The Vacuum coffee method is one of great visual appearance for true coffee lovers that happens to taste great and is the most popular method of coffee preparation throughout Japan. The Vacuum coffee maker is also known as vac pot, siphon or syphon coffee maker, and was invented by Loeff of Berlin in the 1830s. Vacuum coffee makers vary in their design and the chamber material is made from Pyrex, metal, or plastic, and the filter can be either a glass rod or a fine mesh made of metal, cloth, paper, or nylon. A vacuum coffee maker brews using two chambers where pressurized vapor passes through ground coffee within a vacuum to produce coffee.
Ground coffee is placed in the top bowl funnel. Then water is brought to a near boil in the carafe and forced by steam pressure into the top funnel. After most of the water is in the funnel, the coffee should be stirred, if using a Cona coffee maker then after one to three minutes, the flame should be extinguished. As the coffee maker begins to cool, a vacuum is formed which sucks the brewed coffee back down into the carafe and leaves the grounds above in the funnel. The funnel can then be separated from the carafe.
The resulting brewed coffee is uniquely clear and very smooth tasting, with all of the most subtle and complex flavors intact.
- Heat fresh water until it nears the boiling point.
- Prepare the coffee in the top glass funnel while the water is boiling.
- Install the filter in the funnel.
- Measure 5-6 grams of medium/fine ground coffee for about every 100-150 ml (about 3.3-5 oz.) of water. The amount of coffee can be adjusted to your individual taste.
- Make sure the outside of the bottom bowl isn’t wet or it can crack when the flame is turned on.
- Fill the bottom bowl slowly with the hot water (195 – 205 F).
- Push the funnel onto the bowl.
- If using a gas burner set it to the lowest flame possible, if using an electric range, use the small burner and set it to low heat.
- When almost all the water has been drawn into the top, wait around 1 minute for the coffee to infuse.
- Turn off your heat source.
- When all the coffee has drained back into the bottom, remove the funnel and enjoy your coffee.
