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Some months ago I expressed my deep covet of the very attractive Bodum Bistro manual drip brewer. What, after all, is not to like? It takes a page from the classic Chemex pour-over coffee brewer, offers a nod to the Eva Cafe Solo, and ups the ante by leveraging the twin-walled, heat-resistant borosilicate glass that’s proven extremely successful in Bodum’s revamped glassware line.

Turns out, the Bistro’s not so hot. Literally.

The Bistro’s dual-walled construction would *is* a marked improvement over the Chemex, but its thermal qualities pale when compared to most any stainless thermos. And that other advance — the Bistro’s gold-plated permanent filter — while more eco-friendly than the Chemex’s fussy, folded, paper filters — don’t hold a candle to, say, SwissGold permanent filters.

In the end, the Bodum Bistro is more style than substance. It *is* pretty. And it’s well made. (Which is not to say that it isn’t extremely fragile!) I appreciate that Bodum dares to take risks, and to keep pushing the envelope of brew tech. Not every product will enjoy the success of say, the electric Santos, but surely some will. This Bistro, however, just doesn’t add up.

Meanwhile, if you’d like to try one of these for yourself — they do look elegant on the table after all — Amazon has them at fire sale prices, probably until they’re all gone.

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Following in the footsteps of its eSantos brewer line, Bodum has, I suspect, a new instant classic on their hands. Their new manual drip Bistro model takes a page from the classic Chemex pour-over coffee brewer, and offers a nod to the Eva Cafe Solo. And then Bodum ups the ante by leveraging the twin-walled, heat-resistant borosilicate glass that’s proven extremely successful in their revamped glassware line.

There’s two notable improvements over the Chemex here. The first — and long the Achilles’ heel of the Chemex — heat retention. The Bistro’s dual-walled construction solves that issue, and looks spectacular, too. Second, the Bistro forgoes the Chemex’s fussy, folded, paper filters — which were always a challenge to align just right — and uses a gold-plated stainless permanent filter, instead… and in so doing makes this an appropriately green design.

Other design bits: a silicone and rubber grab handle at the neck of the brewer, likewise a lid to further retain heat when the glass filter assembly is set aside. I appreciate the fact that the whole kit can be chucked in the dishwasher. And did I mention the, “Hey, my coffee is hovering above the table!” effect? Tres cool.

It remains to be seen whether the Bodum gold filter functions as well as, say, those made by SwissGold, but I’m hoping for the best.

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