In this article, I will show you how to prepare an incredible coffee using a siphon coffee maker. Maybe some of you have already seen a coffee maker of this style and are considering buying one. Maybe others already have one but want to improve their technique, so here I will tell you how to get the most out of it.
It was invented in 1830 in Berlin and then developed commercially in 1840 by Madame Marie-Fanny-Ameline Vassieux. Its design was intended for display in a living room and not just for brewing coffee in a kitchen.
What is the siphon method?
This method is similar to the Moka pot, where the water vapor enclosed in the lower reservoir accumulates pressure passing to the upper container.
The difference lies in that, in the siphon coffee maker when the water is just in the upper part, we will add the coffee, producing a total immersion. The coffee and the water will be in contact during the entire extraction.
This type of preparation is not only a spectacle to behold but also produces a delicious cup of coffee. It highlights the citrus notes with a pronounced body and a sweet finish, achieving a fairly clean preparation. It may not be for everyday comfort, but it is worth having a Siphon coffee maker to delight in from time to time.
What is the perfect ratio for the siphon maker? My ideal recipe
Based on my experience, I leave you below the ratio that always works for me to obtain delicious coffee with the Siphon method:
Note: As I have mentioned in other articles, the primordial thing is to have a good quality coffee for the preparations. You cannot obtain a quality coffee beverage without a quality coffee bean.
In this recipe, I am going to prepare coffee for two people:
- Coffee beans: 15 grams.
- Type of grind: Fine (similar to the one we used with the Aeropress – like table salt).
- Filtered water: 250 grams.
- Filter: Standard paper filter.
- Water temperature: boiling*.
*The water is added hot in the lower reservoir to speed up the process.
Importance of grinding in the preparation of coffee with the siphon coffee brewer
Grind the coffee in fine size, as you can see in the photo below, on the plate and my finger.
Since the coffee and water will be in contact for a short time, we need a fine grind to extract the coffee completely and faster while infusing. The ground beans should be barely finer than table salt.
Preparation of coffee step by step with the siphon maker
- Add 250 grams of hot water (filtered) to the lower container.
- We light the fire, ensuring that the wick is more or less three millimeters from the edge.
- Take the upper container, place the filter, and pull the chain. Hook it on the edge of the tube to fix it in place.
- Now take the upper vessel over the lower vessel without adjusting it; support it until the water starts to boil.
- Once you see the bubbles, seal the upper part very well with the lower part, and you will see how the water starts to rise.
- Once the water has risen to the top, add 15 grams of coffee.
- Turn on the timer and stir vigorously for a few seconds so that the water saturates all the coffee in the shortest possible time.
- Let the coffee infuse for about 45 seconds. After this, you will stir a second to break the crust and release the trapped carbon dioxide.
- Remove the Siphon from the fire and turn it off. What happens now is that the temperature difference produces a vacuum that sucks the coffee down through the filter.
- After 2 minutes of vacuum, we see some bubbles indicating that the filtering is finished and that this incredible coffee is ready.
- Wait about 5 minutes before drinking the coffee, so the temperature drops, and we can feel its exquisite flavors.
Now you can enjoy this exceptional coffee.
Cleaning the siphon maker
You can unscrew the arm and remove the chamber to clean the siphon coffee maker, as I do in the image below.
If you use a cloth filter, it is very important to boil it for 3 to 4 minutes after each use so that it does not retain any flavor.
Clean all the parts with fresh water, and you will have your siphon coffee maker ready to prepare more coffee later.
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