help me brew excellent siphon coffee

greenman

I usually do 23g to 250g water, grind consistency of sugar, roast taken to around end of rolling first crack, using butane burner I adjust it down so that there are no bubbles (around 89-91C) and have achieved a good seal so that no bubbles come up from edges of filter. I steep for 40 seconds gently caressing grinds to immerse them initially and then gentle stirring at time of cutting heat and then steady extraction into bottom chamber, grinds are evenly spread across the filter after extraction.

JamesM

my generic recipe: 16gm med-fine grind 265gm water (or to 2-cup line on syphon) water up, stir water, drop in coffee, stir it, steep it for 35 seconds completely remove the heat give another quick stir as soon as you remove the heat Syphon's usually hold the water around 92-94C, which is fine, but giving it a little stir can cool it a little more I highly recommend a better heat source than the wick burner

UNM

Thanks James. I have been adding the coffee before water rises. Will try adding later as that gives more accurate control over steep time. Had a perfectly passable coffee today - 20g coffee to 240g water, steep time was exactly as long as it took to unload dishwasher (so a little over a minute). That Harfusa is maturing nicely. Way back when I started making siphon coffee (mid 70s), I used a cona on the stovetop, much easier to control heat. Course back then it was supermarket preground as I was unaware of what good coffee was about - siphon was just the way people made 'real' coffee.

askthecoffeeguy

I use a butane burner on mine and more of a course grind - also 20g and 240ml of water - I infused for 30sec or thereabouts stirring gently as I go, and I keep the flame on a low heat and chop it and or remove the burner at the 30sec mark I had the privilege of having one on one personal tuition with the Japanese syphon champion a couple of years ago and she recommended a coarse 'like sesame seeds' grind and a darker (than usual filter) roast - but I think this says more about the Japanese market than Australian conditions Also, because I'm trying to capture the oils with a syphon coffee, I like to age my beans so that they're at least ten days post roast, for syphon, so that the oils are starting to come to the surface of the bean Cheers, ACg

UNM

Adding coffee after all water is up top definitely helps. Allows for far more consistency. Pull down takes approx one minute from removing the burner. How does that compare? Changing grind will presumably be largest factor here. Also, I wonder if this thread should really be under the 'how to improve your coffee' section

UNM

Another quick question. How often should I change the filter cloth on a hario TCA 3

Koffee_Kosmo

UNM wrote:

Another quick question. How often should I change the filter cloth on a hario TCA 3

I thought that the filter is washable and reusable until it falls apart KK

UNM

Washable, but I assume there is a recommended replacement interval before it self destructs. In the absence of any recommendation, I will go for twice a year, or 200 uses, whichever comes first. May as well set a target.

Brett_H

askthe coffeeguy wrote:

I use a butane burner on mine and more of a course grind - also 20g and 240ml of water - I infused for 30sec or thereabouts stirring gently as I go, and I keep the flame on a low heat and chop it and or remove the burner at the 30sec mark I had the privilege of having one on one personal tuition with the Japanese syphon champion a couple of years ago and she recommended a coarse 'like sesame seeds' grind and a darker (than usual filter) roast - but I think this says more about the Japanese market than Australian conditions Also, because I'm trying to capture the oils with a syphon coffee, I like to age my beans so that they're at least ten days post roast, for syphon, so that the oils are starting to come to the surface of the bean Cheers, ACg

Thanks mate! I used your instructions for my very first Home Syphon only I used 28g/260ml of Yirgacheffe roasted by Dominion Coffee. The results are noting short of miraculous in the cup. I had this Yirg as a pour over but the Syphon has released so much more fruit flavours!! Blueberry, Peach, Cocoa and the sweet zing of lemon. I'm thrilled to bits because the other siphons I've had have been less inspiring. I was ready to use this once and out it on the shelf with my other paraphernalia. Instead it will be my special occasion brewer for a small gathering. With the portable burner I have it will be coffee and a show! Unpack Add the grinds and the water Heat, stir remove Pour and notes, notes, notes!

askthecoffeeguy

wow - that's a great looking unit and it looks a lot more clean and tidy to use than my hario! nice flavour profile to extracting first up! cheers, ACg

Brett_H

Thanks mate! This morning's brew was 26g of Kenyan Gethumbwini AA to 260ml of water and 30 seconds of agitation. The sweetness in this long black is amazing... My wife reckons I sugared it! Later today I'm going to roast a bit of Kona to try. I'm not usually a long black drinker but now I understand what the fuss is about! This is so much cleaner than even a pourover and with no filter required clean up is a breeze! I'm having some people over and can't wait to do a litre. Also, I reckon as an iced coffee this would be like a cold-brew with balls! Sorry to preach to the converted but I have had trifectas, siphons and pourovers at good cafes but never had I had flavour like this!

Brett_H

I can't believe that this little widget acts as a filter so brilliantly: I wonder how log it will last??

UNM

Should last a long time. For those who normally drink a mug of coffee with a dash of cold milk, siphon is a great option. If anyone ever has a cona size C available. I would like one, that was my first 'real' coffee maker and it would be nice to get another. One advantage of the cona and bodum - they can go on a normal cook top. The hario style needs a dedicated burner which makes it a bit fiddly.

Brett_H

Yep, I'm thrilled! And a $55 when Alan Frew's price was $99 I reckoned they were a bargain. I can't understand why they wouldn't sell in a regional shopping centre... A perfect option for excellent coffee cheap!