Easily the best tasting coffee this side of a semi pro espresso machine for a tiny fraction of the cost.
Positive Product Points
The COFFEE!!! I've tasted espresso in expensive restaurants and cafe's that was a lot worse than what this pot produces. It just consistently makes great espresso (I know. It's not real espresso, but it's d*mn close). I own a Bodum press pot, and, frankly, this just blows it away.
Negative Product Points
Looks pretty shabby, sensitive to getting grinds stuck in the seals. When you have the 4-cup, you can't make less than 4 cups. Still, the amount it makes is roughly equal to a big double. It's also pretty expensive here, but then again, it beats pretty much everything this side of a semi-pro espresso machine.
Detailed Commentary
Works like it says on the box. Measure the water, measure coffee, close it up, stove on full whack, TCCHHHHHHHSSSSSS, and you're done. The 4-cup makes a perfect dosage for me (yeah, I'm a junkie. Gotta have coffee in the morning), and tastes great in a latte.
I'll probably never use my bodum again (except if I'm making coffee for more than 3), so I removed the mesh in the plunger, and it now makes for a brilliant milk frother. All original (glass) Bodum press-pots use pyrex glass that is of laboratory quality, so I just pour in milk, put the glass insert directly on the stove, and plunge away when it reaches temperature.
I'm told latte art is actually possible using this approach, but I doubt it (hasn't worked for me yet). Makes for a great large latte for 2/3 people.
I get my coffee ground at the store, and they've hit the nail on the head every time, so I can't really complain that it's sensitive to grind. It also makes great crema with the grind I use.
It's also probably one of the fastest ways to make coffee. I get what I call a double espresso (italians like small espressos I guess) from 2 minutes work in the morning, it tastes great, has a very nice temperature, and announces when it's ready (it'll even wake me if I've dozed off).
All in all, it's the best bang for your buck. Period. And theres no waiting around, and it's very easy to use.
A relative of mine has just bought an ECM Giotto Premium, which I am yet to sample. Will post comparisons.
Buying Experience
Saw it in a shop, laughably overpriced, but I didn't want to have it shipped from Italy. Worth every penny to me.
