There are really only three widely distributed vacuum coffee makers being imported to the United States.  The reason I say “imported”, is because there are no larger scale manufactures of vacuum coffee makers in the US, we get them all from other countries.  I’ve included a brief description of each below.

Bodum Santos Vacuum Coffee Maker

The Bodum Santos is a stovetop vacuum coffee maker.  Bodum is a company from Denmark is popular manufacturer of non-automatic coffee makers imported here to the US, mostly noted for its French press coffee makers.  The Bodum Santos is probably the most well known and widely used vacuum coffee maker, at least in the states.  The Santos is what I consider to be one of the easiest and quickest to use.  The Santos has a permanent plastic filter that’s easy to clean.  I consider it a more utilitarian vacuum coffee maker and is the one that I use almost every morning for my coffee before work.  As a side note, The Santos electric vacuum coffee maker can still be found at second hand stores or eBay on occasion, but is no longer being produced by Bodum.  Price of the Bodum Santos Vacuum Coffee Maker is approx. $85.  For ordering info please visit Bodum Santos Vacuum Coffee Maker

Yama Vacuum Table Top Vacuum Coffee Maker

The Yama vacuum coffee maker is imported from Japan where they seem to be more commonly called siphon coffee makers.  The Yama has a beautiful design and because it almost looks like a chemistry set is a favorite to use with dinner guests.  Because the Yama sits on a table and uses an alcohol burner it is a little less convenient than the Bodum Santos.  With its open flame, your boss probably isn’t going to allow this in the office, that is unless you work at a fire station.  The alcohol flame takes a good while to heat the water, I find it useful to preheat the water on the stove if I’m in a hurry, then use the flame from that point to finish the brewing.  An upgrade would be to purchase an adjustable butane burner.  Butane burners heat the water FAST.  One of the big advantages the Yama has over the Cona is that it’s very affordable in comparison.  In fact, the Yama is even less expensive than the Bodum Santos, which is one reason for its popularity.  Price is approx. $65.  For ordering info please visit Yama Vacuum Coffee Maker

Yama CNT-5 Coffee Siphon Vacuum

Similar to other Yama Vacuum Coffee makers, The CNT-5 20-Ounce Coffee maker adds a ceramic base and a more efficient butane burner.
Butane has two advantages over alcohol. It heats faster plus the heat is adjustable which provides flexibility in your brewing. The Yama CNT-5 also comes with a bamboo stir stick, and 5 re-usable cloth filters. I find one filter lasts for months. In addition, I’m sure you noticed its beautiful unique design. When you consider it brews some of the best coffee on the planet we have a winning combination here with the Yama CNT-5 Siphon Coffee Maker.

The Cona Vacuum Coffee Maker

The Cona is what many vacuum coffee enthusiasts aspire to own.  This baby isn’t cheap.  This premium glass vacuum coffee maker is like the Yama coffee maker in that it too is a table top coffee maker.  The Cona is manufacture in England, it is quite beautiful.  The Cona uses a glass rod filter instead of the plastic or cloth filters used in either the Santos or Yama.  What this means is neither the coffee grounds, Water, or finished brewed coffee ever come in contact with metal, plastic, or cloth.  Glass is the only substance that comes in contact with the water.  This results in an extremely pure cup, minus any possibility to taint the full coffee flavor.  The Cona also uses the classic alcohol burner to heat its water, very similar to the Yama siphon coffee makers.  Cona coffee makers are a little harder to come by but can be found in a few online shops.  Order Your Cona Coffee Maker HERE

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The way vacuum coffee makers work is by heating water in one of two chambers.  Once the water boils, it is forced into the second chamber that sits on top of the first chamber.  As the water is forced into the chamber with coffee beans, the brewing process begins.  Then, with the coffee reaching the desired richness, it moves back down to the bottom chamber, followed by serving.

With vacuum coffee makers, you never have to worry about sediment, which easily ruins good coffee.  In addition, if you were to purchase a model made from all glass, the brewed coffee would never be exposed to plastic or metal, which are known for compromising flavor.  These coffee brewers are stylish, cost efficient, and cleanup has never been easier.  Although the vacuum brewer was initially invented in Germany, its popularity quickly spread to various parts of Asia and then onto North America and beyond.

Sometimes, these coffee makers are referred to as “siphon” or “syphon” coffee makers because the way the coffee is siphoned from one chamber to another.  However, you will also find manufacturers that sell them as vacuum coffee brewers, vac pots, or vacuum coffee makers.  The market has a number of great choices but the Yama vacuum coffee maker is among the most popular.  If price is a concern, this brand would make the perfect choice and in fact, when comparing different brands, Yama is the least expensive in part because of being manufactured in Taiwan.

Yama offers several different models from which to choose but for sake of example, we wanted to talk about the Yama Five-cup Tabletop Vac Pot Coffee Siphon.  Priced around $65, this brewer uses direct heat that is fueled by alcohol.  This size is nice for more intimate settings, capable of producing five cups of coffee with each about four ounces.  Now, if you are interested in buying this particular brand, there are a few tips that would ensure every cup brewed is perfect.

* For starters, when choosing coffee, this coffee maker works best with finer grinds.

* When filling the bottom chamber with water, always use hot water.  With the Yama vacuum coffee maker, it takes approximately four minutes for the water to heat so using hot water helps speed up the process.

* To improve seamless siphoning, we recommend you place five teaspoons of hot water in the top chamber.

* After filling the burner with alcohol, it would need to be placed directly under the bottom carafe.

* Once the hot water is forced into the top chamber, it meets with the coffee grinds and brews.  Following this, the coffee is pushed down into the bottom carafe for serving so to bring the heat of the coffee back up, leave the burner on for about two minutes.  After that time, the burner would be removed and capped, and the perfect cup of coffee served.

* Vacuum coffee makers can be operated with regular rubbing alcohol but to heat the coffee faster and keep it hot longer, we suggest you use denatured alcohol, which is found in hardware and home improvement stores, as well as a few retail stores.

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Stumptown Holler Mountain Beans. Perfect Flavor Extraction When Brewed With A Vacuum Coffee Maker

Stumptown Coffee Roasters is a small independent coffee company that started it Roots in Portland Oregon, and has expanded to NYC, Amsterdam, and my hometown Seattle.   Recently, I’ve been buying Stumptown beans at the local Whole Foods market and stumbled on to what may be the best blend of coffee I’ve ever brewed in my vacuum coffee maker.  The blend is called Holler Mountain.  Holler Mountain blend coffee is a rich dark blend, or as the package describes “syrupy”.  The flavor is very complex, Stumptown describes is flavor as a mix of blackberry, raw tobacco, and toffee.

I’ve brewed Holler Mountain with both an automatic drip coffee maker and a Bodum Santos vacuum coffee maker.  The results were astonishing.  The vacuum coffee maker brought out the full spectrum of flavor from the fine Holler Mountain beans.

Sadly the drip coffee maker produced just an “ok” cup of coffee.

My suspicion is the vacuum coffee maker brews at the optimum temperature of 198 degrees plus or minus.  This is the optimum temperature for full extraction of flavor, and the reason most auto drip coffee machines fail because they’re brewing in the 160-180 degree range.  For a better description of brewing temperatures make sure to read 198 degrees.

The other thing that really impresses me with Stumptown coffee, and I’ve tried several of their roasts, is the roasted on dating.  On the bottom of each bag they print the date the coffee was roasted.  When purchasing at Whole Foods in Seattle, this date is always within 4 days or so.  On occasion coffee can be purchased that was roasted that very day!

Stumptown beans, weather you’re in Portland, New York, Amsterdam, or Seattle are second to none and not to be missed so be sure to check them out.

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Here is a little coffee place down under that does things a little different than in the states.  This place looks like its in someone’s kitchen, I’m not really sure what’s going on here but I would definitely check it out next time I’m in Melbourne.  Visit the Link for more…..

Technorati Tags: bar, coffee, vacuum coffee maker

I have been getting a lot of requests for information about the best vacuum coffee maker for the beginner.  If you haven’t already, please take the time to visit the vacuum coffee maker buyers guide for a description and some of the pro’s and con’s of three of the most popular vacuum coffee makers. 

As a beginner, I highly recommend the Bodum Santos.  This recommendation is the result of the fact that the Bodum vacuum brewer is readily available here in the United States; its glass is durable and negotiates changes in temperature well, its easy to clean and simple to operate. 

Simplicity is the last reason I really like the Bodum.  What I mean is the Bodum is a stovetop vacuum coffee maker.  This means no need for spirit lamps or butane burners; you can use the stove you already have. 

If you looking for a quality vacuum coffee maker, that functions well without a lot of fuss, that’s durable and easy to clean then be sure to order a Bodum Santos.

ORDER The Bodum Santos HERE

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According to this article, early coffee consumer health studies were skewed, because the majority of the test subjects were also smokers!  It seems many of the things that were attributed to drinking coffee were actually symptoms derived from smoking?!

This newer study points out coffee can actually be beneficial to your health, and is now thought to prevent diabetes, liver cancer, cirrhosis, and Parkinson’s disease.  How about that!  Read the full story here http://www.boston.com/news/health/articles/2009/05/11/good_to_the_last_drop/

Technorati Tags: coffee, health benefits, vacuum coffee brewing

I found this SILEX Vacuum Coffee Maker ad interesting and thought I would share, I love this old stuff. 

Silex coffee makers were first produced in 1915 and were made from Coming’s heat tempered class known as Pyrex. 

I especially got a kick out of the following:  SILEX is actually an acronym, anyone care to guess?…..anyone?…………Silex actually stands for “Sanitary and Interesting method of making Luscious coffee.  It is Easy to operate on the account of its being X-ray transparent.”  I’m dead serious here, you can’t make this stuff up!

I was also interested to know that the spring clip that holds the filter in place on vacuum brewers like the Bodum Santos were first invented for use in the Silex vacuum brewers way back in the 1920’s.  Good stuff

Technorati Tags: silex, vacuum brewers, vacuum coffee maker

Actually it sorta was the water, but specifically the temperature of the water I was brewing the coffee with.  You see the issue with a brewing coffee in a vacuum coffee maker is if not done correctly your water will be too cold for optimum extraction of flavor from the ground beans.  Earlier I talked about he importance of using clean filtered water for brewing in your siphon coffee maker; but that’s not enough.  If you want to achieve the best results possible its important to get your water temperature right, from the very moment it makes contact with the beans.  

How does this happen you ask?  By sealing the top container with the coffee to the bottom container with the water before it has had a chance to heat to 198 degrees.  If you make the seal before this, water will be pushed up at lower temperature points, around 175 degrees or so (coincidentally this is the temperature your typical drip coffee maker brews at).  Brewing your coffee with cooler water results in bitterness.  The whole reason we like using vacuum coffee makers is to avoid bitterness and brew at the optimal 198-degree temperature also know as “just prior to boiling”.  Doing it at colder temperatures defeats the purpose and the coffee may as well be brewed with a drip coffee maker because that’s what it will taste like. 

How do I determine the temperature of my water?  Well you could use a thermometer, and I would actually suggest you do until you get a handle on how the water acts at the correct temperature.  With my setup I already know by watching the water when the correct temperature is, remember it is just before the water starts boiling.  When the water reaches 198 degrees I seal the top to the bottom and the water will quickly rise to the top as the brewing begins.  Temperature is important.  Keep your temperature in mind and your vacuum coffee is just going to be that much better.

Technorati Tags: drip coffee maker, optimum, temperature, vacuum coffee maker, vacuum coffee makers, water

Yet another Japanese video where they are brewing vacuum coffee with a halogen bulb.  I believe these can be found in the US by Hario but they seem pretty hard to come by.  Most places that offer them online are sold-out or have limited quantities of these Hario Siphon Halogen heaters.  This may be something that changes as they become more popular, more are sure to be imported.  They are pricey though, in the neighborhood of $400 from what I’m seeing.  Many will argue they aren’t necessary, true, but they do have the “cool” factor that appeals to many.  I like the idea of being able to use them at your work since you would not need a stove or an open flame to heat your vacuum coffee maker.

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The alkaline in hard water or phosphates in soft water have a significant effect in how your coffee will taste.  The alkaline found in many tap waters actually works against your coffee, dissolving an neutralizing the acids in the coffee that provide that wonderful taste we all try to achieve with our vacuum coffee.  Soft water is also detrimental to your brewing results.  Phosphates will react with the coffee acids to produce a unpleasant soapy taste….yuck.

If your tap water tastes like it came from the lake luckily there is a solution.  You may already have one, but If not you need to get yourself a filter.  Now I’ve tried both the type that screw onto your faucet and the filtration pitchers.  Both work fine but my favorite is a Brita Filtration Pitcher because I can keep it in the refrigerator where the water stays cold. 

This cold water is key.  The starting water temperature is actually more important to your vacuum coffee brewing than many realize.  This is because cold water contains more dissolved oxygen.  This dissolved oxygen is the same reason oxygen loving trout prefer clear cold mountain streams.  Some argue that coffee brewed from a cold starting temperature produces a much more animated and refreshing cup of coffee. 

If you’re like me, you use a glass vacuum coffee maker to get the best possible extraction from the most delicious coffee beans.  Just remember those beans only make up 2 percent of the process, please don’t ignore the most important part, please don’t ignore the water.

Technorati Tags: cold, filter, filtered, french roast, glass vacuum coffee maker, guatemala, sumatra, tap, vacuum brewing, water