Very well made and elegent pot, but spirit lamp and stand are useless if you have a gas range.
Positive Product Points
Very well made and elegent.
Negative Product Points
Expensive for a vacuum brewer. Spirit lamp is not strong enough by itself for heating water and making it rise.
Detailed Commentary
This is the only all glass vacuum coffee pot (with a glass filter as opposed to a paper or metal filter) that I know of that is currently in production. It's similar in design to the all glass Cory Pots with the glass filters, which ceased production in the late 40's / early 50's.
For what it is, it's VERY well made and elegant looking. You can get the stand with gold plating, which makes for a high class appearance.
However, the entire setup is marketed as 100% usable with the included spirit lamp. I found that if you start with room temperature water, the spirit lamp is NOT enough to heat the water to a boil and make the water rise to the top globe. Furthermore, the spirit lamp will blacken the glass on the bottom of the pot if the pot is left over the flame for too long. (I used denatured alcohol for the fuel, per the instructions.) The instructions recommend heating water to a near boil, then dumping it into the glass pot, and using the spirit lamp only for the few minutes it takes to infuse the coffee. If you have a gas range, the pot will sit stable on your burner, even with the globe on top. Using a gas range is much more efficient and effective, thereby making the spirit lamp and stand for the most part useless.
Espresso Zone sells the pot, filter rod, funnel, and pot handle separately. I recommend buying just those pieces and avoiding the stand and spirit lamp, unless you want to have something pretty to look at. Make sure to order a pot handle; the pot does not come with one when purchased separately.
Buying Experience
I bought from Espresso Zone, which was easy to purchase online. The item arrived very quickly, within a few days. Shipping was free!
