French Press Coffee Pot
Enjoy Delicious Coffee in a French Pot
Small and Large Coffee Press Reviews

Below are reviews of small Bodum® French Press Coffee Pot units, capable of brewing 4 and 3 cups of French Press coffee. Jump down to reviews, or keep reading.

NOTE: if you're looking for a replacement french press pot (carafe) click here (it takes you to Amazon's site; new window will open).

Click here for larger capacity, 8 cup French pots.

The reason I selected to review (and personally buy) Bodum's French pots is because they are known for their good quality as well as their attractive designs. I am owning several Bodum French pots and am gratified with them.

The small french press pots, just like the 8-cup units, are available in both the Chambord and the New Kenya models, the latter of which has a heat-resistant plastic frame.

There's a glass as well as a plastic unit. The glass french press is made of durable borosilicate glass, while the plastic one includes a shatter resistant BPA-free plastic carafe.

Bodum Chambord 4 Cup (17 oz !) French Press Coffee Maker, Chrome This Chrome french press coffee pot -- the Chambord unit is a beautiful elegant piece. I would keep it on my table just as part of the decor. But of course, it brews great, delicious, smooth coffee as characteristic for a french-press. Carafe is glass -- durable and heat-resistant. Frame is stainless-steel with a heat-resistant handle. 3-part filter is stainless steel. Pros: attractive design; made from glass. Cons: much more expensive than the New Kenya; hot to the touch and not protected with plastic frame. SUGGESTION: buy if you need a strong, good-quality glass french press that also has a very attractive design.

Bodum New Kenya 4 cups (17 oz) Coffee Press, Black This is also glass, but far not as attractive as the Chambord unit. It is much cheaper, though. It, too, is made of heat-resistant, borosilicate glass, but has a curved plastic frame that is more safe against scalding and also protects the table from heat. One big CAUTION regarding this New Kenya model: be very careful as the glass is thin and also it may slide out of the plastic frame when you're trying to rinse it. Handle with care. Carafe is thin glass. Frame is stainless steel. Pros: Protective plastic fame; much cheaper. Cons: inferior design, may slide out of plastic frame, break more easily. SUGGESTION: I'm going for the Chambord, which is a better and also more attractive design. However, if price is an issue, the New Kenya may be an alternative.

Bodum Chambord 4 Cup (17 oz!) Shatterproof French Press Coffemaker

What means Shatterproof? Is it stronger glass protecting it from breakage? NO. it just purely simply means it is made from PLASTIC. Got it? So, if you dislike glass fearing it will crack, or you need it for travel and want to be more secure, you may want to choose a plastic french press coffee pot.

It is made from BPA-free plastic. Is it protected from scratches? No, it can still get some, but it's not glass.

Carafe is plastic -- less breakable than glass.

Filter is silicon.

Pros: Less breakable; may be a few dollars cheaper.

Cons: Design not as attractive; filter may pick up stains with the time and carafe may not remain as clean as glass.

SUGGESTION: if you are really concerned about breakage, or are more convenient with plastic when traveling, go for it.

If only price is the issue, the New Kenya glass pot is a much cheaper buy.

Bodum New Brazil 3-Cup French Press Coffee Pot

Bodum redesigned the [so-called] "3 cup" french press coffee pot, and I'm referring to this newer version here. It is from glass and has the capacity to brew just ONE single 12 oz cup of coffee. Do NOT assume that this is a three cup french press, it simply is not (unless you agree to Bodum to consider 4 oz as a "cup").

The New Brazil plunger pot thus is good as a single serve french press, enough for one consumer drinking just one cup of coffee at a time.

The unit is quite pricey considering that it is a very small, low-capacity french pot.

On the other hand, it has the advantage of a small footprint and better suited as a travel french press.

As for durability, it seems that there are a considerable amount of complains about the beaker cracking and breaking, so perhaps it is a less reliable unit than the other mentioned french presses, but honestly, I don't have enough information at this point to make a personal statement in regard to that.

Another pronounced objection about it is the terminology.

While Bodum generally refers to 4 oz "cups" in their french-press descriptions, this is especially frustrating when considering the 12 oz coffee pots that barely amounts to just one full 12 oz coffee mug and it's easy to be misled by the product details about the pot capacity.

Pros: glass carafe, compact, small footprint.

Cons: pricey, perhaps durability issues, confusing "cup" term particularly objectionable.

SUGGESTION: unless very small size if much important, I'd rather go for the "4 cup," that is also small, although the Chambord version of it is much more expensive.

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