siphon coffee syphon coffee

How To: Use a Siphon Coffee Maker

This fancy contraption is called a siphon coffee maker (not “syphon”, we looked it up), aka the vacuum coffee maker.

What You’ll Need

Siphon coffee pot

Heat source (Siphon coffee pots usually come with a heat source)

Filter (made of cloth or metal)

Water (duh)

Whole Coffee Beans 

Grinder

Scale

Flat stirrer (or a coffee paddle, if you’re fancy)

Timer

Prep

Brewing with a siphon coffee maker closely resembles a chemistry lab and can be quite intimidating. To keep the brewing process stress free, set up your equipment completely before turning on the burner.

  1.  Preheat the carafe of the siphon coffee maker. Use hot water to thoroughly preheat the bottom of your carafe. Drain and rinse.
  2.  Set up the filter. Place the cloth filter at the bottom of the top carafe or pull the metal filter into place.
  3.  Measure out your coffee. 4 to 6 ounces of ground coffee is recommended for every 2 cups of water, depending on the desired brew strength. Play around with the ratio to achieve your preferred result.
  4.   Grind your coffee. You’ll want the coffee to be ground fairly coarsely to keep it from clogging the filter.
  5.   Add water. Use pre-heated water to speed up the process. Fill the lower carafe with 2 cups of boiling water, making sure the outside of the carafe is completely dry.

Let’s Brew

  1.   Turn on the heat. Set the burner to medium-high and then place it underneath the bottom carafe of the siphon coffee maker.
  2.   Gently place the top carafe on top of the bottom carafe, pressing down to create a seal. Set the top carafe at a slight angle.
  3.   Wait for the water to boil.
  4.   Securely attach top carafe. When water just begins to boil, securely attach the top carafe so it is no longer at an angle. Watch as the water slowly drains from the bottom carafe and fills the top carafe.
  5.   Add your coffee. Give the mixture a good stir to make sure all grounds are fully saturated.
  6.   Set your timer for 90 seconds. Allow the coffee grounds to steep, occasionally stirring.
  7.   Turn off the heat. Give the mixture one last swirl and watch as it slowly drains back down to the lower carafe.
  8.   Remove the top carafe and set aside.
  9.   Enjoy your hard-earned coffee made with your siphon coffee maker!

 

Sources:

http://drinks.seriouseats.com/2011/12/how-to-brew-coffee-in-a-siphon-brewer-vacuum-brewer.html

https://gearpatrol.com/2016/01/14/brew-siphon-coffee-american-japanese-style/