Brewing Coffee with the Bodum Pour Over Coffee Maker
So last week was a rough one and filled with misfortune. First, my beloved Hario V60 Range Server met its untimely demise. I’m not quite sure how this happened, but I was able to improvise with a mason jar. However, tragedy struck again a few days later with the shattering of my Hario Cercamic Drip Cone.
Suddenly, I had no means to make coffee. Well, that’s not entirely true. But my preferred means of making coffee had disappeared.
Fortunately, I had recently ordered a 17-ounce (500 ml) Bodum Pour Over Coffee Maker, and it arrived on my doorstep in a very timely fashion. I immediately unpacked it and put it to its intended use.
Appearance
The Bodum, made from mouth-blown (glad they clarified that) borosilicate glass, borrows heavily from Peter Schlumbohm’s Chemex Coffee Maker. However, instead of a classy wooden collar and leather tie, the Bodum comes with either a two-piece plastic-and-rubber sleeve or a cork-and-leather band.
Also, the Bodum uses uses a fine mesh filter made of stainless steel and plastic (included with the carafe) instead of the traditional paper filter for the Chemex .
Brewing
The method for making coffee with the Bodum is pretty much the same as with any pour-over set-up. Boil some water, put freshly ground coffee in the mesh filter, then slowly add some water. I used the same ratio as I did with my Hario pour over equipment (15 grams of water to 1 gram of ground coffee).
How to Make the Perfect Cup of Coffee Every Time
The quest for the perfect cup of coffee is an endless one. Fortunately, I’ve made many cups of coffee in my day, so I can set you on the path to coffee perfection.
Results
The Bodum makes a pretty decent cup of coffee, perhaps slightly stronger than what I’m used to getting from the same technique using the Hario set-up with a paper filter — and that’s the key difference here. I like not having to worry about paper filters, but the Bodum’s mesh filter, as fine as it is, still allows a fair amount of grounds to slip through into the brew. This makes finishing the cup a somewhat gritty experience.
Overall, though, for less than $20, the Bodum Pour Over Coffee Maker is a pretty nice addition to anyone’s coffee-making arsenal.
