New Toy - Cona Syphon Coffee Maker (Cona D)

samuellaw178

I'm an espresso purist 99% of the time. But every once a while, I do deviate for some brew coffee. Plethoras of coffee brewers come and go. I'm sure it's familar to many, no?

My most recent addition is this vac pot, a British-made Cona Vac Pot. It's the size D variant that can make easily 4 x 8oz cups of sublime coffee (1.13L capacity).

Right off, it looks rather elegant. Each part is made nicely with high quality parts. The glass especially is thick and there are a few extra niceties such as the drip bowl, the top globe holder etc.

Aside from the presentation, the best thing I see on the Cona D is that all that the coffee come in contact are made of glass, including the filter. Glass, along with ceramic/porcelain, is my top choice for taste-neutral material. Not even stainless steel.

The Cona D makes plentiful of coffee for really long sipping sessions. For starter, I have only brew a little more than half the capacity(35g coffee 520g water). The coffee, as many had said, is clean & crisp. Definitely a go for high end coffee (like Geshas or fruity/floral ethiopians).

Very easy to use but it is also the most theatherical coffee making method I've tried. Lighting up the alcohol burner, watch the water flowing up defying gravity, and the grand finale of eruption when the coffee's done.

Right now it's resting on my study table as a deco. Too pretty to pass onto the cupboard.  :P

Also, just roasted up some nice light roasted floral/fruity single origins (Kenya & Harrar). Can't wait to try them!

Koffee_Kosmo

Very nice  :thumb: I have a very similar Cona with the glass rod but no stand KK

Brett H

Great stuff.  What a glorious piece of art it is too.  Makes my Bodum Syphon seem very boring now 

eggbert

Nice kit, but I'm not sure you wanted to include that pic of the glass dildo.

samuellaw178

^^^  Thanks for the idea! :rofl:

samuellaw178

on 1414493589:

Very nice  :thumb: I have a very similar Cona with the glass rod but no stand

KK, Did you ever try brewing sub-capacity and compare it with the full-on capacity? Some say the water at the lower globe will dilute the brew, but the coffee before it comes south is more concentrated to begin with...I dunno. Even 500ml coffee is a lot to drink for one person, not sure when I can do the 1L brew for comparison. The Kenya this morning tasted great in the half capacity brew (clean acidity, sweet & full body), but it just bothers me mentally.

Koffee_Kosmo

In the past I mainly used it as a cupping tool But it's a nice change to have a different style on occasions Coffee tastes best with lighter roasts with a course grind and let it infuse longer You must remember that on the main part I have Espresso and alternate it with Greek / Turkish style coffee KK

Koffee_Kosmo

Just taken a couple of photos of my Cona Junior to share Attachment not found.Attachment not found.

samuellaw178

I see. Thanks for taking the effort to share the photo. That's a 1-pint (.47l) Cona, much better for one-person use.

on 1414545488:

You must remember that on the main part I have Espresso and alternate it with Greek / Turkish style coffee

Same here and fully understood. :P It's the new-toy syndrome going on here and I suspect it'll be back into the background after 1-2 week (as usual). I suppose I will have to do some sacrificial brews if I ever want to find out about that. It's a surprise that there's not so much of syphon fan here. It does make some mean brew and better than pourover IMO (in terms of clarity,flavor,and presentation).

Koffee_Kosmo

For my personal taste preference in order would be Espresso Greek / Turkish Syphon Cold Brew Pour over Although pour over is easy I believe as you noted on flavour profile is lacking Coffee for soft style brews need a longer steep time to tingle my tastebuds KK

Beanz

A nice looking set up, I am sure there will be a few interesting brewing sessions to follow.

samuellaw178

on 1414573872:

A nice looking set up, I am sure there will be a few interesting brewing sessions to follow.

Definitely. Waiting for that to happen!

Naki^chap

Nice syphon, I`m just wondering how does the glass filter work , I have not seen a cona in the flesh.

Koffee_Kosmo

on 1414589950:

Nice syphon, I`m just wondering how does the glass filter work , I have not seen a cona in the flesh.

Works pretty good but not perfect The trick is to grind fairly course as any fines will find there way to the bottom with the brew you will be drinking KK

Naki^chap

Ok so the mushroom shaped part is porus then ?

samuellaw178

on 1414591962:

Ok so the mushroom shaped part is porus then ?

Not exactly porous but about half-right. Look at the the glass 'dildo' picture. You see the rough surface? That's the filter. When you put it in place, the rough surface sits tight with the smooth surface to form a porous surface. Super simple but works ridiculously well. It's better than most filter and only let through a tiny bit more grind than paper/cloth filter. The thing to note is never ever disturb it during the process (especially stirring) or grind may find its way into the bottom globe. Used correctly, the level of the grind in the cup is similar to aeropress with the fine metal disk filter. Also, I find that I can use effectively finer than drip grind and still get good result. Of course I need to steep less to compensate for faster extraction. If you don't have a good brew grinder, you have to grind finer to prevent the filter from clogging, not coarser. That's counterintuitive, but the cheaper grinder produces more fines at coarse grind, and less at finer range.

Naki^chap

Ok nice one , thanks for explaining that .

Koffee_Kosmo

Most good grinders will give you a blend of grind fines no matter what setting you place it on So expect that the fines of that grind cycle will cling and hold together like mortar all the other size grind particles That in turn acts as a filter in unison with the glass rod One needs to find that grind setting on there grinder for best results Luckily it's not that hard KK