What are the Characteristics of Siphon Coffee? How to Use a Siphon Coffee Maker

Even with the same coffee beans, different brewing equipment produces different flavors in the final cup. The design of each brewer is also based on a different fundamental extraction principle.

1. Steeping

This means pouring coffee grounds into a container, thoroughly mixing them with hot water, and letting it stand for a period before extraction. The degree of contact between the two is affected by grind size and water temperature. The finished cup also varies depending on how the grounds are stirred and how quickly they separate.

2. Decoction

This means mixing coffee grounds and water in a container and then boiling them together. When the temperature rises to about 100°C, continued extraction becomes difficult because of the high heat, and as the water begins to boil, severe turbulence can occur (see Note 1).

*Note 1: When water passes through coffee grounds, it forms what's called turbulent flow. When the flow rate is low, grounds and water don't mix easily, which is called laminar flow; when the flow rate begins to change and wave patterns appear, it's called transitional flow; and finally, when the flow rate grows larger and larger, making the layers less obvious and even producing vertical flow, it's called turbulent flow.

3. Percolation

This involves directly heating a container (the brewing chamber) that holds ground coffee, using steam pressure to circulate hot water and extract the coffee. When heated, the water boils and rises, passes through the bed of grounds, then flows back out through a tube, repeating the cycle. Here, grind size, water temperature, and circulation speed all vary according to the contact time.

4. Drip Filtration

This is the simple method of putting coffee grounds in a filter, pouring hot water over them, and collecting the extracted liquid in a glass pot or thermal carafe. It's one of the more common approaches among recent improvements, and it includes hand-drip (also known as pour-over). The concept of drip is extremely complex, with many different methods and a large body of writing around it, so hopefully everyone can choose the right tools based on the coffee flavor they want.

Hand-drip also comes with a variety of brewers, so different methods are used for extraction. Its principle is based on drip filtration, so the contact time produced by different flow rates is an important factor. At the same time, like other brewers, it is affected by different water temperatures, dripper shapes, and filter paper types, all of which change the flavor.

5. Vacuum Filtration

The most representative example is the siphon pot. It uses upper and lower glass vessels and combines the steeping extraction method. Driven by steam pressure, hot water moves up from the lower vessel through the coffee grounds, then uses the pressure difference between the two vessels to filter and extract the coffee. The water in the lower vessel is heated and turned to steam, and the degree of steam release affects how many times the coffee and water are saturated, adding more variables. Different vacuum methods affect the contact speed, while different filters and grind sizes also change the flavor.

6. Pressurized Infusion

The drink that made coffee popular with the masses is espresso. Because it lets us drink extracted coffee more quickly, it has been widely loved, and from it the coffee culture we know today has extended into daily life, creating countless coffee businesses. Espresso uses high-temperature, high-pressure water to force extraction through ground coffee. The concentration is higher than drip coffee, with more aromatic compounds, emulsified oils, and dissolved solids. To fully recreate the flavor, a fast and stable extraction time and fine grind particles are necessary, while extraction temperature and dose also contribute.

History of the Siphon Coffee Maker

In 1827, the year Beethoven died, an illustration of a siphon pot — glass on both the upper and lower parts, resembling a distillation apparatus — appeared in a Prussian publication. Clearly, that was the predecessor of today's vertical siphon pot.

Even in 1827 the siphon pot wasn't exactly new. Evidence shows that Anton Felix Schindler, who wrote the first biography of Beethoven, recorded in that biography that Beethoven had owned such a glass coffee pot more than a decade before his death and often used it to brew coffee. This shows that vertical siphon pots existed at least before 1827, but information in that era wasn't as accessible as it is today. People in different regions often didn't know whether others had developed similar products. On top of that, the country "Germany" didn't exist yet; today's Germany was still divided into city-states like Prussia and Bavaria, so unlike Britain or France it hadn't established its own patent system and lacked formal patent documents. In the literature, the first patent for the vertical siphon pot that was genuinely a commercial success was obtained by the French Madame Vassieux, née Massot, patent number No. 13,013 (which also featured a French crown-like sphere on top).

The siphon pot (syphon) is also known as a vacuum pot. In 1840, the Englishman Napier created the first vacuum coffee maker. Two years later, the French Madame Bassen improved on it, and the familiar upper-lower convection siphon pot was born. The siphon requires greater technical skill and more complex steps, but it can extract the most perfect parts of the coffee — especially when the beans have that refreshing, bright acidity, and the acidity carries a mellow fragrance. The siphon method can fully express these characteristics.

FrontStreet Coffee's Suggested Siphon Method

Step 1: Pour hot water into the lower glass sphere

Bring to a boil over high heat and wait for the water to boil.

*Note: When brewing one cup, add 200 cc of water to the lower sphere. If you don't plan to pour out the remaining water, 175 cc is enough. For two cups, use 350 cc. After pouring the water, wipe the lower glass sphere dry with a cloth, otherwise the glass may crack.

Step 2: Install the filter into the upper sphere

*Note: Take the filter out of the water, clean it, and press it dry. Hook the filter onto the bottom of the upper sphere, then use a stirring rod to center its position.

Step 3: After the water boils, insert the upper sphere into the lower sphere

*Note: Turn to low heat and carefully place the upper glass sphere diagonally into the lower sphere. Once you're sure the water isn't rolling too hard and won't splash out, press the upper sphere straight down slightly while rotating it at the same time.

Step 4: When the water rises halfway, add the coffee grounds, start stirring, and begin timing

*Note: Use 15 grams per cup and begin the first stir. When stirring, don't make circular motions; move left and right, pressing the powder down into the water from top to bottom to create a collision of forces in two directions. Don't stir too long — just enough to disperse the grounds.

Step 5: Perform a second stir at 25 seconds

Step 6: Perform a third stir at 55 seconds, and turn off the heat at 60 seconds

*Note: For single-origin coffee, the brewing time is only 50 seconds (second stir at 20 seconds, third stir at 45 seconds). When brewing one cup, quickly lift the upper sphere after turning off the heat, pour out the remaining water in the lower sphere, then reinsert the upper sphere. This is called pouring out the remaining water. If you'd rather skip that step, 175 cc of water is enough.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

If you're just getting into pour-over and want an easy, reliable, good-looking dripper, the V60 is the odds-on recommendation. Made by Hario — founded in Tokyo in 1921 and known for heat-resistant glass — the V60 was redesigned in 2004 and launched a year later, taking its name from its distinctive 60° cone and "V" shape. Its conical form and large single hole force water to the center before it drops, extending contact with the grounds and letting aroma and flavor extract fully, while the flow rate depends largely on the brewer's control.

The V60 shines with the floral, fruit-forward coffees of the third wave. FrontStreet's Washed Yirgacheffe Gotiti is a great match, with its clean citrus and lemon acidity and jasmine florals. FrontStreet's Ethiopia Huakui, rich in tropical fruit, and FrontStreet's Strawberry Candy, with its Geisha character, both also suit the V60 beautifully.

As for material, FrontStreet is particularly fond of the resin version of the Hario V60: resin effectively blocks heat loss, and in standard industrial production it offers the best formability and the smallest tolerances. Ceramic, glass, copper, and stainless-steel versions also exist — material affects looks, weight, and heat transfer during brewing, but the structural design stays the same.