The Bodum Columbia is sturdy and looks great, but most importantly, it makes a fantastic tasting pot of coffee.
Positive Product Points
Coffee tastes great. Easy to use, very easy to clean. Looks great.
Negative Product Points
None so far
Detailed Commentary
I recently puchased the Bodum Columbia after reading and researching about press pots on CoffeeGeek and others. I opted for the Columbia due to its stainless steel construction and my known ability to destroy anything that can be easily broken.
The Columbia press is extrememly easy to use (as you can read on this web site about how to make press coffee).
There are several other benefits to the steel construction that I wasn't expecting:
1) the bottom inside part of the pot where the coffee grounds end up after pressing is curved or tapered instead of having a sharp corner like most glass press pots. This makes the Columbia very easy to clean in the sink - I got the large 48 oz variety, I'm sure the smaller ones are a bit more difficult for those with large hands.
b) Being stainless steel, the Columbia retains heat very well - I wouldn't recommend using the press as a serving carafe as the coffee will get strong and bitter while standing, but it's much easier to pre-heat a steel press pot with hot tap water than a glass one. Also, while the coffee is steeping, there is less heat loss than you would expect with glass. By the way, I recommend putting the coffee in a real carafe or a thermos if it is not to be drunk immediately.
I'm pretty new to making good coffee at the house. My drip machine is in a kitchen cupboard now. My friends all love the coffee I serve and I've even given a couple lessons on how to use the press pot. Combined with my Rocky and OurCoffeeBarn.com I'm able to make better coffee than can be bought within about 150 miles (really, I live in the sticks).
Buying Experience
I've always had good luck with Amazon. My Bodum Columbia came well packaged and protected in about 5 days with standard shipping. Prices seem to be about the same from one internet retailer to another.
Three Month Followup
I've been using my Columbia nearly every day for almost 6 months now and it's holding up famously. It has some scratches, but has survived a couple of hits against the sink that may have done in a lesser press pot.
Press pot coffee has made me realize that most people don't expect much from a cup of joe. Nearly everyone who's had some coffee from the Columbia has commented on how good it tastes (I know it's not me, my results are easily reproduced by my friends) and two pals from work even went out and bought Columbias for their own homes.
