Review on ☕ Bodum PEBO Coffee Maker – Vacuum Siphon Brewer for Slow, Bold Flavor: 8 Cup, 1L, European Made, Black by Tammy Hines

I really like my Bodum Pebo vacuum coffee maker. Admittedly, my initial interest was the look and pure curiosity about coffee. I mostly drink espresso and espresso-based drinks, but about once a week I happily pull out my Pebo...even more so than my Chemex/Hario/Osaka or French Press. The cups of coffee I get are clean and flavorful. I make sure to use good quality coffee (I roast my own to keep it fresh and grind the beans until the water reaches the top chamber) and filtered water as I live in a hard water country. I really like this method of making coffee and would recommend it if you find the more complex process enjoyable. I don't think I would pay full price for it. It's very brittle... Ever had a Bodum French Press glass carafe and it broke? I have. This is a very similar borosilicate glass and probably about the same thickness. So be careful when washing so as not to hit the wall of the sink. Things to know: 1) Do not heat on a burner that is larger than the base as this could heat the sides of the pan and crack it, which is a scary thought. I personally didn't have that, but I read the reviews so I was wary from the start. Also, don't use the hottest heat...out of 10, I usually set it to 8 and let the water slowly heat up to temp. I find it makes the coffee better, especially when I add ground coffee to the top chamber (yes, DO NOT add ground coffee to begin with...no need to brew the coffee, just add it after the water has risen to the top has risen chamber)2. ) Filter: Well, the included filter worked fine for me, but um... plastic. So I went ahead and bought an old Cory glass filter rod off ebay...which worked but never fit my Pebo so some of the bottom is gone. In the end I settled on a metal and fabric filter from Hario which turned out to be excellent. I had to change the brew time slightly because the fabric was a bit thinner so it took longer for the water to rise and the coffee to go through the fabric filter (I basically took the pot off the heat a bit earlier). But it was amazing and I'll take the metal (which is then covered with a cloth filter) instead of a plastic filter. So there are definitely alternatives... the Hario filter costs... $10? Somewhere. 3) If you want to have a cup of coffee very quickly, this is probably not the best choice. It's not very slow, but it's not fast either, and it's a process where haste is likely to affect the flavor quality of your coffee. I did this once when I was sleepy trying to hurry and I turned the stove on too high and then turned off the coffee to water ratio and then the stove was still too hot when I added the coffee , so that it caused bad smells. Watch instructional videos (I recommend the ones where you add coffee as soon as the water fills the chamber), find out what water to coffee ratio you like, and just enjoy the beauty and scientific feel of coffee to brew this way.