Bodum Chambord French Press - Best-Selling Classic

Bodum Chambord 1L French Press – A Classic Glass Cafetière

The Bodum Chambord 1L is a traditional French press built around a borosilicate glass carafe, metal frame and reusable stainless-steel plunger filter.

It uses straightforward full-immersion brewing: ground coffee steeps directly in hot water before the metal filter separates most of the grounds as you press the plunger.

The result is quite different from paper-filtered coffee. More of the coffee's oils and very fine particles remain in the cup, generally producing greater body and texture – along with some sediment that is normal for this brewing method.

This 1-litre version is marketed by Bodum as an 8-cup cafetière, although those are traditional small coffee-cup measurements rather than eight full UK mugs.

Why Consider the Bodum Chambord?

The Chambord is worth considering if you like the simplicity of French press brewing but prefer the traditional combination of glass and metal over the more utilitarian plastic frame used on models such as the Bodum Brazil.

There are no electronics, pods or disposable paper filters. You add ground coffee and water, allow them to steep together, then slowly press the metal plunger.

It's a simple brewing method that also gives you control over coffee dose, water quantity, grind size and steeping time.

Key Features

• 1-litre capacity – Bodum's traditional 8-cup size, suitable for making several smaller servings from one brew.
• Borosilicate glass carafe – Allows you to see the coffee while it brews.
• Chrome-plated stainless-steel frame – Surrounds and supports the glass carafe.
• Reusable stainless-steel filter – Separates the brewed coffee from most of the grounds without disposable paper filters.
• Full-immersion brewing – Coffee remains in direct contact with the water throughout the steeping period.
• No electricity required – You only need ground coffee and a separate source of hot water.
• Simple construction – Few components and no complicated brewing mechanism.
• Dishwasher-safe components – Bodum designs the Chambord for straightforward cleaning after use.

How Does a French Press Work?

A French press is an immersion brewer.

Unlike pour-over coffee, where water continually passes through a bed of coffee and a paper filter, the grounds remain immersed in the brewing water for several minutes.

Once the coffee has steeped, the plunger is pressed slowly down through the liquid. Its metal mesh traps most of the larger coffee particles beneath it while the brewed coffee remains above.

The coffee can then be poured directly from the carafe.

What Does French Press Coffee Taste Like?

French press coffee is generally associated with a fuller body than paper-filtered methods.

The metal filter allows more oils and very fine particles to pass into the finished drink than a paper filter would.

Some people particularly enjoy that heavier texture. Others prefer the cleaner cup produced by an AeroPress or pour-over brewer.

Neither approach is inherently better – they're simply different ways of presenting the coffee.

What About Sediment?

A small amount of sediment is normal with a traditional French press.

The stainless-steel mesh is designed to hold back the bulk of the coffee grounds, but it isn't intended to filter coffee as finely as paper.

Using an appropriately coarse grind and pressing the plunger gently can help reduce the amount of fine material reaching your cup.

If you strongly dislike any sediment in coffee, a paper-filtered brewing method may suit you better.

A Simple Starting Recipe

A useful starting point for a full 1-litre brew is approximately:

• Coffee: 60g
• Water: 1 litre
• Ratio: around 1:16–1:17
• Grind: coarse
• Steeping time: approximately 4 minutes

1. Preheat the carafe with some hot water, then empty it.
2. Add the coarsely ground coffee.
3. Pour in the required amount of hot water, making sure the grounds are evenly wetted.
4. Give the coffee a gentle stir if necessary.
5. Place the lid on the cafetière with the plunger raised.
6. Allow the coffee to steep for approximately four minutes as an initial starting point.
7. Press the plunger down slowly and steadily.
8. Pour the coffee rather than leaving it sitting on the grounds for an extended period.

From there, adjust the coffee-to-water ratio, grind or steeping time according to taste.

Why Use a Coarse Grind?

French press brewing normally works best with coffee that's considerably coarser than espresso.

A very fine grind can pass more easily through the metal filter, increase sediment and make the plunger more difficult to press.

Coarser grounds are also better suited to the relatively long immersion time.

If the finished coffee tastes weak or under-extracted, don't automatically jump to a much finer grind. Dose, steeping time and water temperature can also be adjusted.

How Much Coffee Does 1 Litre Actually Make?

The “8 cup” description can be misleading if you're imagining eight ordinary mugs.

Coffee-maker cup measurements are considerably smaller than a typical UK mug.

The useful figure when comparing cafetières is therefore the actual 1-litre capacity.

For a household making two or three reasonably sized servings together, this is a useful size. If you usually brew only one small cup at a time, a smaller French press may be more convenient.

Bodum Chambord vs Bodum Brazil

Both use essentially the same straightforward French press brewing principle, so the decision is more about construction and price than fundamentally different coffee.

The Bodum Brazil uses a protective plastic frame around its borosilicate glass carafe and is positioned as a simpler, more affordable cafetière.

The Chambord uses the more traditional chrome-plated metal frame and domed lid associated with the classic Bodum design.

If your priority is simply affordable French press brewing, the Brazil makes a strong case.

If you prefer the Chambord's glass-and-metal appearance and are comfortable paying more for that construction, this is the more traditional option.

Glass vs Stainless-Steel French Press

The glass carafe has some advantages. You can see the brewing process and it doesn't add the visual bulk of a double-wall stainless-steel body.

But glass is naturally more vulnerable to knocks and drops.

It also doesn't provide the same insulation as a double-wall stainless-steel cafetière.

If durability or heat retention is your main priority, a stainless-steel French press may be worth considering instead.

If you like the traditional cafetière design and normally serve the coffee soon after brewing, the Chambord's glass construction makes more sense.

Who Is the Bodum Chambord Best For?

The Chambord is particularly worth considering if you:

• enjoy fuller-bodied coffee;
• want a simple manual brewing method;
• prefer reusable metal filtration to disposable paper filters;
• want to make several servings together;
• like the traditional glass-and-metal cafetière design;
• want to see the coffee while it brews; or
• want a brewer with very few components to maintain.

Who Should Look Elsewhere?

If you prefer exceptionally clean coffee with very little sediment, consider a paper-filtered method such as an AeroPress or pour-over brewer.

If you're buying equipment specifically for travelling or camping, we'd choose something less vulnerable to breakage than a glass cafetière.

If you usually make only one small coffee at a time, the 1-litre Chambord may also be larger than necessary.

And if durability and heat retention matter more than seeing the coffee brew, a double-wall stainless-steel French press is worth comparing.

Cleaning and Care

French presses are simple to clean, although the metal filter benefits from occasional disassembly so trapped coffee particles and oils can be removed.

After brewing, dispose of the grounds rather than washing a large quantity down the sink.

Rinse the carafe and plunger thoroughly and periodically separate the filter components for a more complete clean.

The borosilicate glass still needs to be treated as glass: avoid knocks and sudden handling that could damage the carafe.

Our Take

The Bodum Chambord doesn't need exaggerated claims to make sense.

It's a traditional 1-litre glass French press with a reusable metal filter and the familiar chrome-framed Bodum design.

Its biggest attraction is the brewing method itself: full immersion, minimal equipment and a fuller-bodied cup than you'd normally get from paper filtration.

The main compromises are equally straightforward. Some sediment is normal, the glass carafe requires reasonable care and the coffee won't stay hot as long as it would inside an insulated stainless-steel brewer.

If you want inexpensive functionality above everything else, we'd compare it with the Bodum Brazil. If you specifically prefer the traditional Chambord construction and appearance, this is the more attractive step up.

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