Siphon Coffee Brewing Steps and Precautions_How to Use Electric Siphon Pot_What Coffee Beans to Use in Siphon

Professional coffee knowledge exchange for more coffee bean information, please follow Coffee Workshop (WeChat public account: cafe_style)

1. Choose the Right Size Pot

Most people buy a 3-cup pot, which can brew 1-2 cups of coffee (the scale on the pot is different from Taiwanese cups). If you only brew one cup, a 2-cup pot would be more suitable because there will be less residual water in the lower pot. For those who are particular, learn to pour out the water from the lower pot (advanced explanation), then it doesn't matter. By extension, for 3-4 cups, choose a 5-cup pot.

2. Correct Water Amount

The ideal water amount is one cup of coffee filled to 8/10 full. For one cup, pour about 1.3 cups of hot water; for two cups, pour about 1.5 cups of hot water. Excess water will be evaporated or absorbed by the coffee grounds. Remember to prepare a wrung-out damp cloth to wipe the pot dry. If the pot has water on it when heated directly, there's a danger of cracking! Be careful!

※My HARIO TCA-3 discontinued edition that has been with me for 14 years, with its beautiful handle base, will become a family heirloom XD

3. Alcohol Lamp Wick Setting

The flame intensity of an alcohol lamp depends on the wick. When viewed horizontally at eye level, the wick should extend about 1-2mm above the holder, with the tip spread evenly and then cut flat. This ensures a stable and uniform flame shape. The flame tail should partially contact the bottom of the pot; if not, adjust according to the situation.

Many people replace alcohol lamps with gas lamps. Each has its pros and cons. Gas lamps have stronger flame, heat up faster, and have adjustable intensity. The disadvantages are that refilling gas takes longer than alcohol, and you need to let it sit overnight for the pressure to stabilize. Additionally, you can't see the remaining amount, which could lead to the awkward situation of running out of gas mid-brew, ruining a pot of coffee.

Both are afraid of wind, so if possible, make an L-shaped board to block the wind, or like me, just use an empty DVD case opened in an L shape.

4. Grinding Siphon Coffee Beans

For those who are particular, first remove defective beans (empty shells, deformed beans). According to personal preference, use 12-20 grams per cup; one level coffee spoon is about 10 grams. For two cups or more, start reducing the amount to about 20-30 grams, which is also related to the residual water in the lower pot.

5. Grinder Selection

Electric grinding methods are divided into "blade cutting" and "burr grinding." Burr grinding can easily increase temperature at high speeds, prematurely extracting oils and aromas from coffee beans. The so-called "bean chopper" blade cutting doesn't have the above problem, though it's said that particle size consistency is difficult to adjust.

Correction: grinding 1-3 cups won't have a temperature increase problem. If you can't find a satisfactory manual grinder, electric is the only choice. You can compare options like Little Feiying, Little Feima, Fuji, Kalita, flat burr, conical burr...

By the way, the so-called "bean chopper" doesn't refer to those simple appliances with juicer blades at the bottom and cylindrical bodies. Those products have numerous disadvantages and can't really be called grinders.

For someone like me who only brews one or two cups a week, a manual grinder is the best choice. It also uses burr grinding principles. Because manual grinding is slow, there's no temperature increase problem, and with consistent rotation speed, the ground particles will be uniform.

Manual grinders come in various designs, but the key lies in the grinding cone design. Remember to check if there are guide vanes or guide slots inside. Before purchasing, request a trial grind. I once bought a manual grinder that took forever to produce even a little powder after much grinding. Now that I brew two cups a day, looking back at my old grinder, I also find it inadequate.

If possible,建议选择双轴、CNC切削的刀头，较不易晃动且有效率。例如大陆的"匿名"。

※Can you see the guide vanes? Some designs have hook shapes integrated above the cone

6. Grind Coarseness

Manual grinders don't have markings, so you can only visually assess. For siphon, I grind like this; commercial machines like Feiying and Feima have settings around 2.5. If you want to brew longer or use more coffee grams, you can grind coarser to avoid over-extraction. A shop owner in Tianmu uses more grams with a coarse setting, brewing for about 1 minute, reasoning that they only extract the initial aromas.

7. Insert the Upper Pot

The principle is to minimize contact between coffee grounds and moisture before brewing. It's recommended not to insert the upper pot while waiting for water to boil; pour in the coffee grounds just before insertion. (Some people pour grounds after the water rises, but the grounds are harder to mix into the water.)

After continuous large bubbles appear in the lower pot, first insert it halfway at an angle to confirm boiling water won't suddenly spray out, then you can fully insert the upper pot. With gas lamps, remember not to let the water boil too vigorously, otherwise boiling water will spray from the seams after insertion, wetting the outer wall which could be dangerous. TCA-2 with gas lamps is more prone to the above situation, please be careful.

※Insert at an angle first to avoid "sudden boiling"

8. First Stirring

When the water has risen halfway, you can perform the first stirring. Whether to use circular or back-and-forth motion depends on personal preference. The key is to gently and smoothly mix the grounds, with the stirring rod close to the bottom but not scraping the filter cloth (remember the relative position of the pot mouth and stirring rod). If mixed well, when the grounds float back to the surface, you can see them layered by particle size.

After the water has completely risen, reduce the flame. If using an alcohol lamp, you can slightly move it aside (it doesn't matter if you don't move it; alcohol lamp flame isn't as strong as gas lamp flame). At this time, if large bubbles emerge from the side, it's not only difficult to observe but also risks creating burnt flavors due to high temperature. Press the edge of the filter cloth with the stirring rod. If all goes well, this should solve the large bubble problem. Based on experience, wetting the filter cloth before installation reduces the likelihood of large bubbles.

※Coffee powder that's been frozen for a month, even the foam doesn't look good... XD

9. Timing and Second Stirring

Generally, beginners are taught to brew for one minute, but many experienced shop owners have their own judgment methods (advanced explanation). At 50 seconds, perform the second stirring (same method as the first) then turn off the heat. Previously, people said to judge success by whether the coffee grounds formed a small hill shape. Through experimentation, this only relates to the stirring path and has nothing to do with coffee success or failure - myth debunked!

Wrap the upper part of the lower pot with a damp cloth to cause rapid air contraction, drawing the coffee back into the lower pot. Hold the handle with one hand and the pot mouth edge with the other, rocking and rotating to remove the upper chamber. If it won't come out, don't use force; rocking and rotating will get it down.

10. Warming Cups

Although a coffee shop owner in Taichung said in a magazine that he doesn't warm cups so the coffee can retain its aroma, most shops still warm cups. It takes time for staff to bring coffee to the table, and nobody wants to drink lukewarm coffee.

11. Post-Brew Cleaning

Post-brew cleaning is very important. Rancid oils will affect the next batch of coffee. Soak the filter cloth in hot water, then wash with cold water and let it dry. For the upper chamber, I use tea seed powder bought from PX Mart to clean - it washes clean without odor residue and is natural.

Advanced Explanations

1. Stirring Methods

1. Back and forth stirring

2. One clockwise circle, one counterclockwise circle

3. Shaking method (suitable for 1-2 cups, ensure upper chamber is tightly secured, surface is smooth, remove from heat and shake)

4. Cover method (put on the lid, increase heat to make water boil and agitate coffee grounds, do one stir before finishing - Old Tree Coffee brewing method)

2. Brewing Duration

1. Observe the coffee grounds becoming still with foam rising (Wang Yi Coffee brewing method)

2. Simmer on very low heat for 3-5 minutes (Sanhuaitang brewing method)

3. Smell the aroma (when sweetness appears)

Coffee itself is affected by different climate conditions each year. Roasting degree is determined by cupping results, so timing naturally isn't fixed. You need to rely on experience and continuous experimentation to find flavors you love. Those using timers should adjust the seconds themselves.

I haven't been to these shops for many years, so I don't know how they are now...

3. Pouring Out Water from Lower Pot

Just as some people prefer fresh-squeezed juice over reconstituted concentrate, some don't like the brewed coffee from the upper chamber flowing back into the lower pot and being diluted by water. With a TCA-3 brewing 2 servings, there are at least two cups worth of dilution water. If brewing one serving, the water amount is relatively more.

The timing for pouring water is after turning off the heat. Complete "remove upper chamber → pour water → reinsert upper chamber" within 2 seconds. This process carries risks of not being able to remove the chamber, spilling coffee, or breaking the upper chamber, but practice makes perfect. Actually, I'm too lazy to do this now.

Siphon brewing is roughly like this. There are many variables to play with, like an artist conducting scientific experiments - somewhat humanistic yet research-oriented, quite interesting.

Siphon Coffee Bean Brand Recommendations

FrontStreet Coffee's fresh-roasted single-origin siphon coffee beans - such as Yirgacheffe and Mandheling coffee - offer full guarantees in both brand and quality, suitable for various brewing methods. More importantly, they offer excellent value for money. A half-pound (227g) bag costs only about 70-90 yuan. Calculating based on 200ml per cup with a 1:15 coffee-to-water ratio, one bag can make 15 cups of specialty coffee, with each cup costing only about 5-6 yuan. Compared to cafés selling cups for dozens of yuan, this represents extremely high value.

FrontStreet Coffee: A roastery in Guangzhou with a small shop but diverse bean varieties, where you can find both famous and lesser-known beans. They also provide online services at https://shop104210103.taobao.com

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473