Vacuum (vacpot) Coffee - or, a way to make coffee that really sucks - vol I

[Mister Moo]

This is a "how-to", but first, a "why-to".

Why to: when water boils in the sealed "south" or lower pot of a vacpot system it ends up, by virtue of a connecting tube and a pressure differential, in the "north" or upper pot. After that recently boiled water arrives up north, where it mixes and remains with ground coffee, it burbles around at a perfect brewing or extraction temperature until you remove the pot from a heat source. This is no thanks to you or me - a well designed pot just does it. After the pot(s) cool down the brew water is drawn back south thru some type of filter thingie, ready to drink. It all happens at temps that are just right and the resulting coffee if about as good as it gets. You can duplicate the process with a french press assuming you pour the water at the right temp, keep it at the right temp thru the extraction period and stir constantly. (Can't be done. Only a vacpot can do whata vacpot does.)

How to: pretty darn easy in eight steps.



1. Start with spotless-clean equipment including an upper pot, lower pot, filter and an upper pot stand. While you're getting all the bric-a-brak out, let the grinder run some beans on "coarse" and preheat some water in a kettle.



2. An upper bowl stand is a nice thing to have, especially if your vacpot is made from glass rather than steel. As your water (wherever it is) is nearing a boil and your coffee is now ground, secure the upper bowl and put the filter in. In the case of this old GE vacpot, the filter is a glass rod that rests in the siphon tube of the pot; it allows boiling water to surge up around it on it's way north, but is heavy enough that it will not pop out of the tube..



3. The water is nearly a-boil now, so add particularly coarse ground coffee to the north bowl. A tablespoon per four-ounces of water is always a good starting point. The glass rod filter is irregularly shaped where it dips into the siphon tube. Water will come up but (coarse enough) coffee grounds will not fall down through the filter and land in the lower, or south, pot. There are other types of filters used in vacpots besides the classic Cory glass rod; some filters are made of multiple metal disks while others are made of ceramic "pucks" wrapped with cotton filtration boots. Both the metal and ceramic/cotton filters require a spring loaded chain with a hook on the lower end; the hook, spring and chain drops through the siphon tube and hooks, under slight spring tension, on the bottom edge of the siphon. The effect of all these little diddles is to keep the metal or ceramic filter is position such that water can move up through it without disloding the filter from the top of the siphon tube. What's nice about a fragile glass filter rod? No parts. Just rest it in the tube.



4. As water nears boiling in the south pot, gently seat the rubber or silicone gasketed north pot into it's mouth. A little lubricant on the gasket from time to time (olive oil, for example) allows the pots to seat and separate easily. The north is inserted into the south at a slight angle then tipped in and upright. Heat an inch or so of water in the south pot as it sits on the stove; the rest of the water is poured slowly, already near boiling, from a kettle. The north pot should be fitted deliberatly to avoid breaking anything. This is not a sport for children or for anyone in a great rush. If you're in a great rush, get a stainless steel vacpot.

[drrgill]

Great post....I have seen these advertised but never had any coffee from one or seen one in use. It sounds like the coffee would be very good..so I am waiting on volume 2 to see why the coffee sucks?? Duuuuu....Just figured out the Sucks part !! !!

Drrgill

You need to be the Moderator of this forum..You have my vote!

[mosesbotbol]

I have a stainless one from the 60's and it is problematic; I no longer use it. Getting grind right and just make a pot that is grain free is hard. Starbucks was selling an electric version that was suppose to work well, but the only plug-in coffee make for me is the Ranchilio and that's it.

The cold brew system someone posted the other looks really interesting.

[Commander Quan]

I had a couple cups of coffee made this way while I was staying at a fancy hotel in Beijing they made a big deal about lighting a fire underneath it and being all showy about it. I never really did figure out the conversion rate of Dollars to Yuan but I think each 6 or 8 oz. cup was around $8.00. Those Reds know how to rip us off.

[Mister Moo]

5. When all is assembled and water begins to boil in the south pot, the north bowl will gradually, then quickly, fill with water. With most vacpots it is wise to reduce heat as the water begins moving north to prevent a hot coffee and nasty coffeegrounds and froth volcano. Set the timer for 90-seconds (a time I recently and mistakenly advised for french press brewing - that was wrong, of course - four minutes approx for a quiet, static little press) and let her go!

Not - not really. Make sure the heat allows for constant gentle-to-moderate bubbling and burbling without being so high that boiling coffee bubbles are burping forth on your bares forearms, stovetop, floor, ceiling, etc. Not that very freshly roasted coffee will create quite a "head" of froth - work the heat carefully to avoid a disgusting bubble-over. It's a process - you have to do it a couple of time to find the sweet spot - but not hardly rocket science. And while all this burbling is getting started and going on, it is good to carefully stir the mess in the north bowl a few times. Make sure everything is well wetted and mixed without bashing a metal spoon so hard in that fragile, hot bowl as to break it or tip the little bastage over.



6. 90-seconds up? Carefully evacuate the whole works from the warm burner to a neutral corner; if you're not forgetful or dangerous in the kitchen I suggest you leave the burner turned on (if it's electric). Off the heat source, a partial vacuum will form in the south bowl and gradually draw the coffee through the grounds, past the filter media and into the south bowl. If your filter will not allow the water to move south than the grind was too fine. When a drawdown stalls or goes too slowly you can often kick things back into gear by returning the whole works to your (still hot, 'cause you didn't turn it off, smart guy) heat source. A quick heat blast on the south bowl will move coffee/water back up the siphon tube and flush a jammed filter clean. Seems like 9 times out of 10 the second drawndown will be fine if your grind is anywhere near to correct.



7. South it all goes. You will cetrtainly break a fragile glass vacpot if you try to dislodge the north bowl before a drawdown is complete; wait until you hear air being drawn through the coffeegrounds before lifting the north bowl and placing it...



8. ... hot and nasty, into the clever stand so you can have some coffee now and worry about cleaning up the mess later.

The vacpot makes fabulous coffee, it's a fun thing to do if you like that sort of thing and it totally impresses the chippies if you're still in college (or young and single). They are sold new made of glass, metal and plastic; there are electric-auto and manual versions; and there is no end to what appears on ebay.

Consider that a vacpot will not draw if the grind is wrong; they do best with a high quality companion burr grinder. The will not perform with a whirley blade and preground (from the store) coffee is iffy. Vacpots like a coarser-than-normal grind.

Beware any older electric vacpot such as the ever-nostalgic Cory or Sunbeam - they are often pretty and chrome-ie, but, mostly, don't make good coffee. The modern Bodum Santos electric is a good one, I am told.

Older vacpots can be outstanding coffeemakers ASSUMING they have a good gasket. There are modern replacement gaskets that fit most older vacpots, but not all. Silicone thread tape will frequently make a bad gasket work fine - not pretty, but workable.

[Mister Moo]

Originally Posted by mosesbotbol

I have a stainless one from the 60's and it is problematic; I no longer use it. Getting grind right and just make a pot that is grain free is hard. Starbucks was selling an electric version that was suppose to work well, but the only plug-in coffee make for me is the Ranchilio and that's it.

The cold brew system someone posted the other looks really interesting.

Post pix? Any markings or stamping on the bowl?

[Lumpold]

Originally Posted by mosesbotbol

Starbucks was selling an electric version that was suppose to work well, but the only plug-in coffee make for me is the Ranchilio and that's it.

The Starbucks electric vacuum machine was just a rebranded Bodum Santos electric! They're awesome!

[Mister Moo]

Originally Posted by Lumpold

The Starbucks electric vacuum machine was just a rebranded Bodum Santos electric! They're awesome!

I've heard often that the mini is better than the big one.

[mosesbotbol]

Originally Posted by Mister MaDuroo

Post pix? Any markings or stamping on the bowl?

I tossed the top half about 5 years ago and just the bottom half as a kettle.

[Mister Moo]

Originally Posted by drrgill

...You need to be the Moderator of this forum..

Thanks - but please don't confuse my quantity with CigarTexan's quality.

[DudeGroovin]

Originally Posted by Mister MaDuroo

...After that recently boiled water arrives up north, where it mixes and remains with ground coffee, it burbles around at a perfect brewing or extraction temperature until you remove the pot from a heat source. ...the resulting coffee if about as good as it gets.

Now Mister MaDuroo, can you really say this? Even though your taste buds may be happy, SCAA Executive Director Ted Lingle says, "Just say 'NO' to boiled water."


Fantastic post! Yet another reason I SHOULD HAVE got a better grinder .

Dude

[DudeGroovin]

Originally Posted by Mister MaDuroo

Fantastic photo! Love the time through the coffee. Are you of the Andres Serrano school of photography?

Once again, an excellent post that make me want more coffee...and a better grinder.

Dude

[Mister Moo]

Originally Posted by DudeGroovin

Fantastic photo! Love the time through the coffee. Are you of the Andres Serrano school of photography?

From the Mister MaDuroo School of Crap In A Snap.

[Mister Moo]

Originally Posted by Mister MaDuroo

From the Mister MaDuroo School of Crap In A Snap.

It seems mildly ironic, by the way, that I am enjoying some really outstanding Gaut vacpot coffee this week (that you sent me) and you don't have a grinder. Tch tch tch. Don't you have children or family heirlooms you can pawn?

[opus]

We have been using a Bodum Santos exclusively for around 3-4 years now. Wouldn't even consider using any other method now we love it so much. It is so bad that we usually take it on trips along with a grinder. I have even packed a hot air popper along on occasion. Once you've been to the mountain.....................