Description
What This Bodum Pour Over Is
This is a two piece pour over brewer: a glass carafe with a cork band around it, and a permanent stainless steel mesh filter that sits in the top. Coffee goes in the filter, hot water is poured over it, and the brewed coffee collects in the carafe below. The specification table lists the coffee maker type as pour over, the operation mode as manual, the filter type as reusable and the country of origin as Portugal, which is where Bodum makes its glassware.
The design choice that defines it is the metal filter. Paper filters trap coffee oils and produce a clean, light cup. Metal mesh lets those oils through, producing a heavier bodied cup with a little sediment. Neither is better and the difference is immediately noticeable. Anyone who prefers the clean cup should choose a paper cone such as the Hario V60 plastic dripper, and anyone comparing formats can look across the pour over coffee makers category.
Glass, Cork and Construction
Bodum’s copy describes the carafe as borosilicate glass, the same glass type used in laboratory ware because it tolerates sudden temperature changes far better than ordinary soda lime glass. That matters in a brewer that has boiling water poured into it, sometimes when the glass is cold.
The cork band is both a grip and a heat break. Glass conducts heat readily, so a carafe full of fresh coffee is uncomfortable to hold, and a band of cork gives somewhere to put a hand. Cork is also a natural material that needs a little care: it should not be soaked or put through a dishwasher repeatedly, since it will dry out and loosen over time. The listing does not state whether the carafe is dishwasher safe, so hand washing is the safe assumption for the assembled brewer.
At 1.21 pounds this is a light object, and the dimensions of 5.63 by 8 by 6.5 inches make it small enough to leave on a counter or store in a cupboard. It needs no power and has no moving parts beyond the filter assembly.
Capacity and What the Listing Says About It
Capacity is where this listing becomes confusing. The product title describes a 34 ounce model. Bodum’s marketing copy describes eight servings of 4 ounces, which is 32 ounces. Those two figures are close but not the same, and there is no capacity field in the specification table to settle it.
The difference is not large in practice, but the framing matters. Eight 4 ounce servings is a manufacturer’s way of counting that flatters the number, because a 4 ounce serving is a small cup rather than a mug. In mug terms, roughly 32 to 34 ounces is about three standard mugs or two large ones. Anyone brewing for more than three people will need to brew twice, or should look at a machine with a full carafe such as the Zojirushi thermal carafe brewer.
There is also a curious entry in the specification data: a coffee filter size field reading number 4. That is a paper filter size, and this brewer ships with a permanent metal filter. It may indicate that a number 4 paper filter can be used as an alternative, which would be genuinely useful, but the listing does not say so and this review will not assume it.
Technique With a Metal Filter
A metal filter changes how the brew should be handled, not just how it tastes. Because the mesh openings are larger than the pores in paper, a grind that would be fine for a paper cone will send too much fine material through and produce a muddy cup with a gritty finish. The usual answer is to grind a step or two coarser than for paper and to accept a slightly longer pour.
The second adjustment is pouring rate. A metal filter drains faster than paper, so water poured quickly will pass through before it has extracted much, giving a thin, sour cup. Pouring in stages, letting the bed drain most of the way between pours, gives the water time to work. Neither adjustment is difficult, but a buyer moving from a paper cone should expect to spend a few brews finding the settings again.
Highlights
- Permanent stainless steel mesh filter with no paper required.
- Borosilicate glass carafe that tolerates hot water without thermal shock.
- Cork band that provides grip and insulates the hand from the glass.
- Made in Portugal rather than assembled from generic parts.
- Light at 1.21 pounds and compact enough to store easily.
- No power required and nothing electrical to fail.
- Roughly three mugs per brew, suiting a small household.
Things To Consider
Glass is glass. Borosilicate resists thermal shock, not impact, and a knocked carafe will break. That is the main durability caveat against a metal or ceramic brewer, and it is worth weighing in a household with children or a crowded counter.
The metal filter has a second consequence beyond body and sediment: coffee oils accumulate in the mesh and go rancid if the filter is only rinsed. It needs proper washing, and periodically a soak, to keep the coffee tasting clean. This applies to every permanent filter brewer, including OXO’s travel device and any mesh basket in a drip machine.
The method has the usual pour over limitation, which is that it requires attention for the whole brew and rewards a gooseneck kettle and a burr grinder, neither of which is included. There is no lid mentioned in the included components, so the carafe will lose heat quickly once brewed, and there is no insulation. Coffee should be poured promptly rather than left standing. Households that want coffee held hot should look at a thermal machine in the coffee machines category.
Who Should Buy It and Who Should Skip It
This suits a household of one to three that wants a heavier bodied pour over cup, likes the look of glass and cork on a counter, and does not want to buy paper filters. It is simple, cheap to run and makes enough for a small breakfast table.
Skip it if you want a clean, tea like cup, since the metal filter will not deliver that. Skip it too if durability matters more than looks, if you need coffee to stay hot, or if you brew for four or more. Anyone who wants the same method in an unbreakable material should compare the metal Hario V60 dripper.
