How to Use a Siphon Coffee Maker - Methods for Brewing Coffee with a Siphon Pot and Timing Guide

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

The Historical Origins of Siphon Coffee Makers

According to information on the official website of the renowned Hacienda El Injerto in the coffee world, the upright siphon pot was invented in the 1830s by Loeff, who was then living in Berlin, Germany. In fact, as early as more than a decade before Beethoven's death in 1827, he already owned such a glass coffee pot and often used it to brew coffee.

In 1827, the year of Beethoven's death, an illustration of a siphon pot with glass on both top and bottom, resembling a distiller, already appeared in a Prussian publication. Clearly, that was the predecessor of today's upright siphon pot.

Even in 1827, the siphon pot was not entirely new. Evidence shows that Anton Felix Schindler, the first biographer of Beethoven, recorded in his biography that Beethoven had already owned such a siphon pot more than a decade before his death and frequently used it to brew coffee. This demonstrates that upright siphon pots existed at least before 1827. However, information flow in that era was not as smooth as today, and people in different regions often didn't know if others had developed similar products. Additionally, the country of "Germany" did not exist yet; today's Germany was then divided into various city-states like Prussia, Bavaria, etc. Unlike Britain or France, it had not yet established its own patent system, thus lacking formal patent documents. In the literature, the first patent for upright siphon pots that achieved true commercial success was obtained by Madame Vassieux, née Massot of France, with patent number No. 13,013.

The Evolution of Balanced Siphon Coffee Makers

On page 113 of the book "COFFEE MAKERS," authors Enrico Maltoni and Mauro Carli claim that the balanced siphon pot was created around 1840 by Scottish shipbuilding engineer Robert Napier and his son James Napier. They utilized vacuum principles to invent the so-called "Vienna coffee pot" (also called Belgian coffee pot), whose structure consists of a glass container combined with a nickel-plated or silver brewer, approximately fourteen to sixteen inches high, capable of brewing about four servings. The Vienna coffee pot uses an alcohol lamp to heat the brewer containing coffee grounds and water. When boiling, steam generates pressure, causing the coffee-ground mixture to flow through a vacuum tube connecting the two containers into the glass container. Finally, the alcohol lamp beneath the brewer is removed, and vacuum principles draw the coffee liquid back into the brewer. When drinking, simply open the valve to pour into a cup and enjoy. At this point, because the bottom of the vacuum tube has a filter screen design, the brewed coffee grounds remain in the glass container for easy cleaning.

Siphon Coffee Brewing Guide

Siphon | Essential for Coffee Enthusiasts, Embodying the Spirit of Experimentation!

Gentle reminder: Glassware is prone to breakage and requires extra care. When the lower pot is still hot after heating, do not rinse directly with cold water. Additionally, before heating, check if there are water droplets on the surface of the pot, wipe dry with a cloth first to prevent cracking during heating.

Brewing Steps:

Pour water or hot water into the lower pot and bring to a boil with an alcohol lamp or stove. Install the filter into the upper pot. When the water boils, insert the upper pot into the lower pot, and the water will slowly rise into the upper pot. Add coffee grounds to the upper pot to wet them. After turning off the heat, gently stir in a circular motion. Wrap the lower pot's spherical surface with a damp towel to cool it, and finally let the coffee liquid naturally drip back into the lower pot.

Coffee Ground Addition Techniques for Siphon Brewing

The method of adding coffee grounds in siphon brewing also requires careful consideration!

Adding grounds first requires more experience because extraction is already occurring as water rises from the lower pot to the upper pot. This makes it more difficult to control the degree of coffee extraction.

The method of adding grounds afterward is easier to master and control.

FrontStreet Coffee's Siphon Usage Parameters:

Using the post-ground addition method, remove from heat source after brewing for approximately one and a half minutes.

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473