Bodum Chambord French Press Review: The Classic Press I Still Use
Author: Russell Volz • Published: March 1, 2024 • Updated: September 4, 2026
Most mornings I reach for my $25 Portuguese-made Bodum Chambord French Press. Sitting next to it is a $225 Italian-made French press. I like the look on its face when the Bodum kicks its Italian ass.
Bottom line: a damn good French press at a stupid-low price.
Is it worth buying? If you already know you want a French press, you get a choice. Impress your friends with the Italian lid, or keep the money and buy better beans. More on that later.
Two jobs this press should not apply for. It will not keep coffee hot while you answer email — it is glass. It will not survive a backpack or the gorillas at the airport — still glass.
If you have not picked a method yet — French press versus AeroPress — start there, not here: AeroPress vs French Press: Which Is Better for Smooth Coffee?. This page assumes you already want a press. The Chambord is the one I use. Unless it is dirty. Then I go slumming with the Italian.
📜 Video Transcript
Intro
Good morning, coffee lovers. My name is Russell Volz from Lake City Coffee. Today we are going to talk about the Bodum Chambord French Press.
I came across this almost by accident. I was in Fred Meyer or some grocery store and they had them on sale for $19.99. I thought, a French press for $19.99? That is crazy. So I bought it.
The $225 Alessi
Part of the motivation is this Alessi — A-L-E-S-S-I. This puppy goes for $225. I bought it probably five years or more ago. They were about $125 at the time. On sale I got it for like $85. I thought, what the heck, the business will pay for it. So I bought it.
I am going to compare these two: a super high-end and a dirt cheap. Which one makes better coffee?
Same beans, both presses
Let’s take a quick taste. This is from this morning, with the Bodum — made in Portugal, by the way.
That is great coffee. Then again, we are using my beans, so of course it is great coffee. Super smooth. No bitterness at all, which is unusual for a French press.
A French press does not use a paper filter. It has a metal screen. That screen is not filtering the oils out. What you put in is what you get out. Crappy beans, crappy coffee. Great beans, great coffee.
A French press will typically run a little bitter and a little more flavor. Put high-end beans in it and the bitterness drops out. Super smooth, a lot of flavor. That is French press as a whole.
12 oz vs 34 oz
One reason I love this little press is the size. The Italian is bigger — 34 oz. This Bodum makes 12 oz. I only drink 12 oz. That is what this mug is.
Same guts
Look at the inside. There is not much to these things. Three parts: a base the screen screws into, the screen, and a top plate that holds the screen down.
Get into the Italian press that costs roughly ten times as much — same three parts. I have had these so many years I could not tell you which stack came out of the $25 Bodum and which came out of the $225 Alessi. They both work equally well.
The $15 beaker
Here is probably the biggest reason I like the Bodum. If this beaker breaks — it is glass — I do not care. So what? I can get a new beaker for $15, or a whole new press for $25. It is so inexpensive it does not matter.
Break the Alessi and I am going to be really ticked. So far I have not broken either one, which surprises me. Maybe they put special glass in them.
Identical coffee
These two make absolutely identical coffee. Ten times the price in this hand. Dirt cheap in the other.
Why the Bodum is daily
This is what I reach for almost every single day. When this is dirty, I go slumming with the Italian. Not to knock it. Sitting on the counter, friends walk in and go, “Ooh, that is a nice looking French press, Russell.”
If I left the Bodum out, everybody would look at it and go, “Dang, that is ugly.” And it is. It sits in the cupboard. I am the only one who ever sees it. That is why I use this one. If I cared about impressing my friends, I would leave the Italian out.
I have had this for five years. I do not use this press every single day — I switch brewing methods — but this is my go-to. For the price, and for how well it works, you cannot miss it.
If you have a drip machine and you want to take brewing up a level, this is the way. Grab one. They are dirt cheap.
Grind: medium-coarse
Grind medium to medium-coarse. You will love it.
That is pretty much it. Questions, let us know. We will be happy to get back to you.
Bodum Chambord at a Glance
This is the press most people mean when they say French press: glass beaker, chrome cage, black knob, three-part screen. Mine is the 12 oz. I was running 16 oz through the 34 oz Italian every morning, drinking 12, and pouring the rest down the drain. I got tired of throwing good coffee away and bought the cheapest 12 oz press I could find. It happened to be this one.
| What you are looking at | What you actually get |
| The one I use | 12 oz (box says: 3-cup) |
| Best size if you brew for more than yourself | 34 oz (box says: 8-cup) |
| Other sizes | 17 oz (box says: 4-cup), 51 oz (box says: 12-cup) |
| Carafe | Borosilicate glass |
| Frame and lid | Chrome-plated stainless |
| Filter | 3-part stainless mesh and plates |
| Where the Chambord is made | Portugal |
| Heat Loss | Poor. Glass. Pour quickly and enjoy |
| Cleanup | Dishwasher, or rinse, soap, shake, rinse (<1 minute) |
| When the glass dies | Buy a replacement beaker – $15 |
| Price vs. Italian press | Same job. About $200 less. Easy decision. |
What the Chambord Does Well
It makes a real French press cup. Metal screen, no paper, oils stay in the mug. That is the whole point of this method. The Chambord does not get cute about it.
The plunger easily slides instead of fighting you. The pour does not leave a trail of drips across the counter. Ten minutes out of bed, I’m barely awake and I refuse to take the chance of picking coffee grounds out of my teeth. Cheap presses leak grounds because the screen does not seal. This one seals as tight as my wallet when I look at a $225 press.
It is also the classic silhouette — glass, chrome cage, black knob — at a price that leaves money for better beans. That is its job. Exact same great flavor as my impressively beautiful $225 Italian-made French Press. Fortunately, the coffee never asked what the frame cost.
Cleanup is rinse, soap, shake, or the dishwasher. When you finally drop the beaker, you replace the glass for $15. You do not need to replace the press.
Copper and gold versions exist if you leave gear on the counter for company. Mine goes in the cupboard. The coffee does not care. Do you want the best looking coffee gear or the best brewing coffee gear?
Grounds vs Sediment
Those are not the same problem.
Grounds in the mug means the screen failed. The bed escaped around the edge and you are chewing coffee. Cheap presses do this. The Chambord does not. Upper plate, mesh, lower plate — the stack is what keeps the seal against the glass.
Sediment is the fine silt that belongs to French press. No paper filter. Oils come through. A little mud comes with them. That last sip is cloudy. That is the method, not a crack in this press.
Americans treat silt like a product defect. It is not. If the last sip makes you twitch, do not shop for a “better” Chambord. Change methods. AeroPress and paper will give you the clean cup. This page is not that page: AeroPress vs French Press: Which Is Better for Smooth Coffee?.
Grind too fine and you will manufacture extra silt, then blame the press. Medium-coarse. If the plunger fights you, the grind is too fine.
Keurig will also solve the silt problem. It solves it by making the worst coffee in the world. Your call.
Why I Reach for My Made in Portugal Instead of My Made in Italy
I wanted a French press “Made in USA.” After a long search, I never found one. Italy was acceptable, but normally way too expensive. When I found the Bodum Chambord was “Made in Portugal” and at a crazy low price, I jumped on it.
OK, OK, it’s ugly. But it sits in the cupboard. I’m the only one that sees it. So, what if it’s ugly. Now if you want a Bodum that sits on the counter all day, that’ll impress your friends, Bodum makes those too. And their prices aren’t much more than my super cheap one. Some of the higher-end Bodums are made in Portugal, others in China. It’s hit or miss. Treat the bottom of the box like it matters, because it does.
Glass breaks. Plan on it. Here’s one more reason I love this Bodum Chambord. If the beaker breaks. SO, WHAT! You can replace it for about $15. On the other hand, if I broke my expensive Italian beaker, I’d be really pissed. That’s just one more reason I reach for the Bodum nearly every morning.
Here’s the crazy part of this story. Both French Presses make identical tasting coffee. Identical! You’d think for an extra $200, you’d get at least 1% better coffee in your mug. Nope.
My Go-To Recipe in the 12 oz Chambord
This is the 12 oz press and a 12 oz mug. I am not brewing extra to dump.
- 20 g whole-bean Costa Rican Tarrazú
- Medium-coarse grind
- 13 oz water just off the boil (13 oz in the press makes 12 oz in the mug)
- 3:00 to 3:30
- Slow plunge.
- Pour it all out.
- Do not let it sit on the bed.
That is a starting point, not a religion. Bitter = too fine or too long. Thin = too coarse or too short. Muddy last sip = grind, not a broken Chambord.
If you bought the 34 oz, do not run this 20 g dose in a half-empty barrel. Scale the same strength to the water you will actually drink.
More on ratio and time: How to Make Strong Coffee at Home: 7 Rules for Smooth Brews. Grind is its own job: How to Grind Coffee Beans. Daily driver if you want a real burr: Manual Coffee Grinder Made in USA.
What Beans Belong in This Press
This is the “buy better beans” part.
The Bodum Chambord does not save bad coffee. Metal screen, no paper — oils in, flaws in. Cheap beans taste cheap in here, only louder. Great beans? Well, that takes you to whole new level of your coffee experience.
I run Hacienda La Minita Tarrazú. Smooth, chocolate, no bitterness. That is the cup that makes the $25 press look overqualified and the $225 press look overpriced.
Put the money you did not spend on the Italian into coffee you will actually enjoy and yearn for the next cup. Origin and the estate: Hacienda La Minita Estate Beans. The broader beans picture: Smoothest Coffee Beans.
If you want cream and sugar to hide the cup, you bought the wrong method and the wrong review. Black, in this press, with those beans — that is the point.
Bodum Chambord French Press FAQ
Is the Bodum Chambord worth buying?
If you already want a house French press, yes. Same cup as the $225 Italian next to it. Stupid-low price. Crazy good coffee.
What size should I buy?
Buy ounces, not “cups.” I use the 12 oz (box says 3-cup) because that is what I drink. Brewing for more than one mug, get the 34 oz (box says 8-cup). Also available are 17 oz and 51 oz.
Does the Chambord leave coffee grounds in the mug?
No. The three-part screen seals. Grounds in the mug means a cheap press leaked. Cloudy last sip is sediment. That is French press, not a broken Chambord.
Made in Portugal or China?
The Chambord I use is Portugal. Bodum builds in more than one country. Read the box. One of our coffee bean customers purchased one and box said China. He sent it back. Bought a different Bodum and the 2nd box said Portugal. It just depends on the model and size of the Bodum that you purchase.
Can I put it in the dishwasher?
Yes. It takes me 15 seconds to put it in the dishwasher. It takes me 30-45 seconds to rinse, soap, shake, rinse, put on the rack – done. So, I wash by hand. When washing, always start by unscrewing the three-part filter.
Will it keep coffee hot?
No. Single-wall glass. It will not stay hot while you answer email. Start with boiling water, steep three minutes, pour into a room-temp mug — you land around 140°, which is where I want to drink. That is brew temp, not insulation.
Can I travel with it?
You could, but remember it’s glass. So, the probability of it breaking is pretty high.
How does it compare to a $225 Italian press?
Same guts. Same coffee. About $200 less. Break the beaker and the Bodum replacement is about $15. Break the Italian and you will be ticked.
Should I buy a Chambord or an AeroPress?
Different jobs. This page assumes you want a French press. Still choosing a method: AeroPress vs French Press: Which Is Better for Smooth Coffee?.
What grind does it need?
Medium-coarse. If the plunger fights you, you went too fine.
What beans should I use?
Something you would drink black. I use Hacienda La Minita. The screen will not hide a bad roast.
Want to explore more tips on gear?
Meet Russell & Alisha Volz
At Lake City Coffee Roasters, we roast every Tuesday and ship the same day so your coffee arrives fresh. Alisha’s professionally trained palate (wine–sommelier) helps us select the smoothest, lowest-acid beans from Costa Rica’s Tarrazú region each year. You can also read more about how we got started in this Spokesman-Review feature.
If you’re looking for coffee that tastes great and is easy on your stomach, you’re in the right place.
“This is What $25 Coffee Looks Like.” — Russell & Alisha
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