BonJour Coffee Unbreakable Plastic French Press, 33.8-Ounce, Hugo, Black

I am quite a coffee fan, which spans back to college where we spent alot of time at our local coffee shop studying or just hanging out. I found myself years later collecting several different coffee preparation devices, and one of the most talked about at the time was the French Press. This unit from Bonjour works great, it's tough, and the coffee it makes tastes great to me. The press by design takes some skill to get the perfect cup based on the brew time, and type of coffee as well as grind. It allows the user to control the flavor much more so than your average automatic drip. You may find also that depending on the grind, some micro grounds will collect at the bottom of the cup when made in the press, something I very much like. It's a nice little surprise at the end of a cup. I've had this unit for at least 3 years, and only use it once a month or so, but its still working like day 1. A nice little addition to my kitchen.

This is the first french press coffee maker I have owned. Having always used a drip-machine at home, I wanted to give this a try. I read tons of reviews, people complaining about broken glass presses, screens falling out, etc. etc. I didn't want to spend even $10 on something that wasn't going to make a decent cup.I've used this press nearly every day, sometimes more than once, for the last two months or so. The carafe is lexan, I believe, the same material used to make Nalgene water bottles. Not 100% unbreakable, but it's not going to break from even the roughest kitchen use. I do suggest washing it only with a soft sponge, as scotch-brite or brillo will easily scratch the material. Doesn't affect functionality, but makes it dull.The screens are well-seated into the press and the lid. Having the second screen in the lid ensures that even the finest grind doesn't slip into your cup. I have only hand-washed this item but I think it would be fine in the top-rack of the dishwasher. There's a small metal screw in the handle, so I wouldn't suggest putting it in the microwave. The description (at least when I bought it) said it was microwave safe. It could be that from one production run to the next, the screw material changed.Other points.. the base is rubber and grips well. Some presses have the dainty little feet that do nothing but give you a top-heavy jar of near-boiling water. I read one review where a user was complaining that the lid doesn't fit very tightly into the carafe. I actually think this was intentional, as if it fit tightly the liquid would not pour out. The looseness of the fit allows air to flow back into the carafe, just like the hole on the lid of a travel mug.In terms of the coffee, well it depends more on the beans and the person making the coffee. Once you get the measurements right this makes excellent coffee. In fact, I also use it to make loose-leaf tea, works just as well as an infusion ball or kettle. Depending on how much you drink, remember 8-cups is french cups, like 6oz. There's a bigger size that may be a better choice for those who drink a lot of coffee.Overall: Great product, I think it'll give me several years of quality service and I would definitely buy it again, especially at this price!***UPDATE***March 2010, this thing is still going strong. The caraffe is a bit dull from being washed (both by hand and in the dishwasher) but man it's still in great shape, the screens are just like when I bought it. No rust, no stretching/bending. The rubber seal on the plunger hasn't degraded at all. Great product.***UPDATE 2***So, I was looking through some of my old reviews and noticed that a lot of people have chimed in that their BonJour has fallen apart, broken, etc. I've owned this press for four years now, using it nearly every day, sometimes several times a day, and aside from a little light scratching on the caraffe surface it is practically like-new. The screens are tight and in place, no rust, nothing. I'm not sure what these people are doing with their french press to have them falling apart.***UPDATE 3***Five years later.. this thing is still going strong. I don't use it every day, but I use it often, and run it through the dishwasher frequently. Still as solid as when I bought it.***UPDATE 4***I keep coming back to update this review because the press just keeps on truckin'. I use this thing five or six times a week and it still works like it was new. No problems with the screens, the plunger, the rubber, or anything. Perhaps I got extremely lucky with a well-made lot or I take very good care of it, maybe a combination of the two, but it's given me nearly seven years of service. In that time I have perfected my french press technique, so I thought I'd share it here. I use a grind that is nearly as fine as an espresso grind (I use the Kyocera Ceramic Grinder  Kyocera Ceramic Coffee Grinder , $48), and put four or five heaped table spoons of freshly ground coffee into the caraffe that has been thoroughly cleaned and primed (pre-heated with a splash of boiling water). Over that I pour boiling water up to the level of the handle band. I pour it smoothly, in a circular motion such that wets all the coffee quickly and evenly. An electric kettle works great for this and is my preferred method because it saves time (Cuisinart is expensive but has also been a workhorse for me  Cuisinart CPK-17 PerfecTemp 1.7-Liter Stainless Steel Cordless Electric Kettle , $100). I give it one gentle stir to ensure all the coffee is wet. I let it brew for five or six minutes, briefly stir again, let it brew another two or three minutes, and then quickly skim off the majority of the coffee and foam on the top with a tablespoon. I do this because those parts have been over-extracted and will add some bitterness to the coffee if not removed. Ideal brew times withh vary with the type of bean, roast, and the drinker's preference, so I suggest some experimentation in this area. From there, I put on the lid, gently press down but not past resistance, one should not endeavor to "press out" more flavor from the grounds, I think the term "coffee press" gives some that notion and it is incorrect. Finally, I align the top screen and pour the coffee into primed mugs. I hope this helps others improve their coffee experience!***UPDATE 5***Well folks, nine years of use and the BonJour Hugo finally gave up the ghost. The plastic at the bottom of the press cracked around the perimeter. The screen therefore is loose and while it could still be used, would allow an unacceptable amount of coffee grind to pass through. While the price of this french press has doubled since I purchased it in 2007, I will no doubt be buying another.

I do not recommend you buy this press for any purpose.I bought this press five months ago to use as an in-office press. I thought that the plastic carafe would be a good idea since the kitchen in my office exposes the press to far more potential mishaps than otherwise would be the case. However, this product does break, and it breaks in ways your typical glass model never would. (I can say this since I've owned four different glass presses over the last four years.)Problem #1: Shortly after purchasing this item--but not shortly enough to send it back--I noticed that coffee was collecting in the rubber base holding the plastic carafe which would pour out of the base every time you tipped the press to pour coffee. It took me some time to find the problem: It ends up that the nipple where the plastic mold was injected (at the center, bottom of the carafe) was not sealed properly and would slowly drip coffee when the press was full. In my mind, this is a totally inexcusable fault and represents an utterly cheaply made product.Problem #2: As others have pointed out, the filter of the press is made almost entirely out of plastic. The metal parts are the screws holding it together. The combination of metal screws and plastic threading is a recipe for dethreading. Furthermore, the filter is circular but the lid of the press has two lips protruding from either ends of its circular shape. The result is that when you draw the filter out of the press, it is bombarded in two places by the lips of the lid. The result of that was, in my and others' cases, that the filter slowly broke from the pressure of bombarding these lips. This could all have been avoided if metal parts were used.Conclusion: This press is poorly conceived and poorly made. I see no reason to buy it, and I would be leery of buying any other product (such as the newer model) made by Bonjour.

So disappointed! I had a terrific glass french press for 9 years, until I accidentally hit it to hard against the waist basket to get the grounds out. I thought I'd be smart and buy this unbreakable one. The beaker itself is not glass, and thus unbreakable, but the plunger parts are made of plastic, unlike the stainless steel parts in my old one. To my surprise, after about 10 uses, the plastic cracked into several pieces for no apparent reason. Now I am shopping for another one, and will probably go back to glass, hoping that all the parts will be of decent quality.

Works just fine. Easy to handle and keep clean.