Bodum Santos 3000 12-Cups Coffee Maker

I am coffee nut. Not only do I own almost two dozen different coffee brewing devices, I also own three coffee roasters, and roast all of the coffee that I drink at home.

I am not a fan of autodrip machines because, with a few exceptions, they do not brew a very good cup of coffee (mainly because most cannot come close to the proper 92 to 96 degree C. brewing temperature, as per the Specialty Coffee Association of America). By default, I use a French press for my daily brew, but I also periodically take out one of my antique vacuum coffee makers, and I greatly enjoy the coffee they make. The press makes a rich, full-bodied, very flavorful cup, and the vac pot makes one that is similar, but cleaner (without the sediment that presses invariably contain) and smoother. I'm always a bit apprehensive when I use my vac pots, because the ones I have are 40 to almost 70 years old, and I would really rather not risk damaging them.

So, I finally bought one of the Bodom electric Santos models, in part because they had been spoken of highly on the alt.coffee newsgroup, and in part because they are made of a polycarbonate plastic that won't shatter.

Vacuum coffee makers are interesting gadgets; today's models are based upon designs dating from the 1840s. Basically, water is placed in a lower carafe; an upper bowl, somewhat funnel-shaped, is placed on top of and into the lower carafe, creating an airtight seal. The upper part of the spout portion is closed off with a filter, and rather finely ground coffee is placed inside (again, according to the SCAA, the standard ratio is 2 tablespoons for each 6 ounces of water). Heat is applied and, just short of boiling, the increased pressure in the lower unit forces the water to flow up the tube into the upper bowl. At this point, the heat is reduced and the coffee and water steep for a couple of minutes. The heat is then removed, and a partial vacuum forms in the lower unit, sucking the brewed coffee down, leaving the grounds in the top.

The Santos works on this principle, except that the process is automated: pour in the water, add the upper bowl, pour in the ground coffee, put the lid on, and hit the on button. Power is supplied by a separate base unit (though the actual heating plate is contained within the carafe meaning that it is not submersible). Although there are other vac pots available (mainly from European and Asian manufacturers like Cona and Hario, etc.), the Bodum is the only model that does not require the user to oversee the various steps, and thereby somewhat closes the ease-of-use gap with auto-drip machines.

Once you have things worked out (see below), you will get an excellent cup of coffee.

Cleanup is more work than is needed for an autodrip machine, but less than for a French press. As mentioned, the lower carafe cannot be immersed: it should just have the inside rinsed out. The biggest inconvenience is emptying the grounds: since they are not contained within a filter, you have to scoop them out into the garbage, then rinse out the remainder.

The caveats:
there seems to be an irregularity with some units that causes the extraction time to be too short (and the brew weak). This can be fixed by keeping a dime or quarter underneath the brewing base opposite the handle of the carafe. This lowers a temperature sensor, causing it to remain under the level of the water longer. Commonly, this is not always a direct failure of the Santos, but is due to a countertop that is not level.

Another problem that people may have is certainly not due to the Santos: wrong grind. This is yet another reason to have a quality coffee grinder: you can adjust your grind to exactly suit your brewing method (the #1 reason being that buying pre-ground will ensure that your coffee is stale). The basic rule is that the shorter the contact time between the coffee and the water, the finer your coffee should be. It's a balance: the first elements of the coffee to be extracted are the caffeine and the desirable flavorings; the next elements are the bitter ones. The finer the grind, the faster extraction occurs.

The Santos works best brewing at its maximum capacity. This model has a 0.75 litre (25 ounce) capacity, enough for up to 2 or 3 people. Bodum makes a larger model that brews double this amount.

UPDATE: based on this update, I'm raising my rating. I found a very, very simple way to improve the extraction time: don't push the top all the way down into the bottom unit. Basically, stop when the top is a millimeter or two from being fully seated (or fully seat it then back off a bit). You'll be able to see the top rim of the rubber gasket; it's almost completely in, but not quite (a seal has been formed). This sounds more complicated than it is: I've been doing it for a couple of weeks now with barely a thought to the process. The extraction time is perfect.

Another note: I've timed the total brewing process, compared to using a French press (which I've been using every morning for years). The Santos takes about four minutes or less total time, from the time it's switched on to the time it's ready to pour. The press takes a little under seven minutes when heating the water in a kettle on my gas stove, measured from when I turn on the stove through pouring the water into the press, until the coffee is ready to pour.