Why Did Siphon Coffee Give Way to Pour-Over? What's Japan's Most Famous Siphon Brand?

A set of instruments that look like they belong in a science laboratory, paired with a halogen lamp or alcohol lamp. Through the flame, you can see bubbles bubbling up in the hot water. As you pour in the coffee grounds, a refreshing fragrance fills the air. After cooling, the rapidly returning liquid becomes deep and rich. A small sip reveals a round and balanced flavor. Compared to other brewing methods, comfort and healing are FrontStreet Coffee's most profound impressions of siphon coffee.

The History of Siphon Coffee is Longer Than Pour-Over Coffee

The English name for the siphon pot is "SIPHON," so it's also called a siphon pot. It utilizes the thermal expansion and contraction caused by water vapor when heated, pushing hot water from the lower chamber into the upper chamber to blend with coffee grounds. When the temperature drops, the water flows back through the vacuum tube into the lower chamber, thereby creating coffee liquid.

The origin of the siphon pot can be traced back to the early 19th century, nearly a hundred years earlier than pour-over coffee. According to relevant 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 did not apply for a patent, and his design did not become popular.

By the mid-19th century, this apparatus was improved by French inventor Marie Fanny Amelne Massot. The vertical convection siphon pot was born from this point, and she obtained relevant patents in 1842, allowing this apparatus to enter the market for sale.

Around the same period, Scottish engineer Robert Napier designed his Napier Coffee Pot, which also utilized vacuum principles to brew coffee. Although it won an award from the Institution of Mechanical Engineers in 1856, Napier never patented it.

Since then, similar vacuum brewing devices began to gain popularity across Europe and spread to places like the United States. However, with the later emergence of automatic drip coffee, the use of siphon pots gradually decreased among Americans.

The Rise of Siphon Coffee Culture

When discussing the popularization of siphon pots, FrontStreet Coffee must mention the country that widely adopted this apparatus—Japan—as well as the renowned company KONO (Kawano Company) that specializes in selling siphon pots.

In our impression, Japanese coffee has always favored dark roasting, emphasizing fragrance, richness, mellowness, and thickness. Additionally, Japanese people have an innate fondness for exquisitely crafted and ceremonial objects. Therefore, when this equipment was introduced, the siphon pot deeply attracted their attention with its elegant brewing process and solid coffee flavor, becoming an important part of the local specialty coffee culture.

In 1925, KONO's founder Akira Kawano officially established the company and developed a vertical siphon pot. Later, in 1964, the second-generation president Toshio Kawano continuously improved it, resulting in the siphon pot design that more closely resembles what we see today. The birth of the second-generation siphon pot coincided with the rise of Japan's coffee boom. Against the backdrop of Japanese dark roasting, not only did the siphon pot gain further popularity and widespread use in various specialty coffee shops, but it also developed a unique Japanese siphon aesthetic. Although times have changed and various new extraction devices emerge constantly today, the siphon pot remains an essential brewing method for many Japanese specialty coffee shops.

Later, this coffee brewing ritual was no longer confined to Japan. Its aesthetics and essence began to cross oceans. For example, people in Taiwan, who are deeply influenced by Japanese coffee culture, added this "fashionable item" to their shops. In mainland China, the earliest popularity of siphon pots came with the rise of Taiwanese-style business coffee shops.

Why Pour-Over Coffee Became Popular While Siphon Pots Were Ignored?

Today, as specialty coffee culture becomes increasingly popular, this highly visual and ceremonial old-fashioned brewing method seems to be gradually fading from coffee shops. Even if some stores have a complete set of siphon pot equipment displayed on their counters, the barista will tell you that it's not being served. For this apparatus full of nostalgic charm, even some friends who drink coffee year-round may have never seen it. At this point, a friend might quietly sigh: Has siphon coffee really become outdated?

Although pour-over and siphon pots entered specialty coffee shops in China during roughly the same period, it's not difficult to find that there's a significant difference in their frequency of appearance. In other words, siphon coffee has clearly been replaced by pour-over coffee, becoming one of the mainstream serving methods today.

FrontStreet Coffee believes there are two main reasons why siphon pots have been replaced by pour-over: one is the popularity of fruity acidic coffees, and the other is operational convenience.

From the Blue Mountain era to the Geisha dynasty, the mainstream direction of specialty coffee has long shifted from the "bitterness" of dark, rich roasts to the "acidity" that preserves more floral and fruity notes. The extraction principle of siphon pots tends to produce coffee that is mellow, round, and deep in tone. Therefore, when brewing some medium-light roast coffee beans, it falls slightly short compared to pour-over in expressing floral and fruity acidic aromas.

If we pay close attention while shopping overseas, we'll find that siphon pots are mostly priced in the 200-300 range, which is indeed not expensive compared to many famous brand pour-over devices. However, there aren't many options to choose from, and with almost fixed steps, the variable gameplay is far less flexible than pour-over.

Finally, perhaps the least appealing aspect of siphon pots compared to pour-over is that they're "troublesome." We need to have a heat source before brewing, and we can't be distracted during the entire extraction process. After brewing coffee, necessary cleaning is required, and after each use, the flannel filter cloth must be removed and promptly washed. If placed in a shop with high cup output, where baristas aim for efficiency, siphon pot service obviously won't be our first choice.

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