April 2011

Bodum Bistro Burr Grinder Review

The benefits of burr coffee grinders and how the Bodum Bistro stacks up against the competition.

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You don't have to get too interested in coffee before you realize how wide the quality difference between pre-ground coffee and whole beans really is.  In reality, though, this difference is tip of the iceberg--once you start grinding your own coffee it's wise to choose a coffee grinder that matches your brewing method.  A cheap blade grinder may be acceptable for your average drip coffee maker, but if you’re using a French press or home espresso machine you’ll greatly benefit from a quality burr grinder, which grinds the beans between multiple metal elements rather than chopping them with spinning blades.

Life with a French Press

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A few months ago, my beloved espresso maker started leaking from the steam wand. Now to clarify, this was the cheapest pump-driven espresso maker I could find. I paid about $90 for it, and I used it to make at least three double-shot drinks a day for about a year and a half. So frankly, I figure I got my money's worth out of it.

Nevertheless, it was obviously approaching the end of the road. If I wanted to continue to have the ability to make the odd espresso, I needed to find something else to satisfy my day-to-day coffee fix.

If you haven't been shopping for coffee making options recently, there is a bewildering variety of choices. I wanted a solution that was reasonably inexpensive, foolproof, easy to use, and without a lot of gadgets or replaceable items. I also wanted to be able to make only one cup of coffee at a time, but I wanted to do it several times a day.

The AeroPress Coffee Brewer

Fresh, hot, and better than French Press

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I've written about any number of coffee-brewing methods. These range from the very easy, like using a Melitta plastic cone and filter, otherwise known as pour over coffee. One of my favorites is the French press. Until recently, I thought the French Press made about the best cup of coffee I think you can make, especially, if you use just ground quality beans. I've even written about some of the more outré methods, like cold-brewed coffee. Cold-brewed coffee is particularly fabulous as the base for iced coffee on hot summer days, and for cooking with coffee. Then, there are the regional variants, like Greek coffee, and Chicory coffee.

Last fall a friend introduced me to the AeroPress as a method of brewing coffee. The AeroPress is a sort of variant of the French Press. You heat your water and while it's heating,