Siphon Brewer | The Difference Between Stirring and Steeping Techniques During Coffee Extraction!

Let's start with a brief introduction to the origin of the siphon coffee maker. The siphon originated in Europe, about 70 years earlier than pour-over coffee. Between 1830-1840, Loeff from Berlin, Germany, first invented the glass siphon extraction method with upper and lower chambers and obtained a patent. Later, after continuous improvements by countries such as France, England, and Germany, it was introduced to Denmark and Japan in the mid-20th century, beginning its large-scale market entry and reaching its peak popularity in the 1950s.

Siphon Principle

The lower chamber of the siphon can be called the capacity pot: spherical in shape and marked with water level graduations for several cups, it holds the coffee liquid. The upper chamber is cylindrical and used to extract coffee. This principle actually makes use of the siphon phenomenon in physics.

When the water in the lower siphon chamber is heated, it generates steam and pressure, pushing the hot water from the lower chamber up through the glass tube to the upper chamber, where it begins to brew the coffee grounds. After extraction is complete, turn off the heat and remove the heat source. At this point the lower chamber is in a semi-vacuum state and has lost its upward pressure, so it draws the coffee liquid back down from the upper chamber. (To speed up the return, you can wipe the lower chamber with a damp cloth, which reduces the pressure difference between the two chambers and makes the coffee extract return faster.) The coffee grounds are blocked by the filter cloth in the upper chamber, completing the extraction.

There are various ways to brew coffee: different equipment, different techniques, different grind sizes, different times, all can extract a cup of coffee. Or rather, with the same set of equipment you can experiment with different variations, and the extracted coffee might bring quite pleasant surprises. Today, let's share where the stirring method and the immersion method fit into siphon coffee brewing.

Don't worry, let's first join FrontStreet Coffee to look at the basic information of the coffee bean we are using for today's brewing experiment.

Costa Rica Canet Musician Series Mozart

FrontStreet Coffee: Costa Rica Mozart Coffee Beans

Region: Tarrazú, Canet Estate

Varieties: Caturra, Catuai

Altitude: 1950m

Processing: Raisin Honey

Flavor: Raisin, osmanthus, berries, pineapple, caramel

This Costa Rica Canet Estate Musician Series Mozart bean has rich floral notes and soft fruit acidity, and the raisin honey processing method also gives it fermented aroma along with berry and raisin flavors. All right, enough talk, let's get to brewing. First, the stirring method.

Stirring Method

Parameters: 1:10 coffee-to-water ratio, 20g of coffee, fine grind (EK43s grinder setting 9/Chinese standard #20 sieve 85% pass rate), water temperature 90°C.

Technique: Put 200g of water in the lower chamber; when the lower chamber water reaches 90°C, insert the upper chamber tightly. When the water rises to the upper chamber, add the coffee grounds and stir to ensure full contact between coffee and water. After 30 seconds, stir back and forth in a cross pattern to break the crust. At 56 seconds, remove the heat source to let the coffee liquid return (timing starts from adding grounds). Extraction time: 1 minute 8 seconds.

Flavor: Floral, berries, fermented wine aroma, raisin.

Immersion Method

Parameters: 1:10 coffee-to-water ratio, 20g of coffee, medium-fine grind (EK43s grinder setting 9/Chinese standard #20 sieve 85% pass rate), water temperature 90°C.

Technique: Put 200g of water in the lower chamber; when the lower chamber water reaches 90°C, insert the upper chamber tightly. When the water rises to the upper chamber, add the coffee grounds and stir to ensure full contact between coffee and water. After immersing for 1 minute, remove the heat source to let the coffee liquid return (timing starts from adding grounds). Extraction time: 1 minute 32 seconds.

Flavor: Osmanthus aroma, berries, raisin, caramel.

Comparison of Methods

The difference between using these two methods with the siphon is that the stirring method extracts a more intense fermented wine aroma with a fuller body, and as the temperature drops it reveals the sweet and sour taste of raisins, while the immersion method produces a more prominent osmanthus aroma and, at lower temperatures, berries and raisins with a slightly lighter but very clean sweet taste. One is richer and fuller, the other cleaner and more refreshing.

Of course, taste is subjective, and everyone can choose their preferred extraction method based on their own preferences. One more note on siphon brewers: a siphon extracts coffee under continuous heating, so try to keep the water temperature continuously between 86-94°C. This way the extraction rate of the coffee grounds is higher and consistently stable, with fewer variable factors, resulting in a more stable coffee flavor. Even if you are a coffee novice just starting out, you can brew a cup with rich body and aromatic flavor. Remember to clean the filter cloth after each use and replace it after a period of time, otherwise it can easily affect the coffee's flavor.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

A siphon holds a steady 86-94°C throughout the brew, which makes it a natural fit for beans with body and sweetness. FrontStreet would steer you toward a medium-dark, low-acid lot for the fuller immersion style, and a clean light roast if you prefer the brighter end.

FrontStreet PWN Golden Mandheling

Deep roasted and very low in acidity, this is the kind of bean that shows best under sustained heat: a thick, lingering body with a full load of herbal and dark chocolate aroma and a faint earthy note beneath. Layered and substantial, it suits drinkers who like weight in the cup and do not want acidity. That it is the top-grade PWN lot, with the accompanying certification and the PWN-marked bags shown in the product details, is part of why FrontStreet carries it.

FrontStreet Yirgacheffe Gudingding

For the opposite approach, this washed lot has a clean, bright character that the siphon's even extraction flatters: pronounced citrus, berry and floral notes with a green-tea-like sweetness on the return, and none of the harsh acidity people sometimes expect from a "sour" coffee. A good choice if you are new to hand brewing and want something easy to like.

FrontStreet Brazil Queen Estate

A balanced, low-acid Brazilian from the Queen Estate, where fertile red volcanic soil produces a full, aromatic cup. Expect creamy nut and cocoa aromas with an obvious caramel sweetness, smooth and rounded with no astringency, warm and lingering. It is equally at home in a siphon, a pour-over, a moka pot or an espresso machine.