Who wants to try coffee from vacuum coffee makers? Yeah, okay, let’s get to it, I’ll brew us up a nice fresh pot of coffee in my vacuum coffee maker. Even though I don’t actually own one, bear with me, this is also an exercise in imagination. Though I do have experience with vacuum coffee makers so I know what they do and how the coffee tastes like. So we’ll explore this type of coffee maker today. Hopefully by the end of our short discussion you’ll be able to get an idea of whether a vacuum pot coffee maker is for you or not. So come on into my kitchen where the vacuum coffee makers are a brewing.
The long history of vacuum coffee makers
Vacuum coffee makers have been with us since the 1830’s when they were invented by Leoff of Berlin. The original designs of the vacuum brew coffee maker was pretty complex although nowadays the designs have simplified tremendously. Vacuum coffee makers produce coffee that is tremendously valued. It is seen as a clear, crisp and refined brew with a smooth and rich body. I find the taste of coffee from vacuum coffee makers to be similar to French press coffee but with a crisper mouth feel if that makes sense to you. What I mean by that is that I find the finish to be quicker and cleaner. I like coffee from vacuum brew coffee makers though to be fair I wouldn’t buy one if you are happy with your current percolator, drip brewer or stainless steel French press.
Vacuum pot coffee makers are used to make coffee obviously, and I wouldn’t recommend them for trying to brew espresso. You’re much better off using automatic espresso machines for your espresso cappuccino. If I were to suggest vacuum coffee makers to a friend I would suggest that if you like French press coffee then I would recommend a vacuum coffee machine as an alternative to that style of coffee or as an adjunct to.
Vacuum coffee makers are also known as vac pots, siphons or syphon coffee makers. This is because they use heat and pressure to siphon the water from one chamber into the other which contains the ground Brazilian coffee or 100 Kona coffee, whatever you have decided to use.
Top 2 choices in vacuum coffee makers
So you might be wondering what your options are for choosing amongst the vacuum coffee makers. Well, I personally prefer the stovetop vacuum coffee makers over the electric vacuum coffee maker as they seem more authentic. But the electric vacuum coffee makers would certainly be more convenient. My current favorite would have to be the Northwest Glass Yama Stovetop Glass Siphon for around 40 bucks from Amazon. They also have a smaller and cheaper version that brews about half the amount of coffee. Another great vacuum coffee maker is from our friends at Bodum, indeed, I would be remiss if I did not offer Bodum as an alternative here as they do make great coffee makers in the more traditional sense, and the Bodum Santos Stovetop Glass Vacuum coffee maker is certainly in that tradition. At around double or more the price of the Yama vacuum coffee maker, the Bodum is a great option but only if you care about the brand name. I can’t recommend it over the Yama as it so much more expensive and does exactly the same thing. There is no difference in quality that you will experience.
Those are my top 2 choices for you if you are in the market for vacuum coffee makers. I haven’t offered up an electric vacuum coffee maker option as I don’t think they are worth the extra convenience and as with most electrical and mechanical appliances, they are not as reliable over the long haul as these more simple vacuum coffee makers, but if you really want to have a look at one you can find a bunch on the net if you search for them.