The stove tops seem nice, but I wouldn't shy away from the butane siphons either. I have the Hario Next 5 cup siphon and love it. It is a pain using the butane to heat the lower globe from room temperature, but if you have a brew kettle, it's a non-issue. I pour from the brew kettle (heated on my stove) into the lower globe at around 208F, place the brewing chamber on top, and immediately turn the Yama butane burner on. Then I go to my grinder, weigh the beans, and grind them. By the time I turn around, all the water is in the brew chamber. I rarely have issues with temperature - it seems that mine always stabilizes right around 195F - but it's easy to tweak and quick to react by either turning the flame up or down, and by stirring to help cool. Over time, I've shortened my infusion to around 1:15, and I've also started grinding coarser than I used to, both of which seem to improve the taste in the cup.

I was sold on the siphon as soon as I saw one just due to the "coolness" of it all. I knew that I needed to own one, and didn't care if it wasn't practical. I was OK with it just being my ritualistic weekend brewer. But now that I've had mine for a while, I'm surprised by all of the comments about it taking too long and being difficult to clean compared to other methods. I also use the V60 and Aeropress, and the siphon is no slower or more difficult to clean than either. In fact, I typically only brew one cup at a time with the V60 and AP, but I can brew two with the siphon. Brewing two cups on the siphon saves a decent amount of time versus the others. And cleaning is simple. I pour the coffee out of the lower globe and into a decanter. I immediately rinse the lower globe out with hot water and drain. Then I turn the brew chamber upside down in my sink and release the filter. The grounds go down the garbage disposal, and I use hot water and a sponge to clean the brew chamber in roughly 10 seconds. Leave the two parts separate to dry, and it's ready to go next time I want some siphon brew.

Regardless which model/type you get, I'm sure you'll enjoy it. It's a fun and involving process that results in an excellent cup of coffee.

I am w/Backdrifter. I go back and forth between pourovers and stovetop vacpots almost daily. Great coffees and I find both the ritual and cleanup quite easy.

The main reason that I went for a siphon was to get an all glass brewing solution without paper or plastic involved. It just seemed cleaner, somehow. It was years before I ever tried a paper or cloth filter in my siphon.

I am w/Chris. Use a glass filter, with no paper or plastic involved using the Yama stovetop.

And Robert!!!!! I have a Silex with chain, and a Cory. Both work beautifully in my Yama 8 cup stove top. Not sure how they'd be in a smaller Siphon?

Boldjava wrote:I am w/Chris. Use a glass filter, with no paper or plastic involved using the Yama stovetop.

I'm with Dave, I followed his example and even picked up some glass filter rods from him back in the day. I decided to make it a stovetop Saturday this morning.





This page has lots of historical info and information https://baharris.org/coffee/VacuumCoffeePots.htm

yakster wrote:I'm with Dave, I followed his example and even picked up some glass filter rods from him back in the day. I decided to make it a stovetop Saturday this morning.
...

This page has lots of historical info and information https://baharris.org/coffee/VacuumCoffeePots.htm

Careful, the rabbit hole is deep. Makes Marianas Trench look like kids' play.

Many filtration devices, all work to a degree, best in my experience is the stacked-disk filter/Kent vintage pot combination, affording precise action and temperature control, long since stopped taking Thermapen readings. It's easy enough to tell the temp by the action in the funnel.

The filter (called an automatic-timer filter) is durable, not indestructible, but the achilles heel is the same as with most vintage pots -- the rubber gasket. Plenty of Kents show up on ebay. Gauging the suppleness of the gasket is very difficult, but keep trying and good ones will arrive. At one point, when I started with Kents, it seemed process termination would occur in descending order of probability by demise of the gasket, the filter, the pot, the human. I now know the last will be first.

Chris, you may remember advising me (e-g-v) on this choice some years ago on another board. I am forever in your debt.

I now know the last will be first.

Well played.

Based on the nudge from this thread, I joined the Cory rod club after putting it off for years. Importing from US can have ridiculous costs but I found one that wasn't too astronomical to start with and with not insane shipping cost.

Worked perfectly first try with a recipe I found researching forums... assemble everything with coffee in and turn on the heat. Draw down worked perfectly. Some cloudiness (fines from Encore-Preciso no doubt) but no grinds.

It's fun to make coffee with an antique. Such a tiny little thing. Looks cool.

Hope my wife and I don't drop it.