If you come from a field of engineering or biochemistry, you might be aware of this term and the equipment itself does give you a ride to some chemistry lab nostalgia. However in this gorgeous two chamber equipment coffee is made by changing the state of water twice using vacuum and temperature.
Remember the experiments you did to understand one of the postulate theories i your Science class? How the raised temperature converts liquid to gas. Now think of using Siphon – a coffee making equipment to explain this theory. What a wonderful relation of Science with Coffee.
Let’s dig in some history shall we?
Did you know that Siphon was first successfully designed by a French woman, Marie Fanny who patented the first commercially used vacuum brewer in 1840. Although the earlier patent was filed by Loeff of Berlin in the 1830s, the one designed by Marie was remarkable to many. It was made of two glass balloons which were held by a frame. Exceptionally aesthetic and delightful to all viewers, this was capped by a metal crown. However, the evolved siphon still remains as gorgeous and lies at many cafes not only to serve coffee but also to add on to the cafe ambiance.
These later made their way to America via import and in the early 20th century, similar vacuum brewers were manufactured by a pair of sisters from Massachusetts, Mrs. Ann Bridges and Mrs. Sutton who patented this device by calling it ‘Silex’. This design is claimed to look like the Siphon equipment designed by Hario and Yama.
These early brewers made their way to the new world via import, but it wasn’t until the early years of the 20th century that there’s record of vacuum brewers being manufactured in North America. In 1910, Mrs. Ann Bridges and Mrs. Sutton, a pair of sisters from Salem, Massachusetts, filed a patent for a device they called the “Silex,”
Well I tried a coffee made using this ancient coffee brewing method for the first time and I loved the process a little more after reading about its history. All thanks to Episode cafe, for letting me experience the brewing process and the coffee.
It was like experiencing a strange nirvana in watching as the water boiled and disappeared as the steam reached the upper chamber and got back into its liquid state. The water pumped up by vacuum, more like an inverse hour glass. As the coffee is brewed, the heat is removed from the bottom chamber. This allows the coffee to cool down, bringing it down by the force of gravity.
Unlike other moka pot, you can actually see the coffee move which for me was a serene experience. This stayed warm for pretty long time, allowing me to enjoy the cup while working.
