Over the last few years, I’ve been looking to change the way I make and serve coffee at home.
I’ve tried the Chemex pour-over style coffee brewer with some success, but I found that the coffee would often cool too fast for me, and the paper filters seemed to alter the coffee in such a way that left me wanting more when it came to my coffee palate.
I have also used the Bialetti Moka Express, which was certainly a step up in taste and consistency. The Bialetti Moka Express has also proven itself useful with its portability that can be stowed away on camping or sailing trips.
Yet, the problem with the Moka Express was the inability to serve more than 2 people at a time. If say, I was hosting a small group of people over for dinner, I often have to stand by the stove while my guests are in the living room.
Even the large-sized Moka Express often leaves me disappearing into the kitchen for several minutes every time my house guests need a refill.
Of course, in a bottom kitchen cabinet somewhere, I keep my old-trusty Mr. Coffee drip brewer that comes through for me in a pinch, but using Mr. Coffee wasn’t really satisfying experience. In addition, if I left the coffee on the heating tray, the coffee would taste burned and awful. This happens quite a lot for me, so I end up throwing a lot of burned coffee away.
I wanted needed to try something new.
I also needed something easy and very basic – no buttons or computers – just something as simple as great tasting coffee deserved – and that had the ability to be carried to the dinner table with us and serve up to 6 people in one sitting. I know that’s a tall order, right?
Also, I wanted a brewer to be beautiful, classy, but more importantly, I wanted it to serve excellent tasting coffee.
I believe I found it.
The Sowden SoftBrew
I have used the Sowden SoftBrew for about four months now and totally love the coffee it makes. The one you see in the above picture is the Oskar model. Its simplicity makes this coffee brewer among my favorite go-to options for making coffee at home. It allows me to serve guests and keep the coffee on the table while we visit each other.
How It Works
Really it doesn’t get much more simple than this:
- Simply pour your ground coffee in the metal micro-filter.
- Pour your hot water into the brew and steep for 5 minutes.
- Serve your coffee.
The Taste:
Incredible. I love, love, love the way my coffee tastes when using this method. It allows for the coffee’s natural flavors and micro-particles to seep through so that my entire palate is satisfied. The tongue-satisfying oils, which is often unfortunately captured by paper filters, is allowed through by the SoftBrew, allowing me to fully taste the coffee. The SoftBrew allows you to experience and feel the earthiness of the small coffee particles as well, bringing in the familiarity of the experience your palate is used to with the coffee made with an espresso machine.
A Beautiful Design
The Sowden SoftBrew is elegant and well-designed to serve your coffee. It’s also very stable, so no need to worry about it tipping over. The spout is designed to decrease any drips onto your guest’s laps too. I just want to say that while there are three sizes (Small, Medium, and Large). I recommend getting the larger 8 cup-sized SoftBrew for guests, while the 4 cup is perfect for personal use.
Easy Clean-Up
Simply dump out the old coffee grounds (I use them as compost). Rinse. Dry. Done. I regularly wash mine out with regular dish soap.
Pros of the Sowden SoftBrew
- Beautifully Designed
- Great-Tasting Coffee
- Easy To Clean Up
- Coffee never burns
- Able to serve about 6-8 people
- Never pay for paper filters
- Makes an excellent companion to your Coffee Table
Cons of the Sowden SoftBrew
You will need to experiment with the coffee (and your choice of grind) and the water ratio. This may take some practice, but you’ll figure it out pretty quickly.
- A small but fun learning curve
The Price Factor:
The Sowden isn’t cheap. It ranges between $54-85. But when you measure it up to other brewing methods it’s pretty reasonable, especially when you figure that you’ll be enjoying great coffee for many, many years – and you wont have to pay for filters.
So, Where Can You Get the Sowden?
You can get it here on this Amazon page. Check to see which size may work for you on Amazon.
How Do You Brew Coffee at Home?
Do you have a favorite way to brew coffee at home? Let us know in the comment section below!
If you’re interested in buying the Sowden SoftBrew, visit Amazon.
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