Siphon Coffee Brewing Tips | A Coffee Lover's Guide to Siphon Pot Equipment Types

Looking at siphon brewers today, they are coffee brewing equipment with a strong vintage feel. Currently, many coffee shops no longer make siphon coffee, or offer it only as a specialty rather than a main product. Of course, as a siphon coffee fan, if it's not available outside, I'll just make it myself. FrontStreet Coffee will share siphon coffee brewing using the simplest language possible in this article.

Siphon Brewer Structure

The basic structure of a siphon brewer can be divided into an upper chamber, lower chamber, and a stand. The stand connects to the lower chamber, serving to fix and support it. The lower chamber is roughly spherical, ensuring even heating during the brewing process. The upper chamber is cylindrical with a tapered bottom that extends into a thin, long tube, with a rubber gasket at the tapered section.

When the upper chamber is placed on the lower chamber, the rubber gasket creates a seal. When heating the lower chamber, water produces steam, creating pressure that pushes water into the upper chamber. The upper chamber is where coffee grounds and water meet. When the heat source is removed, the coffee liquid returns to the lower chamber, completing the siphon coffee brewing process.

Filter Cloth and Filter Paper

We don't want to drink coffee full of grounds, so we need filtering equipment to separate the coffee grounds. The most commonly used are flannel filter cloths and circular filter papers. Flannel is a more traditional siphon filtering material. Its characteristic is that it can retain the oils in coffee, but the disadvantage is that it's somewhat troublesome to use and clean.

Filter paper is a modern filtering material. Its characteristic is cleaner filtration, blocking fine particles (including but not limited to oils). If you're just brewing for personal use and the frequency isn't too high, FrontStreet Coffee recommends choosing flannel filters to experience the complete flavor profile of siphon coffee.

Heat Sources

Currently, the commonly used heat sources are gas stoves, induction cookers, and alcohol lamps. Gas stoves and induction cookters can adjust the heat intensity, with relatively fast and stable temperature rise. The only downside is the slightly higher cost. Alcohol lamps have low cost but unstable heat source and longer heating time.

FrontStreet Coffee believes that all these heat sources can produce excellent coffee; the key is to make appropriate adjustments according to the heating characteristics. However, if conditions allow, it's still better to use a gas stove or induction cooker.

Adding Coffee Grounds Before or After Water Rises

There are two different approaches to adding coffee grounds when brewing siphon coffee. The traditional school chooses to add grounds first. The latter believes that adding grounds first means部分咖啡 will contact water during the rising process, which could lead to部分咖啡 "sneaking extraction" and potentially cause uneven extraction, so they insist on adding grounds only after all water has risen to the upper chamber. This is similar to the debate in pour-over coffee about whether to start timing when water is first poured or when pouring and timing begin simultaneously.

FrontStreet Coffee thinks that beginners should choose the method of adding grounds after water rises, as it's more reliable. This approach has fewer unstable factors compared to adding grounds first.

Coffee Grind Size

The grind size for siphon coffee should be finer than for pour-over coffee. According to FrontStreet Coffee's calculations, the grind size should be approximately 90% pass-through through a #20 sieve. When using the EK43s grinder from our shop, the corresponding setting is 9 marks, while for the Comandante C40 hand grinder, it's 20 marks.

Coffee-to-Water Ratio

The general coffee-to-water ratio for siphon coffee is between 1:10 to 1:12. More people use the 1:12 ratio. If you're brewing one serving at home, you might want to use FrontStreet Coffee's usual parameters: 18 grams of coffee grounds to 200 milliliters of water.

Stirring Methods

There are many stirring methods: rotational stirring, cross-stirring, Z-shaped stirring, infinity-shaped stirring, and even patting methods...

FrontStreet Coffee suggests beginners start with the patting method, patting the coffee ground layer along the trajectory shown in the image below. The stirring rod should use the center as a pivot point, with both ends moving back and forth in a staggered manner.

This method isn't the only way, but FrontStreet Coffee believes it's relatively easy to control and beginner-friendly.

Timing for Ending the Brew

When should you turn off the heat for siphon coffee? Some people like to judge by smelling the coffee aroma, which requires considerable personal skill and is difficult to describe in words. Therefore, FrontStreet Coffee recommends beginners use timing. If you're using the method of adding grounds after water rises, start timing when you add the grounds. If you add grounds first, start timing when you're ready to begin stirring. The heat should be turned off within approximately 50-70 seconds.

Specific Brewing Method

Taking FrontStreet Coffee's usual brewing method as an example:

1. Pour 200 milliliters of hot water, wipe dry the lower chamber, and turn on the heat source.

2. Insert the upper chamber at an angle into the lower chamber, ensuring the explosion-proof bead touches the bottom of the lower chamber.

3. When continuous small water droplets appear in the lower chamber, straighten and press down firmly on the upper chamber. Wait for the water from the lower chamber to be drawn into the upper chamber.

4. Add coffee grounds and start timing. For the first stage, use the stirring rod to pat all coffee grounds into the water for even saturation.

5. For the second stage, at 25 seconds, begin stirring using FrontStreet Coffee's recommended method to clearly separate the coffee into three layers: coffee liquid, coffee grounds, and coffee foam.

6. For the final stage, at 50 seconds, begin stirring in the same direction. At 60 seconds, remove the heat source and wait for the coffee liquid to fall back down.

Siphon coffee made this way is very aromatic and rich. Although it's not as clean and clear as pour-over coffee, the oils floating on its surface add considerable body and richness.

In FrontStreet Coffee's view, compared to pour-over coffee, using a siphon brewer is obviously more troublesome. First, you need to prepare a heat source before brewing, and you can't be distracted during the entire extraction process. After brewing, you also need to clean promptly, washing the flannel filter used for grounds separation. In a shop with high output volume, siphon brewer service would be even more troublesome.

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473