Question 1

How is this different than a french press, or is it?

Accepted Answer

It's basically a French press, but without the pressing.  The brew is similar to a press, but allows much less sludge into your cup (some does still get through, but wildly less than with a French Press).It's much easier to clean, and has fewer parts (there are three parts: the carafe, the filter, and the lid), and due to the microholes in the filter, you have more flexibility in the grind - anything from medium-fine to coarse works OK, unlike a press, in which coarse grind works best.  You also have the flexibility to allow the grounds to "bloom" before the main brewing, which is nice.     It DOES take some experimentation, in the amount of grounds, the grind, the length of the brewing, how to let the grounds bloom - stuff like that - until you wind up with a decent cup. I found that using instructions meant for the Eva Solo brewer worked best as a starting point than any other brewing method. But my first few cups were pretty watery until I figured it out.I got my best results by doing the following:1.	Preheat the carafe by filling it with hot tapwater, and letting it sit while you do the rest of your tasks.2.	Grind your beans, and place them in the filter basket, next to the carafe.3.	Heat the appropriate amount of water using the method of your choice.4.	When the water is ready, dump out the pre-heat water from the carafe, and place the filter and grounds in the carafe.5.	Pour water over the grounds until they are evenly wet.  Then pour the rest of the water down the Softbrew spout (this disturbs the grounds less).6.	Let the grounds sit for one minute to bloom (they will be frothy and float on the top of water).7.	Using the back of a spoon, press the grounds under the surface of the water and stir gently just a bit. 8.	Put the lid on the brewer. Let sit for 1  minute (some grounds will float to the surface again).9.	Remove the lid, push the grounds down again, and stir gently, replace the lid.10.	Let it sit for 3 minutes.  Serve.The main things to experiment with are the amount of grounds needed (I use 1 TBSP of whole beans per 8 ounces, but most people like it stronger), and the final brew time.I empty the filter basket into the compost (I have a rubber spatula that works well for this), then rinse all parts well.  I run the carafe and lid through the diswasher and handwash the filter in hot soapy water 1x/week.  I soak the filter in vinegar overnight every couple of months (probably just wiping it with vinegar would be good enough, though).

Question 2

Can someone be more specific?  What EXACTLY is 4 cups or 8 cups in mL or fl oz?

Accepted Answer

Hi, one cup is 8 ounces. A typical coffee mug is more than that, probably closer to 12 oz. We get around 4-5 of our size cups out of the 8 cup coffee maker. Hope this helps.

Question 3

Can you put this coffee maker on a hot pad on low to keep it warm?

Accepted Answer

Sowden recommends a candle warmer to keep the pot warm, not a hot plate, other electrical device. If you pre-heat the pot with boiling water prior to brewing -- and you should for better brewed coffee -- the pot will keep warm for roughly 20 minutes. Sowden states that the coffee is kept at an acceptable drinking temperature (70° to 85° C) for up to 20 minutes. http://www.sowdenathome.com/sowden-softbrew-coffee-frequently-asked-questions/

Question 4

what is the difference between the oskar model and the regular sowden?

Accepted Answer

The names (Oskar, Joe, James, Jakob) are just different aesthetic designs. They all work the same way.

Brand	Sowden
Model Number	S002
Colour	White
Product Dimensions	19.05 x 12.19 x 16.51 cm; 1.01 kg
Volume Capacity	0.8 litres
Item Weight	1.01 kg

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Sowden SoftBrew Oskar 800ml 4-Cup Coffee Maker

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