How to Prepare Your CoffeeJapanese Siphon Coffee
What you need
Ingredients run from the top of the cup to the bottom; the last item is the bottom layer. Values are normalized to a true 100% stack.
- Grind
- Medium — between granulated and coarse sugar; go finer with a smaller dose and coarser with a larger one
- Water temperature
- Boiling water in the lower flask; the flame stays on through the brew
- Total time
- 6 min
Siphon coffee is brewed in two glass chambers over a small flame. Steam pressure pushes the boiling water up into the coffee, and when the heat comes off, the vacuum left behind pulls the brewed coffee back down through a cloth filter. The vacuum brewer was invented in Europe in the 1830s and 40s, but Japan made it its own. In 1925 Akira Kono sold Japan's first domestically made coffee siphon, and by the kissaten boom of the 1970s and 80s, cafés lined up rows of siphons behind the counter. Each one gave the same cup every time with no years of hand-pouring practice, and the process itself was a show for the customers watching.
Steps
Fit the cloth filter and put the coffee in the upper bowl
The cloth filter sits at the bottom of the upper funnel, held by a chain that hangs down into the flask. It catches the grounds when the coffee is drawn back down, and the chain gives the boiling water an even place to bubble from.
Boil the water in the lower flask with the upper bowl resting at an angle
Resting the funnel loosely at an angle keeps it warm without sealing the flask too early. If the seal went on before the water boiled, steam pressure would push lukewarm water up into the coffee.
Seat the upper bowl straight and stir as the water rises
Once the funnel is sealed, steam pressure pushes almost all the water up into the coffee, leaving only a little behind. A quick circular stir with a bamboo paddle releases trapped gas and wets every particle evenly, so nothing floats dry on top.
Brew for about 40 seconds to a minute, then take the flame away
As long as the flame stays on, the water stays up in the bowl with the coffee, so this is the extraction time. Going much past a minute starts pulling out bitterness, which is why cafés time this step closely.
Stir once more and let the coffee draw down
With the flame removed, the flask cools and the vacuum pulls the brewed coffee back down through the cloth. A gentle second stir keeps the grounds from clogging the filter, so the coffee drains smoothly.
Cup ready
Time to enjoy your Japanese Siphon Coffee
Brewed the way they do it in Japan. What next?
Tips
- Stir with a light, quick hand — the speed and strength of the stir shape the flavour alongside the bean, the roast and the grind.
- Wash the coffee oils and grounds out of the cloth filter after every brew — oils left in the cloth go stale and carry into the next cup.
- Pre-boil the water in a kettle before filling the flask — it cuts the wait under the burner without changing the brew.
Common mistakes
- Leaving the flame on too long — the coffee stays in the hot upper bowl and over-extracts into bitterness.
- Grinding too fine — fine particles clog the cloth so the draw-down stalls, and the coffee sits on the grounds and keeps extracting.
- Sealing the upper bowl before the water boils — tepid water rises into the coffee and the extraction starts unevenly.
Variations
Within the Japanese Kissaten tradition, the preparation above takes these familiar shapes:
Japanese nel drip
The kissaten's other cloth-filter brew: hot water poured slowly through coffee held in a flannel filter, rather than steeped and drawn down by a vacuum.
FAQ
Did Japan invent the siphon?
No. Vacuum brewers were developed in Europe in the 1830s and 40s, and a French patent for a glass balloon siphon dates to 1841. Japan's part came later: in 1925 Akira Kono sold the first Japanese-made siphon, and the kissaten made it a fixture of the country's coffee culture.
Why did kissaten adopt the siphon?
Partly for practical reasons. A café could set up several siphons and brew them side by side, and because the process runs on steam pressure and a timer, it gives a steady cup without the long training hand-drip needs. The theatre counted too: watching the water climb and the coffee fall back is part of the visit.
How is siphon coffee different from nel drip?
Nel drip pours water through a bed of coffee held in cloth. In a siphon, the coffee steeps fully in the water in the upper bowl and is then drawn back down through a cloth filter by the vacuum. Steeping with the heat still on gives a cup with a robust flavour and aroma.
The Atlas
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