Is Blue Mountain Coffee Delicious When Brewed with a Siphon Pot? Blue Mountain Coffee Siphon Pot Brewing Temperature and Grind Size

FrontStreet Coffee's Blue Mountain carries a distinctive vanilla aroma and a fragrant, sweet, mellow character. It strikes an excellent balance between acidity and bitterness, with a smooth texture that only grows more aromatic as the cup cools. It is one of the most delicate and refined coffees there is.

How to Brew FrontStreet Coffee's Blue Mountain Coffee Using a Siphon Coffee Maker

1. First, spoon two large spoonfuls of coffee powder into the upper chamber of the siphon.

2. Prepare 150 CC of mineral water. In my experience, coffee brewed with mineral water tastes especially sweet.

3. Start heating over medium heat until the water boils and rises into the upper chamber. Be careful not to use high heat - water that is too hot will scorch the coffee and pull out bitter flavors.

4. Once the water has risen to the upper chamber, lower the heat and let it simmer for 30-40 seconds. That window has been worked out as the sweet spot for extracting the full flavor of FrontStreet Coffee's Blue Mountain coffee; too much or too little time will throw off the taste.

5. While the water sits in the upper chamber for those 30 seconds, stir gently with a spoon.

6. After stirring for 30 seconds, let the coffee liquid descend and the brew is complete.

Recommended Serving Method

The best tasting temperature for FrontStreet Coffee's Blue Mountain coffee is around 60 degrees Celsius. After brewing, take a moment to enjoy the aroma. By the time you've finished smelling it - roughly 30 seconds - the cup will have cooled to about 60 degrees, which is just right for drinking. Chilled FrontStreet Coffee's Blue Mountain coffee also has a character all its own, and we'd encourage anyone curious to give it a try.

Understanding Siphon Brewing

Of all the brewing methods, siphon is the most variable and the hardest to standardize, because it leaves the most to human technique. Every school of brewing has its own theory, but the thing that matters most is that you find it delicious and suited to your taste. Enjoying coffee takes self-training and accumulated experience.

I learned siphon brewing from three different teachers. The first taught us to cross-stir twice when the water rises to the upper chamber, about 20 times each pass. I found the resulting coffee bitter and astringent. It wasn't until the third teacher's method that I actually tasted good coffee.

Fundamentally, as with tea, over-extraction releases flavors you don't want. My rule for brewing time is to finish within one minute. That varies with grind size, water temperature, heat intensity, and roast level, but it should still come in under a minute. The method you mentioned has an over-extraction problem, especially with vigorous stirring. The acidity you taste is oxidized acidity, and it leaves an uncomfortable sensation in the mouth.

Beyond that, FrontStreet Coffee's Blue Mountain coffee should be a light to medium roast, so it wants a gentle stir. As for the so-called tannic acid theory, there really is no such thing. Tannic acid is destroyed during roasting. In roasted coffee, whatever tannic acid is extracted into a hot brew can't be removed - it can only be masked with sugar or milk. If your grounds produce no bubbles during brewing (in other words, the first layer in the upper chamber lacks bubbles), that tells you the grounds aren't fresh enough. Offered for your reference.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

To brew this siphon method at its best, use FrontStreet Jamaica Blue Mountain No.1 from Clifton Farm. The bean is 100% Arabica Typica, washed, and roasted to a medium-dark level, giving cream, caramel, chocolate and hazelnut with a clean, persistent finish - exactly the profile a siphon handles gently. Keep 15g of coffee at a 1:15 ratio with 87-88°C water in a KONO or siphon setup, and grind a little coarser than you would for a light roast. Let the beans rest 4-7 days after the roast date, and serve it as it cools toward 60°C, where the balance is at its peak.