Bodum Cafe Solo Single Coffeemaker  Product Reviews

"For a long time now, I've been hooked on single-cup brewing with a certain plastic cone-shaped mug-top device, but this little guy took me by surprise. My favorite thing about it is the plastic-inside-plastic design of the top, which all photos advertising this thing anywhere completely fail to demonstrate. Coffee grinds go into the black container, the bottom of which is a flat metal mesh filter. A second plastic container slides tightly inside, without pressing down on the coffee, with an evenly perforated bottom. When you pour in the hot water, it drips through, distributes evenly through the grinds (no floating!), then filters to the included mug (or any mug). With NO need for specialty paper filters or hand-washing (like more popular single-brew gadgets these days), and a price at or below ten bucks (if you can find it--if Amazon doesn't bring it back, check your favorite kitchen store or outlet), this is yet another nail in the coffin of electric auto-drip machines. I value a 'cons' section in all reviews, though: 1) I've had mine for a very short time. I can't say anything yet about durability, but if it seems to wear, stick to hand washing. 2) Includes one set of instructions on the box, and a completely different set on the product itself. Not sure about coffee:water ratio? Stick to a tablespoon for every 3oz H2O. Medium-fine grind. 3) Having to boil your own water. I've noticed this puts off a lot of auto-drip addicts. Once your water boils, though, let it rest for a few seconds before pouring. Or do what I do, and plug your kettle into the opposite wall of the kitchen. Walk it back leisurely. :) 4) You'll feel guilty when a guest comes over and you're just not in the mood to bust out your vacuum pot, and the thought of auto-drip now makes your tongue cry. Yeah. I hate it when cons are just pros in disguise, too."

"I only drink one cup of coffee a day and just in the morning. And the scoop-in coffee or single bags were not cutting it for me. Tired of wasting coffee in my big machine, I gave this a try. It's awesome. The coffee is as good or better than what's brewed in a coffeemaker in my opinion. I've used several over the years, two Braun, two Krups, a Philips, etc. It's easy to rinse off for the next day and in pieces is very compact. You can use any mug that the dripper fits into. It comes with a screen filter, so you don't have to buy anything extra. The down side is that you'll have to boil or microwave your water. I use a tea kettle myself. After you pour it in, the coffee is ready in about 30 seconds-2 minutes depending on how fine the coffee is ground and how clean the holes are where the water pours through."