We have already written a lot about alternative coffee preparations. But in this article you will learn about a completely unique method that is not so well known or used. A vacuum pot, sometimes known as a siphon, is a very original way to prepare perfectly clean coffee, with which you can enjoy absolutely all the tones and flavors on offer. A vacuum pot or siphon does not deprive you of anything, so it is good to emphasize on really high quality graina. In addition, the process of using vacpot is really pleasant to the point of being overwhelming. Every visit in front of you during its preparation will smack, in any case, it is not made for daily use. It is somewhat more time-consuming and complicated than preparing, for example, a French press, but it is worth it.
The vacuum pot consists of two glass flasks, which gives the feeling that it is about to perform some demanding chemical experiment, which is partly true. The name of the device already suggests how the coffee is actually dripped here - using a vacuum. The vacpot was invented at the beginning of the 19th century. At that time, various experiments were being conducted with vacuum and steam, so this tool was clearly offered. And how did the scientists come up with it? She was actually a scientist. Madame Vassieux z Lyonu with this device, she surpassed all previous attempts at pure filtered coffee, which at the time they were striving for. The vacuum pot soon became the most used method of coffee preparation. In the interwar period, we would have found vacuum coffee makers in almost every household. They were gradually abandoned until the arrival of electricity, when electric drip coffee machines began to move to the fore, which were suddenly more accessible and cheaper. At the moment, vacuum pot is seen very rarely.
How does it work?
The water in the lower glass container is heated in a vacuum pot by the kagan, whose penetrating heat slowly begins to expand and it moves to the upper flask. There he meets freshly ground coffee. At the moment when the lower part is almost empty, the mentioned and expected will be created vacuum, which sucks the liquid back through the filter. And this is how the purest coffee is created, full of flavors without any hint of sludge.
Vacuum pot therefore requires not only more experience (or patience), but also special equipment. For example, you cannot do without a heat source, which makes the whole process so magical. Let's see how to do it step by step.
What will you need to prepare a Vacuum pot?
- 20 grams of fresh quality coffee per 299 milliliters of water
- Coffee beans
- Empty pot
- Paper or fabric filters
- Kahan or other heater
So how to prepare the Vacpot?
- Fill the lower glass flask with the right amount of ideally already preheated water, this will speed up the boiling process.
- Insert a paper or cloth filter into the upper part of the siphon and rinse with hot water so that the resulting drink does not pick up an unwanted paper or other aftertaste.
- Close the upper container and plant it in the lower one. Turn on the heater located in the lower part under the flasks.
- The water must first go through boiling and thus reach up through the filter thanks to its expansion. You are in the meantime grind the appropriate amount of coffee to a medium coarseness resembling granulated sugar.
- At the moment when almost all the water content is in the upper flask, open it, pour all the ground coffee beans into it and mix thoroughly. But pay attention to its temperature, at this point it must no longer boil, so that the coffee does not burn and the resulting drink is not inappropriately bitter. Therefore, reduce the flame to a minimum.
- Allow to extract for exactly 2 minutes on moderate heat (so that the water does not lose temperature, but at the same time does not boil again).
- After this time turn off the heat source completely and mix again. At this moment, a vacuum will begin to form in the lower flask, which will begin to suck the coffee back down through the filter, which you can watch with amazement, because you are almost done.
- Pour the coffee from the flask prepared in this original way into the cups and enjoy it properly.
This lesser-known method is a bit more demanding than the others, as you have to constantly check that the water is not boiling during the extraction, and you also need to have some more extensive equipment. But you will surely master this unique process quickly and you will be able to amaze your loved ones with your special barista skills, because you will come across this preparation really only a few places. Not even good coffee shops are usually equipped with a Vacuum pot. And at the same time, it is such a beautiful alchemical ritual with an even better result that should be a little better known.
