# Syphon coffee - yay or nay?



## Welshyeti (Nov 19, 2014)

I love the 'art' of a Syphon coffee - very pleasurable watching it brew. But what's the general consensus on here?


----------



## YerbaMate170 (Jun 15, 2015)

not sure but curious.


----------



## Dallah (Jan 31, 2015)

I love it but too much faff for me to make at home. If I'm in a coffee shop that does it well, I stump up the extra to get a syphon as my preferred brew option. I find it good to have something to enjoy as a special treat when I am out and that is what syphon coffee is for me. Even better is a balance syphon, just for the show of the brewing.


----------



## The Systemic Kid (Nov 23, 2012)

Welshyeti said:


> I love the 'art' of a Syphon coffee - very pleasurable watching it brew. But what's the general consensus on here?


Done right, produces arguably the best clean tasting brewed coffee. Takes a bit more time and effort but definitely worth it.


----------



## robashton (May 9, 2015)

It gets a bad rap doesn't it?

And yet a couple of the best filters I've ever had have come from a siphon, plus they're just damned sexy right? Who doesn't want to show off with one of those in the house?

(So far I've resisted the urge)


----------



## The Systemic Kid (Nov 23, 2012)

You can get a 5 cup non-branded Hario syphon from Amazon for under £30.00 delivered.


----------



## The Systemic Kid (Nov 23, 2012)

Most brewed coffee I've had out and about has been a disappointment - especially syphon which is a shame as it tends to put people off the method when, in fact, it's the technique that's at fault.


----------



## Chris_on_caffeine (Jul 21, 2012)

I have to say, it's too much faff for me. Mine lives on the shelf and gets dusted down about once a year. Poor little thing.


----------



## robashton (May 9, 2015)

The Systemic Kid said:


> Most coffee I've had out and about has been a disappointment.


TBF this is a problem when you've got your own decent gear and a fair idea of how to use it.

---

I suspect I'll end up with a siphon at some point, if nothing else just to show off when people come around. It's a bit more flashy than a five minute inverted aeropress.

Need to buy a house first, so I have room to put all this stuff somewhere.


----------



## johnealey (May 19, 2014)

As long as you get the right size syphon for your needs and stick(ish) to a std recipe including accurate temperature in the top bowl then can produce some stunning results.

My Cona D kitchen model takes 53.7g of coffee and 950ml water as a start point with coffee added once all the water up in the top bowl @92C. Have added a "Patrick stir" since the Rave forum day but other than that parameters pretty much the same. Does produce a fair amount of clean clear coffee so really only use it with guests or at weekend but usually have made in less than 5 minutes and starting to rinse / clean out at that stage, so time wise, pretty quick for the quantity.

Does come out mighty hot though so remember to let it cool down a bit before piling in so as to avoid burnt tongue!

Hope of help and as TSK said above can get into Sypons at around the £30 mark if it takes your fancy.

John


----------



## Kyle548 (Jan 24, 2013)

Just to emphasise this point - a siphon will ONLY brew the amount it is made for.

If you brew less - you will be disappointed.

Well - perfect technique might beg to differ- but no one has perfect siphon technique.


----------



## The Systemic Kid (Nov 23, 2012)

Kyle548 said:


> Well - perfect technique might beg to differ- but no one has perfect siphon technique.


Agree. Main thing is consistent replicable technique. Stirring is probably, apart from temp, the biggest variable - too much pushes the extraction yield beyond a good balance between flavour clarity and mouthfeel.


----------



## Jedi oh (Mar 17, 2015)

I love my syphon and it's not too much faff. I use mine on average once or twice a week. Often for guests as they love the theatre of it. I brought the £30 one from Amazon and it's been great for me as I continue to learn. My philosophy was that if it didn't work for me I'd only lost £30.

As it happens, I really enjoy using it and it makes the most delicious coffee - for me anyway.


----------



## hotmetal (Oct 31, 2013)

Having seen TSK demo it at the Rave day I was totally captivated by the theatre of it and enjoyed the sample I tried. Was all set to get one but decided in the end that it would probably take some time to get results as good as Patrick and that my bijou kitchenette couldn't accommodate yet more coffee gear, what with my espresso kit taking up 50% of the work space already.


----------



## Kyle548 (Jan 24, 2013)

I also hasten to add, that's £30 PLUS the £30 something for a burner to go with it.

It uses a meths burner - which is great if you don't love good coffee.

If you do love good coffee - you will need either a halogen lamp or a butane burner (cona alms bodum are flat bottomed so work on the hob - but they lack a stand unless you pay extra so can't be used as table models. Hario and relative models are rounded and use a stand. This is obviously harder to use on a hob.)


----------



## hotmetal (Oct 31, 2013)

Not to mention the grinder that you will inevitably need if you have come from espresso.


----------



## wilse (Nov 14, 2013)

Just bought a Cona Kitchen model, and had a quick blast with it, I thought it was a faff, and the coffee poor.

To be fair though, it was my first blast, and I suspected my technique, being at fault.

I'll have another go, using John's quantities and see if it's any better.

What's the 'standard' setting for the grinder guys?

As for buying a siphon, look in charity shops, that where mine came from, it looks brand new!


----------



## Kyle548 (Jan 24, 2013)

wilse said:


> What's the 'standard' setting for the grinder guys?


The best answer is probably "the standard setting is not a mazzer."

If I went to a coffee shop I'd expect them to use something like a Santos, a Bunn or a Malkonig. In Japan they use grinders which look like baby EKs with ghost burrs for siphon. Kalita High-Cut Mill and Fuji-Royal are not all that uncommon.

Most of us who brew have a brew grinder - current thought is that espresso burr sets can't grind for brewed as they are designed to grind fine and with lots of fines.

Generally brewed coffee benefits from a uniformed grind. The more uniform the grind the more coarse you can grind - which isn't a bad thing.


----------



## Welshyeti (Nov 19, 2014)

RE: Bunsens.

Found this link the other day, which sorely tempted me... http://www.aliexpress.com/item/Coffee-maker-syphon-halogen-beam-heater-Halogen-Beam-Heater-for-Hario-Yama-Siphon-Coffee-Maker-professional/1568400386.html

Spent a good 15 minutes geeking out with the barista at Grindhouse coffee, Manchester, about Syphon. He said the grinds need to be coarser than espresso, so am hoping my old crappy grinder will suffice. He also gave me quantities and measurements for his, which was a 3 cup, and talked me through everything - including weight of water etc. Was VERY happy with the produced coffee, so we'll see when I get one in a month or so...

And, by the way, I love this website.


----------



## The Systemic Kid (Nov 23, 2012)

You definitely don't need a halogen heater unless you've got money to burn. Butane gas burner works perfectly.

Using paper filters, I use a Chemex grind which is pretty coarse. Aim to complete the process in two and a half minutes.


----------



## The Systemic Kid (Nov 23, 2012)

A digital temp probe is a must to prevent the water temp from getting too hot.


----------



## johnealey (May 19, 2014)

wilse said:


> Just bought a Cona Kitchen model, and had a quick blast with it, I thought it was a faff, and the coffee poor.
> 
> To be fair though, it was my first blast, and I suspected my technique, being at fault.
> 
> ...


When i first started using the cona i used a sweet marias cona guide as a start point which had some decent links on for reading.

If you can translate the readings from a Lido 3 then tend to use either 8 or 9 clicks out from zero or 2 clicks coarser than would use as a start point for a V60, think filter rather than french press or espresso.

Have moved on from the sweet marias version by adding the coffee once all water in the top with a modified "patrick stir" and accurate temperature measurement really makes a repeatable syphon ( Thermapen is ideal).

Hope of help

John


----------



## Welshyeti (Nov 19, 2014)

hotmetal said:


> Having seen TSK demo it at the Rave day I was totally captivated by the theatre of it and enjoyed the sample I tried. Was all set to get one but decided in the end that it would probably take some time to get results as good as Patrick and that my bijou kitchenette couldn't accommodate yet more coffee gear, what with my espresso kit taking up 50% of the work space already.


Excuse my ignorance, but what is Rave day...? Sounds... exciting.


----------



## The Systemic Kid (Nov 23, 2012)

Keep an eye on the forum for the next one. Hosted at Rave roasters and organised by the dude, Coffeechap.


----------



## hotmetal (Oct 31, 2013)

Ah! Coffee Chap and a few other forum stalwarts organised a forum educational day at Rave coffee (roasters) in Cirencester. It tends to get referred to as the Rave day because that's where it was, not because we covered ourselves in Vicks and waved light sticks around in a warehouse!

Rave are a roaster who have been very accommodating to us as a forum, and are purveyors of a variety of good beanage at a good price. They also have decent sized premises with a little café at the front so they are well placed to host our events.

The most recent forum day there covered various grinders, brewing methods, high end lever vs high end pump espresso, and a guest appearance by Dhan Tamang who demonstrated latte art for us.


----------



## The Systemic Kid (Nov 23, 2012)

Last one was end of May - featured latte art demo; grinder and espresso machines demo and some old dude droning on about various brew coffee methods.


----------



## YerbaMate170 (Jun 15, 2015)

I'm always hesitant to order brewed coffee when out because I know that it's gonna take them a while to make it, and this makes me worry that they, naturally, won't put as much effort as they would pulling an espresso, for example. Obviously "it's their job" but unless I'm somewhere "really" good, I have this fear. Am I alone?


----------



## Thecatlinux (Mar 10, 2014)

The Systemic Kid said:


> Last one was end of May - featured latte art demo; grinder and espresso machines demo and some old dude droning on about various brew coffee methods.


He was quite a nice bloke , he gave me a biscuit


----------



## The Systemic Kid (Nov 23, 2012)

YerbaMate170 said:


> I'm always hesitant to order brewed coffee when out because I know that it's gonna take them a while to make it, and this makes me worry that they, naturally, won't put as much effort as they would pulling an espresso, for example. Obviously "it's their job" but unless I'm somewhere "really" good, I have this fear. Am I alone?


Brew methods expose poor technique mercilessly as there's nowhere to hide unlike making an espresso, caveats aside, where machine and grinder are already set up and tuned in. If you want to find out how good a place and barista are - ask for a brewed coffee and see if it hits the mark.


----------



## Kyle548 (Jan 24, 2013)

The Systemic Kid said:


> Brew methods expose poor technique mercilessly as there's nowhere to hide unlike making an espresso, caveats aside, where machine and grinder are already set up and tuned in. If you want to find out how good a place and barista are - ask for a brewed coffee and see if it hits the mark.


French press and certain drips (cough Kalita) not withstanding.


----------



## Mrboots2u (May 10, 2013)

Espresso is chasing the dream drink . Exposes technique and knowledge is an equally brutal way . Long steep brews are more forgiving , if less instant .


----------



## christos_geo (Feb 9, 2016)

I absolutely love my syphon! At the moment been making twice a day. Wouldn't say its too much faff in the slightest. Pre-boil your water and soak cloth filter before use and invest in a gas burner. Heating up water in globe is about 15 seconds, extraction takes 60 seconds + 45-75 seconds for full draw down. That's it! What probably takes the longest time to do is clean your filter after use and wait for your brew to cool down before indulging in it









I now stick a thermometer probe at the top and seem to get very consistent results out of single origin medium light roasts. Stick to brew ratio of 1:14 (24g per 345ml in the 3-cup Hario syphon) and grind just a tad coarser that espresso, way to sour if you go round drip or french press grind as extraction time if you think about it is quite short.


----------

