Steps for Brewing Washed Yirgacheffe with a Siphon Brewer? How Does a Siphon Brewer Work? What Are the Steps for Making Siphon Coffee?

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Siphon Brewing Steps for Washed Yirgacheffe Worka? How Does a Siphon Work? What Are the Steps for Making Siphon Coffee?

The siphon pot is not only aesthetically pleasing but also offers a visual experience during operation. Siphon coffee best expresses coffee flavors, highlighting taste differences between various single-origin coffees, resulting in richer, fuller flavors. Due to heat source heating, coffee creates high, medium, and low temperature differences during brewing, creating rich flavor variations.

Brewing coffee with a siphon pot is a test of technique, with strict requirements for time and water temperature. Just as there are several stirring methods for siphon coffee, the way of adding coffee grounds is also sophisticated. The most common methods are adding grounds first and adding grounds later, also called bottom-adding and top-adding. Neither method is absolutely right or wrong—they simply have different advantageous control points. Now we'll use Yirgacheffe Worka Washed as an example to brew coffee with both methods.

Yirgacheffe Worka Washed G1

[Yirgacheffe Washed Worka]

Grade: G1

Region: Worka

Roast Level: Light Roast

Processing Method: Washed

Variety: Local Landrace

Processing Station: Worka Cooperative

Flavor: Lemon, Kumquat, White Grape Juice

01 | Region Introduction

Yirgacheffe is a small town in Ethiopia with an altitude of 1700-2100 meters and is synonymous with Ethiopian specialty coffee. This area has been wetland since ancient times. In the local language, "Yirga" means "settle down," and "Cheffe" means "wetland," so Yirgacheffe means "let's settle and make a living in this wetland."

Yirgacheffe (Specialty Region): Altitude 1,800-2,000 meters | Garden Coffee System

Yirgacheffe is subordinate to the Sidamo region. Due to its unique flavor, it has been separated out individually.

In addition to the town of Yirgacheffe, it also includes three surrounding sub-regions: Wenago, Kochere, Gelena, and Abaya.

Beneath Yirgacheffe are numerous villages, micro-regions, cooperatives, and processing stations. In most parts of Ethiopia, coffee farmers still live very difficult lives. They don't have sufficient capacity to build family-style processing workshops, so many processing stations emerge to centrally purchase coffee cherries from surrounding small farmers, process them, and then sell them to green bean merchants.

Working Principle

The main principle of coffee extraction with a siphon pot is achieved through pressure difference. First, heat the water in the lower chamber to boiling, then insert the upper chamber, creating a high-pressure state in the lower chamber. Due to the pressure difference between the lower and upper chambers, hot water rises to mix with coffee grounds in the upper chamber for extraction. After extraction ends, remove the heat source from the lower chamber, instantly reducing the pressure difference between upper and lower chambers. The siphon effect between chambers promotes coffee extract to flow back to the lower chamber. To speed up the coffee extract return, you can wipe the lower chamber with a damp cloth, making the pressure difference smaller and the return speed faster.

Preparation Work

1. Add water to the siphon's lower chamber. For making two cups of coffee, add water to 5mm above the 2-cup mark on the siphon. Since coffee grounds absorb water, if you want to make two cups of coffee liquid, you need to add slightly more water.

2. Grind coffee beans, prepare 25g of coffee grounds (about 15g for single cup), medium grind (Fuji ghost teeth 4 settings), meaning particles between white sugar and brown sugar.

3. After adding water, remember to wipe the outside of the lower chamber dry with a soft cloth to avoid water residue, which could cause the pot to burst during heating.

4. Add hot water to the lower chamber and heat with a gas stove. Generally, single cup coffee uses about 180g water, double portion 300g (coffee-to-water ratio 1:12).

5. After completing all the above steps, start heating the water—

When the water heats to brewing temperature, install the filter cloth in the upper chamber. Be sure to hook it as shown in the picture below! Otherwise, when water from the lower chamber rushes to the upper chamber, the filter will be pushed open.

Adding Grounds First

Adding grounds first means putting coffee grounds into the upper chamber first, then letting water rise to the upper chamber. This method requires higher control over heat. As water rises, you must adjust the flame to appropriate size to avoid large bubbles that would destroy blooming. At the same time, it's best to pre-burn a pot of water to test if the filter screen position is centered. If not centered, it will also generate continuous large bubbles. The advantage of adding grounds first is that it provides a gradual moistening process for coffee grounds, reducing the number of first stirs and better forming blooming effects. However, temperature control is poorer, so timing the insertion of the upper chamber into the lower chamber is particularly important. In other words, adding grounds first may seem simple, but it actually requires more practical experience compared to adding grounds later.

FrontStreet Coffee's barista recommended technique [using Washed Yirgacheffe Worka]

(1) When the lower chamber water temperature reaches 90°C, pour in the grounds and straighten the upper chamber;

(2) After water completely wets the coffee grounds, perform the first stir and start timing. Adjust the flame to appropriate size when water almost reaches the upper chamber;

(3) After blooming for 30 seconds, perform the second stir;

(4) Around 50 seconds, perform the final stir, then remove the heat source to let coffee liquid flow back.

Adding Grounds Later

Contrary to adding grounds first, adding grounds later means waiting for water from the lower chamber to completely rise to the upper chamber before adding coffee grounds. Before adding grounds later, we have ample time to reduce the heat source flame to just enough to support the upper chamber water without falling back. Then adjust the lower filter screen position to keep it centered, and finally wait a few minutes to let the water temperature drop slightly. Generally, when water from the lower chamber just rises to the upper chamber, the temperature will be around 90-95°C, so we can let the water temperature drop 2-5 degrees before adding coffee grounds. Generally, the higher the water temperature, the more bitter the coffee becomes, even appearing burnt. Lower temperatures highlight acidity and aroma, but too low temperature can cause under-extraction, reducing body and making acidity very sharp. Therefore, choosing an appropriate water temperature based on the coffee being extracted is crucial.

FrontStreet Coffee's barista recommended technique [using Washed Yirgacheffe Worka as example]

(1) When water temperature reaches 90°C, straighten the upper chamber. When water rises to the upper chamber, pour in coffee grounds, stir, and start timing;

(2) Adjust flame to appropriate size. After blooming for 30 seconds, perform the second stir;

(3) Around 50 seconds, perform the third stir. After stirring ends, remove the heat source to let coffee liquid flow back.

Conclusion

[Adding Grounds First] emphasizes high cleanliness, sufficient and long-lasting aroma, with prominent lemon acidity, citrus, and white grape juice flavors. However, it requires high precision—poor control can easily cause under-extraction or over-extraction with large deviations.

[Adding Grounds Later] has richer flavor, with more prominent mid-range caramel and honey flavors. Cleanliness is relatively weaker, aroma is less prominent and uplifting, and temperature control is more important.

Everyone can try both methods. Even after accumulating some experience, you can choose different ground-adding methods based on different coffee bean characteristics or different extraction requirements.

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473