A Brief Story of Vac pot Syphon brewing
There are two totally different worlds in coffee brewing that seem to never connect: immersion brewing and filter/drip brewing. The shape of Syphon which you might have heard of as siphon or a vac pot brewer brews coffee that’s both full-bodied and very clear. If you are interested in Vac pot Syphon brewing, this article might be right for you.
What you will read in this post:
How does a Vac pot Syphon work?
The story of Vac pot Syphon
How to use Syphon like a pro
How does a Vac pot Syphon work?
Syphon is the result of applying physics to coffee brewing. When the water in the bottom chamber is heated, gases start to escape. It creates a vacuum that moves the coffee to the top chamber. When the flame goes off, the air in the bottom chamber starts to get cool, and it causes another vacuum that pulls the coffee down. It might seem complex, but vac pot Syphon brewing is not that difficult.
The story of Vac pot Syphon
Syphon was first invented by people who were fed up with bad coffee. The first version of vac pot syphon belonged to a man named Loeff of Berlin in the early 1830s. The result of vac pot Syphon brewing was so good that it spread throughout Europe.
Thousands of people have filed patents for improvements of the original device, but the most considerable one was a design by Madame Vassieux in 1841. The design was very similar in form to the syphons that are common today since it had a decorative “French balloon.”
The next important development, taking place in the mid-19th century, was the balancing syphon. The balancing syphon and the French balloon design syphon operate on pretty much the same principles. But the balancing syphon extinguishes its own flame; its two chambers sit side by side, and when the water is transferred from one container to the other, the weight change activates a balancing system. This process triggers the extinguishing of the lamp.
Vac pot Syphon made its way to the U.S. in the late 19th century, and by the beginning of the 20th century, syphon was manufactured in the country. In 1915, two women named Mrs. Sutton and Mrs. Ann Bridges started marketing a version of vac pot syphon that had oven-proof Pyrex glass under the name Silex. Silex was derived from the “Sanitary and Interesting method of making Luscious coffee. It is easy to operate on account of its being X-ray transparent.”
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Now that you know the story of vac pot syphon, you might like to know how to use syphon like a pro.
How to use Syphon like a pro
In the first step of coffee brewing using a syphon, you should boil your filter in water to make sure it is clean. Place the filter in the bottom of the top component. Hook the filter to the bottom of the glass tube. Pour 510 ml of boiling water into the bottom chamber and turn the heat source on. Put the top chamber on the bottom chamber.
Grind 34 grams of coffee, using a medium-fine grind while the water rises to the top chamber. When all the water reached the top, turn the heat down (turn it down as low as possible without the water falling back down). Stir the water a few times to cool. A temperature between 195℉ and 200℉ would be ideal.
Add the coffee and start the timer. Dunk the grounds using a paddle or a spoon. Try to cause minimal turbulence while wetting all the coffee.
Don’t touch the coffee anymore, and let it brew for 90 seconds. Turn the heat off and remove the heat source. Stir your coffee a few times.
Coffee will be drawn down to the bottom chamber as it cools. It will take around 45 seconds. When most of the coffee was drawn down to the bottom chamber, it will begin to draw air along with the remaining coffee, causing bubbling in the bottom chamber.
Remove the top chamber. Let the coffee cool. Rinse the filter and keep it in water in the fridge if you don’t want it to dry and become brittle.
This coffee brewing method is fun, and the coffee you will drink is extremely full-bodied and exceptionally clear. Enjoy!
