filter. Even so, the process is not tiring or overly demanding.
Taste Test — Making Coffee With Bodum
The true value of a coffee maker comes from the taste and quality of coffee it brews. Now that we’ve talked about its specs, let’s see how the Bodum Pour Over Coffee maker really perform where it matters.
General tips and ideas for brewing coffee remain applicable here as well. Ideally, you’ll have freshly roasted coffee beans, roasted no more than 28 days ago. This is the best window, though you can be flexible to suit your requirements.
The recommended water temperature for ideal extraction is 195°F. This is just below the boiling temperature, but the water should not be boiling.
A simple way to reach this temperature is to shut off heat as soon as the water starts boiling. Wait 30 seconds, then start pouring!
A gooseneck kettle is recommended for pour over methods. It makes it easy to manage the volume and flow of the water, thus resulting in better coffee.
Oh! It Blooms
Place the coffee grounds in the filter and slowly pour water over these grounds in a circular motion. Your movements when pouring water should be steady. Only pour enough water to soak all the coffee grounds. Soon enough you’ll see bubbles rising from the coffee.
This is the bloom we’ve been waiting for! The bloom depends on the freshness of the coffee. Fresh coffee blooms more. For comparably fresh coffees, I believe the Bodum coffee maker produces a more pronounced bloom.
I’m not sure what the exact reason is, though I attribute it to the general shape of the filter.
Pouring And Collecting The Coffee
Once the bloom settles, start adding more water to the coffee grounds. Continue to follow the steady circular motion while pouring water. You will have to stop 2-3 times while pouring water to allow coffee to seep through the filter.
Interestingly, the Bodum Coffee Maker is pretty quick to let coffee flow through. It starts dripping from the filter to the carafe rather quickly and maintains a good rate of flow.
Compared to its competing coffee makers, this one sure is fast. Keep in mind, this is an observation and the faster speed here doesn’t necessarily imply a better coffee.
Tasting The Coffee — Bodum Pour Over Coffee Maker Review
Well, the Bodum is indeed faster than competing coffee makers. It is also pretty much true to its word and functions. The metal filter does a good job of filtering the coffee. It doesn’t add to the taste of the coffee and doesn’t absorb it from the beans either.
The carafe is similarly impressive. It too remains impervious to the taste and flavor of coffee. The overall result is a pleasing cup of coffee we can enjoy. However, the metallic filter isn’t capable of stopping small grounds. Some of them will be present in your coffee, so expect sediment.
Bodum vs Chemex
If we are discussing coffee makers, it makes all the sense to do a Bodum vs Chemex comparison. While Hario is also a leader in this segment, offerings like Hario V60 fall into a different category. Chemex and Bodum have the shape, functioning principle, and looks.
The construction of both the coffee makers is largely similar. Like Bodum, Chemex too is made from high-quality heat-resistant borosilicate glass. A neck collar keeps this coffee maker easy to maneuver when you’re brewing coffee.
Chemex, however, prefers the use of paper filters to metallic filters. Similarly, its cost is significantly higher than the Bodum, which can influence the buying choice of potential customers.
See the Chemex pour over coffee brewer on Amazon
Comparing Bodum And Chemex For Quality Coffee
So where do these big shot coffee makers stand on coffee quality and taste? It’s the subtle differences that bring about a big change. Chemex avoids metallic filters and prefers the use of paper filters.
Given the nature of these filters, they absorb oils from coffee grounds. Additionally, there is always a chance of paper filters absorbing taste or adding some of it to your coffee.
A key aspect here is that the paper filter blocks out smaller particles of coffee. As a result, you’ll get a clearer cup of coffee with Chemex. It is worth noting that the presence of coffee grounds or oils is a subjective difference. You might very well enjoy your coffee with either quality.
Another factor is that though the Bodum coffee maker is faster to get the coffee ready, it doesn’t quite extract coffee as well as Chemex. In a general sense, the coffee from Chemex is likely to be better than Bodum.
Here’s a quick list:
- Bodum Pour Over Coffee Maker brews the coffee faster but may sacrifice extraction for this
- The metallic filter of Bodum doesn’t disturb the flavor or oils in the coffee. It also allows finer grounds to fall into the carafe. Chemex, on the other hand, brews a cleaner cup with lower oils and coffee grounds
- Bodum is priced significantly lower than Chemex
- A more pronounced spout on the Chemex makes it easy to pour the coffee, as compared to the curved spout of the Bodum
If the decision were up to me, I’d say Chemex is the better coffee maker. However, there are a lot of subjective differences between the two, so one choice can be as good as the other.
Is Bodum Pour Over The Coffee Maker Of Choice?
As this Bodum Pour Over Coffee Maker review goes, its greatest strength lies in offering incredible value. This coffee maker has a high-quality build and priced considerably lower than competing brand options. It brews a great cup of coffee, does it fast, and remains a useful coffee maker.