Siphon vs Moka Pot: Which Makes Better Coffee and the Right Way to Brew

Introduction

There are about a hundred different coffee brewing devices on the market, but which one actually produces the best-tasting coffee remains debatable. Everyone's taste preferences differ, and even with the same coffee beans, using the same brewing device for the same amount of time, the resulting acidity, bitterness, sweetness, richness, and intensity will be perceived differently by each person. This becomes even more varied when using different coffee devices and brewing variables, making each cup of coffee's flavor truly diverse.

Besides the common espresso and pour-over coffee found in coffee shops, many people's first real experience with coffee making actually starts with a moka pot. Not only is it aesthetically pleasing and convenient, but it's also affordable and extremely easy to operate, making it particularly beginner-friendly.

However, FrontStreet Coffee has also noticed that some enthusiasts seek more ritual in their coffee brewing experience, such as the increasingly rare siphon coffee. With its cool equipment and unique operation process, one experience with it makes you want to buy one and try it at home. So what are the differences between these two coffee brewing methods? How significant would the flavor differences be? Next, please listen as FrontStreet Coffee analyzes this in detail.

What is a Moka Pot?

A moka pot utilizes the steam pressure of boiling water to pass directly through coffee grounds, extracting the inner essence of the coffee. The brewed coffee has a richer texture and aroma, with a thin layer of coffee oil on the surface—this is the charm of Italian coffee.

Compared to other coffee brewing devices, the moka pot's design is very simple, consisting of only 3 parts: the upper chamber for coffee liquid, the middle filter basket, and the lower chamber for water heating. When we heat the moka pot, the water in the lower chamber heats up first and converts to steam, creating pressure that pushes the steam upward. When hot water rises and reacts with the coffee grounds, the continuously increasing pressure pushes the extracted coffee liquid into the upper chamber, giving us the rich coffee liquid we need.

The extraction method of a moka pot is similar to pressurized espresso coffee that we commonly see. After water boils in the lower chamber, it produces steam, which accumulates to create pressure, forcing hot water to penetrate the coffee powder, dissolve flavor compounds, and flow forcefully with the coffee liquid into the upper container. A moka pot typically produces about 1.2 to 3 atmospheres of pressure, and this increased pressure concentrates the coffee flavors, resulting in a mellow, full-bodied coffee.

Common moka pots on the market come in two types: single-valve and double-valve. When using a double-valve moka pot, an additional pressure valve increases the pressure, which also enhances the coffee's concentration and brings out more coffee oils. Although a moka pot can't match the 9+ atmospheres of a standard espresso machine, if we just want to enjoy a rich, mellow coffee during our leisure time at home, FrontStreet Coffee believes the moka pot is an excellent choice.

What is a Siphon Pot?

A set of instruments that resembles laboratory equipment, paired with a halogen lamp or alcohol lamp, allows you to see bubbles churning in hot water through the flame. As you pour in coffee grounds, a refreshing aroma fills the air. After cooling, the rapidly returning liquid becomes deep and rich. A small sip reveals a rounded and balanced flavor. Compared to other brewing methods, comfort and therapeutic qualities are FrontStreet Coffee's most profound impressions of the siphon pot.

The English name for a siphon pot is "SIPHON," so it's also called a vacuum pot. It utilizes the thermal expansion and contraction caused by water vapor when heated to push hot water from the lower chamber into the upper chamber to mix with coffee grounds. When the temperature decreases, the water flows back through the vacuum tube to the lower chamber, resulting in coffee liquid. Regarding the origin of the siphon pot, we can trace it back to the early 19th century, nearly a hundred years earlier than pour-over coffee. According to records, in 1826, German physicist Johann Norremberg invented the siphon pot using laboratory equipment. His original intention was to demonstrate the power of steam to students, so he didn't apply for a patent, and his design didn't become popular. It wasn't until the mid-19th century that this device was improved by French inventor Marie Fanny Amelne Massot, and the convection siphon pot was born. She obtained a related patent in 1842, allowing this device to enter the market for sale.

During approximately the same period, Scottish engineer Robert Napier designed his Napier Coffee Pot, which also utilized vacuum principles to brew coffee. Although it received an award from the Institution of Mechanical Engineers in 1856, Napier never patented it. Since then, similar vacuum brewing devices began to spread across Europe and reached places like America. However, due to the later emergence of automatic drip coffee, the use of siphon pots gradually decreased in America.

How to Use a Moka Pot? What are the Flavor Characteristics of Moka Pot Coffee?

Before brewing coffee, we need to prepare fresh coffee beans, water, a grinder, a heating gas stove (or induction cooker), and our main character—the moka pot. For coffee beans, FrontStreet Coffee uses their own house-roasted "Sunflower Warm Sun Blend Coffee Beans," a 7:3 blend of Honduras Sherry and natural processed Yirgacheffe Red Cherry.

First, remove the base of the moka pot and add pure warm water to the lower chamber. This can shorten the brewing time and prevent the coffee grounds from heating too quickly, which can cause bitter flavors. The water level should be controlled about 0.5cm below the pressure relief valve line. The safety valve prevents the coffee pot from exploding due to extraction channel blockage caused by overly fine coffee grinding. If the safety valve is submerged in water and the extraction channel is blocked, the consequences of a high-temperature coffee pot explosion would be unimaginable.

To extract rich black coffee, the grind size needs to be much finer than regular pour-over. FrontStreet Coffee's store uses an EK-43s grinder with a setting of 0.5. The amount of coffee grounds depends on the size of the moka pot. FrontStreet Coffee uses a three-cup Bialetti classic pot with 18g of coffee grounds.

Pour the ground coffee into the filter basket until it's nine-tenths full, level it with your finger, and place it into the base. There's no need to press it down firmly, as an overly compact coffee layer can easily block water flow upward, affecting extraction.

Next, twist the upper and lower chambers together tightly, wipe the pot dry with a towel, and place it on a gas stove or induction cooker for heating. When using an open flame, try to control the flame so it doesn't exceed the base of the moka pot.

Simply wait for the moka pot to heat up. When you hear a hissing sound, reduce to low heat, and the coffee liquid and oils will slowly flow out. When you see the upper chamber half-filled with coffee liquid, you can turn off the heat source and move the pot to the table, using the residual heat and pressure inside to continue extracting the remaining coffee liquid.

Finally, pour the extracted coffee liquid into a cup and enjoy it directly. The flavor will be very rich and robust, with prominent whiskey, vanilla, cream, and berry acidity and sweetness, accompanied by roasted nut aroma. For friends who usually enjoy Americanos, FrontStreet Coffee suggests mixing it with hot water at 70-80°C in a 1:5 ratio and stirring before drinking. This will present a refreshing fruit acidity and sweetness. If you prefer coffee with milk, you can pair moka pot coffee with milk, which will result in chocolate and cream cookie sweetness.

Is Siphon Coffee Difficult to Operate? What Flavors Does Siphon Coffee Have?

FrontStreet Coffee will use a fast-paced extraction method this time, paired with a light roast coffee bean—Kenya Assalia! Therefore, the water temperature will be relatively high, around 92°C, which means sealing when the lower chamber is frequently bubbling. Since the extraction time isn't long—just 60 seconds—and the coffee beans are lightly roasted, we'll use a grind that's two degrees finer than pour-over, EK43 setting 9, with 90% passing through a #20 sieve. The coffee-to-water ratio is 1:14, meaning 20g of coffee grounds with 280ml of hot water.

So first, let's prepare all our equipment, then pour the target amount of water into the lower chamber.

Remember to wipe off water droplets from the lower chamber with a dry cloth after pouring to avoid the risk of the pot cracking.

After wiping, we first install the filter device into the upper chamber. The specific operation is to lower the boiling chain from inside the upper chamber, then firmly hook the boiling chain's hook onto the tube. This allows the filter device to tightly block the upper chamber's outlet, preventing too much coffee grounds from seeping into the lower chamber! It can also effectively slow down the drainage speed.

After installation, we can place the upper chamber onto the lower chamber, making sure the boiling chain touches the bottom, then begin heating.

When the lower chamber starts continuously emitting small water droplets, don't rush. Wait until the small droplets turn into large ones, then we can straighten and press the upper chamber down to create a vacuum state in the lower chamber. Afterward, just wait for all the hot water in the lower chamber to move to the upper chamber, and we can start extraction!

Start timing simultaneously when pouring in the coffee grounds, then begin our first stir.

The purpose of this stir is to fully saturate the coffee grounds, equivalent to the bloom in pour-over coffee. So we first use a tapping technique, tapping all coffee grounds into the water to ensure even water absorption.

When the time reaches 25 seconds, we perform a second stir. The purpose of this stir is to accelerate the dissolution of coffee flavor compounds. Here, we can use a technique with relatively high stirring intensity. For example, FrontStreet Coffee currently uses a Z-shaped stirring method, stirring the coffee grounds by drawing Z-shapes back and forth for 10 seconds.

When the time reaches 50 seconds, we perform our final stir. The purpose of this stir is also to increase the dissolution of coffee compounds, but the difference is that since we're in the late extraction stage, there aren't many acidic compounds left in the coffee, so we need to reduce the stirring intensity at this point. Like FrontStreet Coffee currently uses, we employ a circular stirring method, stirring slowly in circles.

At 55 seconds, we can remove the heat source and wait for the coffee liquid to return. If the coffee liquid returns very slowly, you can wipe the lower chamber with a wet cloth to accelerate the temperature drop, speeding up the coffee liquid's return and avoiding the risk of over-extraction.

When the coffee liquid has completely returned to the lower chamber, the extraction is complete. At this point, if we pour out the siphon coffee to taste, it might be a bit hot, so we can let it cool for a while before tasting.

After letting it sit for a while, FrontStreet Coffee tasted it! Besides Kenya's bright cherry tomato and plum acidity, we also detected brown sugar and apricot sweetness. The overall mouthfeel is full-bodied and rounded. Although the layers aren't as distinct as pour-over, siphon coffee is indeed more substantial, with more prominent aroma—a completely different experience!

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473