Great for those times when only a single mug of coffee is needed.
Positive Product Points
Nice simple design, easy to take apart to wash. The filter assembly fits a standard (250ml) mug.
Negative Product Points
Glass mug. Difficult to determine the correct amount of water with no maximum fill mark.
Detailed Commentary
In the box there is a glass beaker holding the standard 250ml for a mug, a plastic holder which holds the beaker securely, a filter, a water reservoir, lid and Bodum coffee measuring spoon holding 7g of coffee.
Here I'm going to expand on the sparse instructions which Bodum rather begrudgingly commit to as few words as possible. First of all warm the glass beaker or otherwise you'll get coffee which is hotter than warm but not quite hot. Next place a measure of coffee in the mesh filter and put the water reservoir into the filter. Now here comes the bit that isn't mentioned: Place a very small amount of hot but not boiling water into the water reservoir and put on the lid. This wets the coffee and avoids a rather weak strength for the finished cup but this is true of all filter drip coffee makers. After a couple of minutes remove the lid, fill up the reservoir with hot but not boiling water and replace the lid which creates a vacuum and slows the flow of water into the filter. I'll stress that the lid must be on for it to work properly. And that's the process of making a rather nice mug of coffee.
I use 7g of Columbian finely ground coffee which may be a little weak for some but is great for me. Using finely ground produces a better strength than courser ground but results in a little coffee dust in the bottom of the mug. The plus side of the filter drip assembly is that it fits a standard mug so I can use my favourite coffee mug. The negative bit is that there is no maximum fill mark so it's trial and error at first to fill with the correct amount of water.
Personally, I hesitate to say anything is perfect so I'll give this product a nearly perfect 9. I've used this product every morning for 6 months and will probably continue to use it for years.
Buying Experience
ASDA is a chain store in United Kingdom owned by the American Walmart. I buy personally from their store and love their special offers: The Bodum Solo was reduced to around a third of the U.K. list price! Their customer service is great and there is also their price guarantee which means if you could have bought for less elsewhere they'll refund the difference. Overall I have no complaints whatsoever.
