One day, I'm going to shake the hand of the person who can create the perfect hot drink pourer. I have come across a number of diabolical kettles and teapots which may hold the drink and make it well enough, be aesthetically pleasing and practical to clean, but every time you pour a good amount ends up getting spilt all over the place.

This Bodum caffetiere is one device that happily doesn't do it all that much. It's not perfect, as the pour needs to be very slow, but this is one of the main things that I have ended up looking at when I go for products to make hot drinks in. It'll hold two cups of coffee, or one big mug, and is just about the right size for my father in law and I to share whenever he's staying and we both want a coffee. To use it, choose your favourite caffetiere coffee and put the right amount in, then you need to add the hot water.

At this point, it's really important to know that if you use water that has just boiled, the chances are you're going to burn the coffee granules. Devices like this usually need to use coffee powder, and you'll often see on the label that it's for use in a caffetiere as it leaves a bit of a sediment in it. Powder burns a lot easier than freeze dried 'instant' coffee granules, and you'll need to wait a few moments after the water has boiled before you fill this one to the line. There are markings on the caffetiere.

Once you have done this, then you need to add the plunger. I sometimes give the coffee a little bit of a stir before I add the plunger in, and then just nestle it on the top for a minute or so to let things settle, and then slowly push the plunger down to allow the little filters around the outside of it to do their job. The filters and plunger element of this is perhaps the most important part, as this is what gives you a clean drink without bits in. It's not perfect - in fact, most caffetieres won't be - but it traps most of the granules and it's only really noticeable at all when you get to the very bottom and see a few bits there. Very flavoursome though!

Some plungers can be very stiff, but this is very smooth to use indeed. I find it flows well, no jerking, and comes to a gentle halt at the bottom to announce its arrival. Once this has done, I usually wait a few moments and then pour, and this is when the real bug bear test of mine happens. Up to this point, the caffetiere has been a thumbs up, and when you pour, the gap at the top between the spout and the rim of the plunger is actually quite small, forcing you to pour very slowly. Granted, it's perhaps a drink that should be poured slowly in many cases, but here I wish it could have been a quicker pour, and a better element of room for the technique.

As it stands though, this is the only and very minor issue I had with this. It was very easy to clean, the combination of chrome and glass not too bad even when it came to getting any bits out of the parts where the metal and glass meet. It shines up well without any effort, and stores nicely, with slight padding on the feet and a definite bottom heavy aspect to it that assures you of safety when it's standing. Incidentally, there is security of stability when it comes to plunging because of this element as well, as even when it's full, you don't feel as if the balance has shifted. Some caffetieres end up being not top heavy but significantly less stable than when empty. This is not the case here.

I really like this caffetiere. It gets well used and it makes 'proper' coffee very nicely indeed. If you're after a decent caffetiere then this is well worth a look. I'm unsure of how much it would cost you as it was a gift from my father in law to persuade me to make caffetiere coffee when he's here as opposed to 'the freeze dried rubbish' I normally drink; and I get the impression this wasn't particularly cheap. Quality it is though, quality it is. Recommended.