Beautifully simple may be the best way to describe SoftBrew. Milan-based designer George Sowden has created the SoftBrew process and the SoftBrew coffeemakers, the "software" and "hardware" of a back-to-basics method of brewing coffee that takes the mystification and complication out of making great coffee. Ground coffee, hot water and the elegantly simple SoftBrew coffeemaker are all that are needed.

Coffee is brewed and served in the striking porecelain Softbrew coffeemaker, available at Kaboodle in your choice of 4-cup or 8-cup sizes. The SoftBrew process may be utterly simple, but the Softbrew filter, the key to the process, is a modern, stainless-steel marvel of of photo-etching, with over a half-million micorscopic holes that allow hot water to thoroughly circulate through your ground coffee. Just place the fiter in the coffeemaker, add ground coffee and hot water, and wait a few minutes. The SoftBrew process gives you complete control over the grind of the beans, the temperature of the water, and the length of brewing time; there are no pumps, no pressure, no heating elements to get in the way of your coffee. When your coffee has brewed, remove the filter with the grounds and your coffee is ready to pour, free from sediment, thanks to the micro-filter. The porcelain coffeemaker has a slow-pour spout and a hollow handle to provide insulation; the handle does not get hot. Visit the Sowden website for a complete video presentation of the SoftBrew process. Both the Sowden coffeemaker and the SoftBrew filter are dishwasher safe. For tea drinkers, there are also Sowden SoftBrew tea makers that use the same brewing principles.