I had been looking on E-Bay for such a device as there were few to be had locally and they tended to be expensive. I had found one that I put a bid on, but at the last second (and I do mean the very last second) I was outbid. I searched some more and found the very same model being offered as a "Buy it Now" item for five dollars less than was my maximum bid on the one I lost. Sometimes things just work out!

1/25/01 - The entire day was an adventure. It started snowing about 11:00 or so, and by noon it was getting fairly white around here. Mom called about 2:15 to say she had spun out coming up the highway with no damage except to her nerves. She managed to get her car up to the local store and called from the pay phone. So we loaded into our big, nasty, noisy 4WD pickup, loaded up our chains and a couple of shovels just in case, and picked her up and took her home. Just as well because on the way out we were able to stop by the local post office satellite station and pick up our new Bodum French press.       So this evening, as we relaxed in front of the television, we enjoyed a cup of press pot coffee. I used Donkey decaf blend from Sweet Maria's as neither of us can tolerate much caffeine before bed time, and even this was very delicious made in this manner. The coffee lacked all hint of bitterness from a medium roast (very early second crack) and had a finish that was sweet and rich with a hint of the way chocolate finishes. It is comparable in smoothness and rich taste to the vacuum pot coffee but didn't quite have the same 'thick' feeling on the palate- could have just been my palate this evening. I drank mine black with no sugar and it was delicious right to the next-to-last drop. There are some fine grounds that end up in the glass with this method so leave the last sip for the cup to enjoy.

      Press pots are an excellent and affordable way to enjoy a rich cup of coffee on the road or at work where an espresso machine is unavailable or where a vacuum pot would be a hassle. In times of 'desperation' you could even pre-grind the coffee, place it in the glass chamber and take the assembly to work or wherever. When there, just pour in the correct amount of heated water and your coffee will be ready shortly thereafter. You could even pour out the remaining water and clean up at home if there isn't a handy facility for that.

      So now we have a couple of older aluminum percolators which will never get used in this house, a Braun drip machine (which will probably never see use again around here), a French press, a vac pot, and Rocky and Silvia. The collection grows.