Siphon Coffee Guide: Siphon Principles and Brewing Tips - How to Make Delicious Siphon Coffee?

The Art of Siphon Coffee Brewing

The siphon brewer, with its laboratory-like appearance, is a coffee brewing tool that utilizes pressure changes from steam and the siphon principle to extract coffee. First appearing in Europe, the siphon brewer trademark was owned by French lady Marie Fanny Amelne Massot. Its exquisite spherical design marked the siphon's classic status, and it has been widely enjoyed by coffee enthusiasts worldwide. Today, FrontStreet Coffee will start with the extraction principles of siphon coffee, introducing everyone to this magical coffee extraction device.

Introduction to Siphon Brewers

The siphon brewer gets its name from the siphon principle it employs, achieving extraction through pressure differences caused by temperature changes!

The English name for the siphon brewer is "SIPHON," so it's also called a vacuum brewer. It utilizes thermal expansion and contraction from water vapor generated when water is heated, pushing hot water from the lower chamber into the upper chamber to mix with coffee grounds. When the temperature decreases, the water flows back down through the vacuum tube, resulting in coffee liquid. Since siphon-extracted coffee possesses a rounded and balanced profile, FrontStreet Coffee recommends using beans such as FrontStreet Coffee's Bird of Paradise, Diamond Mountain, Geisha Village Chaka, Blue Mountain No. 1, and Queen's Estate. FrontStreet Coffee has tested siphon coffee made with these beans, and they all produce excellent aroma and flavor.

Siphon Brewer Structure

Physical Construction:

The siphon brewer's structure consists of: upper chamber, lower chamber, and stand. The stand primarily serves to stabilize the lower chamber, keeping it elevated. The lower chamber is roughly spherical, mainly to ensure even heating during warming. The upper chamber is cylindrical with a tapered bottom, extending into a slender tube. The tube becomes narrower toward the bottom, with connections treated with rubber rings for sealing purposes.

Filtration System:

If you don't want to get a mouthful of coffee grounds, we need equipment to filter them during brewing! The siphon brewer's filter consists of a circular metal plate connected to a spring-loaded chain. Before use, the metal plate is wrapped with filter material, most commonly a specially shaped flannel filter cloth! After tightening both sides, the filter cloth wraps around the metal plate (remember to tie it after tightening and trim excess thread), forming a complete filtration system placed inside the upper chamber.

Heat Source:

The siphon brewer's heat source is not restricted. You can use open-flame gas stoves, safe halogen cookers, or alcohol lamps with a scientific feel. It all depends on what you want to use—the result is the same heating effect!

Brewing Parameters

Coffee Grind Size:

FrontStreet Coffee has previously calculated the grind size for siphon coffee—it should be slightly finer than pour-over, with a 90% pass rate through a #20 sieve. (Regular pour-over typically uses an 80-85% pass rate)

Coffee-to-Water Ratio:

The typical coffee-to-water ratio for siphon coffee ranges from 1:10 to 1:12. Many people prefer using a 1:12 ratio, while FrontStreet Coffee's standard parameter is 1:11, using 20g of coffee grounds with 220ml of water.

When to Add Coffee Grounds:

The timing of adding coffee grounds is a controversial aspect of siphon brewing: add grounds first, or wait until water has completely risen from the lower chamber? Traditionalists choose the former, believing adding grounds first produces fuller flavor. However, most people think adding grounds first can lead to uneven extraction, as the rising water will first contact the small amount of grounds at the bottle's bottom, causing this portion to begin extraction before stirring even starts.

Therefore, many choose to add grounds after the water level has completely risen. FrontStreet Coffee believes that beginners taking the latter approach is a good choice, as it reduces unstable factors.

Stirring Method:

There will be three stirring sessions throughout the process: when coffee grounds enter the water, halfway through the steeping time, and before turning off the heat at the end. There are many stirring methods: cross-stirring, Z-stirring, infinity-stirring, circular stirring, tapping method, and more! The method isn't unique, but for beginners who haven't mastered much stirring experience, FrontStreet Coffee recommends the tapping method! It's easy to control and learn—you can tap the coffee grounds layer along the trajectory shown in the example below, with the stirring stick centered as a pivot, moving back and forth with both ends maintaining offset positions.

Determining End Time:

Regarding when to turn off the heat for siphon coffee, some people like to judge by the aroma development, but this tests one's fundamental skills too much. Therefore, FrontStreet Coffee recommends beginners use timing. If adding grounds first, start timing when you begin stirring. If adding grounds after water rises, start timing when you add the grounds. The appropriate time to turn off the heat source is approximately between 50-70 seconds.

Practical Session

Preparation Tools:

Siphon brewer, coffee beans, alcohol lamp (other heat sources are acceptable), hot water, dry cloth

Step 1:

Set up the alcohol lamp and lower chamber, and prepare the upper chamber's filter cloth hook in advance (place the filtration device in the upper chamber, pull the hook from below the tube and hang it on the tube's end)

Step 2:

Pour in 220ml of hot water.

Step 3:

Wipe the lower chamber dry and turn on the heat source (wiping the lower chamber dry prevents it from cracking during heating)

Step 4:

Insert the upper chamber diagonally into the lower chamber, ensuring the explosion-proof bead touches the bottom of the lower chamber

Step 5:

When the lower chamber starts boiling and water droplets appear, straighten the upper chamber and press firmly, waiting for the lower chamber's water to be drawn into the upper chamber.

Step 6:

When the upper chamber stops drawing water, add coffee grounds and start timing. Use the tapping method for the first segment to press coffee grounds into the water, beginning even extraction.

Step 7:

For the second segment at 25 seconds, use FrontStreet Coffee's recommended stirring method to shake evenly, allowing the coffee to clearly separate into three layers: coffee foam, coffee liquid, and coffee grounds.

Step 8:

For the final segment at 50 seconds, stir clockwise. At 60 seconds, remove the heat source and wait for the coffee liquid to flow back into the lower chamber. (After removing the heat source, wiping the lower chamber with a dry cloth can speed up the return flow)

And that's it—your siphon coffee is ready! Compared to clean and clear pour-over coffee, siphon brewing produces a richer, fuller-bodied flavor! Regardless of the brewing methods people choose, they all point toward the ultimate goal of enjoying a cup of coffee that brings comfort and ease. Good coffee is that simple, and that pure.

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Important Notice :

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