We could use a cup of coffee this morning.
As the mornings turn chillier and darker, the idea of a hot cup of coffee sounds more enticing. Eva Solo's Cafesolo coffee maker ($99, Unica Home) is one of the simplest we've seen, using no electricity, steam or pressure...
It's essentially just an elegantly shaped glass carafe and a few accessories. To brew, you just add ground coffee and boiling water. Stir for 10 seconds, place the filter funnel in the flask, and 4 minutes later enjoy your coffee.
A removable cover keeps the coffee warm for 30 minutes. Available in a zippered neoprene "coat" (black) or a knit "sweater" (bright red, chili pepper red, pale khaki or chocolate brown) there is something very attractive about having a well dressed coffee maker on the table.
Has anyone used this super straightforward coffee making method? Anyone love it? Let us know - we're intrigued...
© 2009 Apartment Therapy
If you like the taste of french press coffee and do not mind cleaning the filter - you will love the eva solo. The no drip design and the neoprene cover are nice touches to this coffee maker.
view cyho's profile
Well, they're advertising the product as if you don't have to do anything. In truth, boiling water does take energy and $100 for something that doesn’t really make the coffee is a lot to spend. Yes, it certainly looks nice but I also have a $20 thermos (sleek stainless) that really keeps my coffee hot for hours. Nice idea but no thanks.
view mascarah's profile
Am I missing something, or is there no way to separate the grounds from the brewed coffee? With a French press, the plunger packs the grounds to the bottom of the vessel to effectively stop brewing. It seems like the Cafesolo product would produce over-extracted, bitter coffee.
view paulg's profile
While this looks nice, $99 bucks is an insane price for a coffee maker that you have to hover over (longer than 4 minutes and the coffee is nasty). A well-dressed coffee maker? I understand that this site is all about good design, but how about a realistic view of what's worth the money and what's not..
It's a glass jar.
view Palmetto's profile
It's too cute...but I can't see myself paying this much for something that I won't be plugging into a socket.
view Keisha Kornbread's profile
After reading about the Eva Solo, I stopped by a local hobby shop and bought a large erlenmeyer flask -- a piece of heat-resistant labware similar in shape to the Eva Solo -- and tried duplicating the Eva Solo method. Following the Eva Solo instructions, wrapping the flask in a towel for insulation, and pouring the resulting coffee through one of those gold metal cone filters produced really good coffee. Later, I bought a real Eva Solo and found, I swear, that it makes even better coffee. I can't explain why. It costs twice as much as it should, but it's elegant and very well designed. One nice point is that all the "plastic" parts are actually silicone rubber, so you don't have to worry about chemicals leaching into your coffee.
view tsackett's profile