Bodum Chambord Coffee Press

From the Manufacturer

When Bodum took over a small clarinet factory in Normandy in 1982, it was not because of the fine orchestra clarinets they were producing. In addition to musical instruments, the factory also produced the coffee of a relatively unknown brewer called "The Chambord." Bodum combined the skills of these Normandy craftsmen with modern production. The result was a unique culinary tool, affordable to the many who loved the taste of what we now know as French press coffee.

Thanks to Bodum, and thanks to the increasing need for better coffee, the French press coffeemaker has become one of the most popular in the world. Yet the design has not strayed a bit from the original drawings, and Bodum still makes the Chambord with the same painstaking care and knowledge they gained from those Normandy craftspeople years ago. The ease of brewing and the delicious smell and taste of French-roasted dark coffee have remained unchanged.

Awards and Accolades

In 2004 the Bodum Chambord coffee press received the American Culinary Institute's award for best French press coffeemaker.

The American Culinary Institute judges food preparation products such as mixers, waffle makers, and electric teakettles. These products are judged on criteria important to consumers such as ease-of-use, safety, and the quality of the food produced. The institute also judges food preparation products used in restaurants and hotels, including institutional mixers, large-volume coffee machines, and food slicers.

Instructions for Use

1. Place pot on a dry, flat, nonslip surface. Hold handle firmly, then pull the plunger straight up and out of the pot.

2. For each 1.25-deciliter/4-ounce cup, put 1 rounded tablespoon or 1 Bodum scoop of coarse-ground coffee into the pot.

Caution: Use only coarse-ground coffee. Fine grind can clog the filter and create high pressure. Place coffee maker on a heatproof, nonslip surface.

3. Pour hot (not boiling) water into the pot. Leave a minimum of 2.5 centimeters/1 inch of space at the top. Stir the brew with a plastic spoon.

Caution: Metal spoons can scratch or chip the glass beaker and cause breakage.

4. Place the plunger unit on top of the pot. Turn lid to close off the pour spout opening. (Does not apply to the Brazil models.) Do not press down. Let the coffee brew for at least 4 minutes.

5. Hold the pot handle firmly, with the spout turned away from you, then using just the weight of your hand, apply slight pressure on top of the knob to lower the plunger straight down into the pot. Lowering the plunger slowly with minimal pressure produces best results. If the filter clogs or it becomes difficult to push down the plunger you should remove the plunger from the pot, stir the brew, and then slowly plunge again.

WARNING: Using excessive force can cause scalding liquid to shoot out of the pot.

6. Turn the lid to open the pour spout and then pour coffee.

7. Unscrew the filter assembly and clean the plunger unit after each use. All parts are dishwasher-safe.

Safety Instructions

• Not for stovetop use.
• Check glass beaker for scratches, cracks, or chips. Do not use a pot that is scratched, chipped, or cracked. Install a replacement beaker before using the pot again.
• Keep children away while using. Hot water is a hazard to small children!
• Do not allow children to use this coffeemaker.

• Excessive plunging force can cause scalding hot liquid to shoot out of pot.
• Do not plunge with force.
• Turn lid to close spout.
• Use only coarse-ground coffee.

Company History

In 1944 Peter Bodum, the father of today's owner, Joergen Bodum, started Bodum in Copenhagen. Times were difficult at the end of World War II; there was hardly any trade and people were out of work. Peter Bodum managed to wholesale a very small variety of housewares products by Danish manufacturers.

After the war Peter Bodum got an import license for kitchen and tabletop products; he traveled all over Europe and ended up importing kitchen and housewares to Denmark. As in the rest of Europe in those days, a lack of products in Denmark meant a market existed for almost anything to be sold. He specialized in glassware from Eastern Europe.

In the '50s Peter Bodum started developing his own products. He collaborated with the Danish architect Kaas Klaeson for a range of coffeemakers. At the time, industrial-design-type kitchen products were very rare. The first Bodum product to hit the market in 1958 was the Santos coffeemaker--based on a vacuum coffee brewing system. It became an instant sensation not only in Denmark but in all of Europe. Bodum still produces the original Santos design to this very day.

Bodum grew steadily during the '60s, but sadly, in 1967, at the age of only 57, Peter Bodum passed away. His wife managed the company until 1974, when she offered her 26-year-old son Joergen to join her in the management of the company. Joergen quickly brought on board Carsten Joergensen--then a teacher at the Danish School of Art in Copenhagen--and soon put him in charge of overall design for Bodum, including everything from products to corporate design, exhibitions, shops, buildings, catalogs, and advertising. It turned out to be a very long and fruitful collaboration. The two men began to fulfill Bodum's credo--"good design doesn't have to be expensive"--in lots of different ways.

In 1974 the first fruit of Joergen and Carsten's collaboration was introduced: the French coffee press Bistro. It was also the first incorporation of the new Bodum design language--beautiful simplicity and excellent materials for everyday life. Many more variations of coffee presses followed. Since 1974 Bodum has produced over 50 million French presses, taken the leap from "coffee" to "kitchen," and developed and produced a large variety of beautiful household and tabletop designs.

In 1979, when he took over the company, Joergen Bodum decided to move to Switzerland in order to be more centrally located in Europe. He chose the Lucerne area, where Bodum's head office has been located since the early '80s.

In 1980 Bodum Switzerland and its design unit, Pi-Design, were founded. Then, in 1986, the opening of Bodum's first shop in London marked another milestone in the Bodum history. It was designed not only to be the perfect showcase for the large variety of Bodum products but to embody an even stronger presentation of Bodum as an international brand. Many more shops in many more cities all over the world followed: Paris, Copenhagen, Zurich, Lucerne, Tokyo, New York, Dallas, Okinawa, Auckland, and many more. To this day there are 52 Bodum stores worldwide.

With more and more of its own stores in place, Bodum continued broadening its collection of beautifully designed everyday life products--from kitchen to home. Today Bodum offers its customers everything from the latest coffee- and tea-making products to tabletop, kitchen, storage, textiles, bathroom, and home office products. Some stores also have a café where Bodum's own selection of coffees and teas are served.

The Bodum Group is, and always has been, a 100 percent family-owned business. Today the company operates in 14 different countries with over 700 employees worldwide. Bodum has holding companies in Denmark and Switzerland as well as 12 sales companies, 3 production companies, and a design company called Bodum Design Group, located in Switzerland.

Needless to say, I upgraded to this larger press, which makes about 3 times more coffee. It makes the best coffee ever - I could never go back to a junky old drip coffee maker after this. Yeah, it's more work than a drip coffee maker, but really, would you rather have quick, easy coffee that tastes bad, or a delicious cup of coffee that takes 5 minutes more?

Using this is like steeping tea - you boil some water, grind some coffee beans (I hope you're grinding your own coffee beans!) and pour the water over the coffee grounds to let them steep for 4 minutes. Then you push the knob down, which filters delicious coffee into the water and leaves the grounds at the bottom of your pot. Then, voila! You've got about 3 cups of yummy coffee, depending on to what extent you water your cup down with cream and sugar.

If you're one of those people who just CAN'T WAIT for their coffee, you'd be better off getting a typical drip coffee maker. But if you love coffee, and want it to taste as good as it possibly can, you have to buy this press.


Lazy people .. NO ... coffee lovers ... YES!!   January 10, 2003
33 out of 34 found this review helpful

Anyone who says a drip coffee maker is easier and faster is A) Lazy, B) wrong, and C) NEVER cleans their Mr. Coffee!

This is a GREAT thing ... makes GREAT tasting coffee with none of the bitterness of a dirty Mr. Coffee ... and takes just a minute to clean up. If you love coffee, buy this! The coffee REALLY tastes MUCH better and cleanup is really NOT bad!

Simply boil or microwave the exact amount of water you want, pour in your coarse ground coffee, pour in the HOT water, stir and wait a few minutes (the longer you wait, the stronger it will be), press the bugger down, and drink a GREAT cup of coffee.

BTW - Most coffee makers CANNOT get the water hot enough to brew quality coffee and release all of the flavors. This does not have that problem since you pour boiling water over the grounds.


It should last a lifetime.   August 19, 2007
Thucydides 1 (USA)
28 out of 29 found this review helpful

Many coffee drinkers are inflexible on one point and that is the necessity to brew coffee in a glass container only! I used to be in this "glass camp", and I broke beaker after beaker in every coffee press I had. I am ham-fisted and lack the delicacy needed to make any glass coffee maker last longer than a few weeks.

I had a Brazilian polycarbonate coffee press and it lasted nine years. It finally came apart because it had been made in two pieces, and the two simply came apart because they were not injection-molded as one piece.

Then I discovered this Bodum Chambord 8-cup press and am delighted to say that it is absolutely perfect for me. The beaker is made of polycarbonate, like my old Brazilian one, but unlike that one, the Bodum is one solid piece, with no mold marks, seams, or anything else to come undone.

One other nice thing about it is that the beaker is big enough in diameter so that I can get my hand in it easily, and that's a big plus for cleaning the coffee pot thoroughly.

The coffee tastes great, needless to say, and unless I do something exceptionally stupid, this coffee pot should last me the rest of my life.


Makes a great cup of coffee!   March 25, 2007
George W. Roden (Cassville, MO USA)
16 out of 16 found this review helpful

I had never used a French press prior to purchasing this item. When researching this type of coffee maker, I found that almost all reviewers gave French presses high marks for the coffee they produce.

I've been very pleased with how the unit works. If you're used to using a drip coffee maker, you may be surprised at the amount of sediment you will find at the bottom of your cup. You will not, however, find any coffee grinds. The strainer does an excellent job of keeping these in the coffee maker and out of your coffee.

For my tastes, I found that I use far less coffee than the instructions recommend for preparation. I use two even measures using the scoop provided with the press. The coffee produced is rich and flavorful, meeting all my expectations.

Cleanup is really not a problem at all. I place an open paper towel over the drain of the kitchen sink. After pouring the coffee into a carafe, I add a small amount of water to the press to re-suspend the grounds. I then pour them onto the paper towel, which keeps the grounds from going down the drain and causing problems.

I recommend this French press for anyone who enjoys a great cup of coffee!