Coffee Basics: Which Coffee is Best for Siphon Coffee Makers?

Siphon Coffee: Understanding the Differences and Brewing Techniques

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The siphon coffee maker is a favorite among many coffee enthusiasts who are just starting their journey. The reason for its popularity lies in the fact that the siphon brewing process resembles conducting a chemistry experiment, allowing people to enjoy the pleasure of hands-on creation. Although it requires certain technical skills for coffee extraction, this hasn't stopped it from becoming the top choice for coffee lovers. Having a good coffee maker also requires good coffee beans. Today, FrontStreet Coffee will discuss what types of coffee are suitable for siphon brewing, how it differs from the commonly seen pour-over coffee in coffee shops, and how to brew it to make it taste better.

Because of its unique coffee-making method and remarkably high visual appeal, the siphon pot once became a coffee device that was all the rage in the last century. As FrontStreet Coffee mentioned last winter, with the rise of vintage trends today, more and more coffee shops are adding siphon coffee options to their menus, allowing friends of the new generation to have the opportunity to enjoy the flavors of the past.

Differences Between Siphon and Pour-Over Coffee

Since it's also a brewing method for single-origin coffee, people inevitably compare it with the modern mainstream extraction method—pour-over coffee. Friends who have tasted siphon coffee know that the differences between siphon coffee and pour-over coffee are quite significant, both in terms of mouthfeel and flavor.

Pour-over coffee tastes cleaner, with more distinct layers and prominent flavors. Meanwhile, siphon coffee has a richer, fuller mouthfeel, more intense aroma, and more substantial flavor. Therefore, many friends are curious about why the gap between the two is so large. Today, FrontStreet Coffee will share why coffee made with siphon pots and pour-over methods has such significant differences!

1. Different Extraction Methods

The extraction method of pour-over coffee is primarily "drip filtration," also commonly known as "filtration." When hot water is injected to extract coffee, the coffee liquid simultaneously seeps through the filter paper. This method is called drip filtration. Careful observers will notice that FrontStreet Coffee says "primarily" rather than "exclusively." Because pour-over coffee also shows some immersion characteristics during the brewing process, it's not that water directly rushes through the coffee grounds, but rather it stays for a brief time before seeping through the filter paper. Therefore, pour-over coffee is not completely a drip filtration extraction method.

Many friends might think that the extraction method of siphon coffee is "siphon-style," but that's incorrect~ The siphon pot merely uses the siphon principle to draw hot water into the upper chamber, which is not used for coffee extraction.

When hot water is drawn into the upper chamber, adding coffee grounds for immersion marks the official beginning of extraction. Therefore, strictly speaking, the extraction method of siphon coffee should be "immersion." It extracts flavor compounds from the grounds by immersing water and coffee grounds together.

Because immersion extraction uses all hot water to contact the coffee grounds, when substances in the water reach a certain level, the dissolution rate will slow down, and it will no longer extract too many flavor compounds from the coffee—this is what we commonly call reaching saturation. Therefore, siphon coffee tastes relatively balanced, with full aroma, but the flavors won't be too prominent (this is also somewhat related to the second factor). Meanwhile, drip filtration extraction continuously uses pure hot water to extract flavor compounds from the coffee. Pure hot water has plenty of "storage space" and will continuously extract flavor compounds from the coffee. Therefore, coffee made through pour-over will have more abundant coffee flavors, but it's also more prone to over-extraction.

It's worth mentioning that compared to conventional immersion extraction, siphon pot immersion extraction is somewhat different. Due to the siphon principle, hot water is continuously heated during the coffee extraction process, ensuring the lower chamber has enough air to keep the hot water in the upper chamber. Therefore, siphon pot immersion extraction maintains a completely constant temperature, while conventional immersion and drip filtration extraction are both processes of continuous heat loss, where water temperature gradually decreases over time. This results in siphon pots having higher extraction rates, and with stirring, they can complete extraction in a shorter time.

2. Different Filtration Methods

In addition to extraction methods, the filtration methods of these two coffees also greatly affect the final result. Pour-over coffee uses extremely high-density filter paper, which allows only coffee liquid to pass through—nothing else can get through.

Meanwhile, siphon pots primarily use flannel filter cloths. Although filter paper can also be used, because it cannot provide complete coverage, it cannot form a "sealed" space like pour-over coffee. Fine particles, oils, and other substances can pass through gaps into the lower chamber and join the coffee liquid, which is why siphon coffee appears more turbid. Although oils and fine particles make the coffee liquid less clean, they provide a richer, fuller mouthfeel to the coffee. This is why siphon coffee tastes richer and more full-bodied.

In contrast, pour-over coffee's extremely clean filtration is precisely what causes it to lack some of that rich, full mouthfeel, but this is also one of its great advantages—exceptionally clean! Now we can understand why there's such a big difference in taste between coffee made with siphon pots and pour-over methods. It's not just the impact of extraction methods, but more importantly, the different filtration systems that give the coffee liquid completely different mouthfeel characteristics.

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