Coffee Talk - Cory Vacuum Pot (The Vac-u-lator)

I was riffling through the "Coffee Talk" posts of the past the other day and I realized, with some distress I might add, that I have never ever divulged my absolute most favorite way to make coffee.

The "Vaculator", or what is more commonly referred to as Vacuum pot or Siphon pot.

To me, this is the epitome of home coffee brewing.  Sure, the Moka pot makes a nice cup of near espresso, and the French Press makes a deliciously rich cup of "joe" to accompany your dessert.  I can even say, with no small amount of conviction, that "pour over drip" (though Chemex brewing takes some degree of finesse to perfect) is quite delicious.  In fact, there are several brewing methods that produce delicious coffee, but I think vacuum brewing beats them all.

I think the reason I have never mentioned it before, is that I have taken it for granted over the years.  You see, I have a Bodum Electric Santos (Sold under the Starbucks Utopia label back in 1999) that was gifted to me by a friend when I helped him move.  I had never seen a vacuum pot before, but once I brewed coffee in it, the auto drip I had been using quickly went bye-bye, for it brewed a vastly superior cup of coffee.  One that truly lived up to the label on the pot.  For that first cup was "Utopia".

It's 13 years later and I still use this pot every single day.  I absolutely LOVE it.  Though that love has been strained twice in the last decade... The nylon filter eventually "wears out" or tears and needs to be replaced.  They only cost $4.50, so it's not a monetary issue so much as it is the fact that the Bodum site always lists them as being "on back order".  I have had to wait up to 3 months to get a replacement filter...  Luckily I have a French Press and a Corningware Drip-O-Lator waiting in the wings to pick up the slack.  Lesson learned. NOW I am prepared for any unforeseen tearing or clip breakage by having 2 extra filters hiding in my pantry.

There is only 1 coffee pot that I can think of that brews a better cup of coffee....  and that would be this art deco era beauty right here.

A vintage 1930's Cory Glass Vacuum Pot with a glass filter rod.   So classic in style, and so inspired in functionality.  No plastic, no cloth, no paper, no metal.... Absolutely nothing to interfere with the volatile oils of the extracted coffee.  Just water, coffee grounds and inert glass.   It is truly a beautiful thing.

Sadly, the Cory company went defunct decades ago. (though Silex made these as well) The reason was two fold...  First there was the rise of the Auto Drip coffee maker.  Let's face it, automatic brewing machines are a lot easier to use than a manual stove top coffee maker.  I don't know about you, but personally; there is NO WAY that I am capable of manually making coffee in the morning...  It's like Dawn of the Dead around here until the first cup of coffee has been consumed.

While I have no doubt that auto-brewing was at least partially responsible, I believe the main reason for the demise of the vacuum brewer was that it's greatest attribute was also it's greatest weakness.....It's made of glass;  completely from glass.  Even though it's made of Pyrex's borosilicate heat resistant glass which is virtually impervious to thermal shock, it's not resistant to shocks in the kitchen.  One false move with the siphon tube while cleaning the upper bowl and you have a lovely pile of coffee ground covered shards in your sink.  But for me, the superior quality of the finished brew far outweighs the extra care that is needed during clean up.

My vacuum pot is significantly older than I am....  Actually, it's significantly older than my parents too.  As a result of it's advanced age the rubber seal on the upper bowl has become hard as a rock.  It softens to a more pliable state once it has been warmed, but it still doesn't form a good seal anymore...It IS 75-80 years old after all.  There is an online source (DaySeal) where you can order new gaskets for $25, but I figured out a temporary fix.  So, if you happen to have one of these pots and the gasket is hard (not cracked) then I am going to show you a little trick to make your pot work almost like new.  After all, it is a sad thing to leave one of these beauties boxed away and unable to fulfill it's coffee brewing destiny.

All you need are 3 Rubber bands from Asparagus you bought this last spring.  (you save your produce rubber bands, right?)

Oh, you don't like asparagus?  What a shame that is.  Oh well, I guess that means there is more for me.  ;) OK, grab 3 thick produce type rubber bands (I know they use them on leek bundles too)

Slide one of them over the gasket and move it up towards the point where the upper part of the gasket touches the bottom of the bowl.  (It is important not to twist the rubber band in any way)

Gently guide it over the edge of the gasket and down in between the bowl and the top of the gasket.... This will form your upper seal.... (this is also why it is important not to let the rubber band get twisted... It needs to be nice and flat to form a seal)

Now take the other two rubber bands and place them around the ridges on the lower part of the gasket. (Again, do not twist the rubber bands)

There!  You have just reconditioned your gasket for use.  I guarantee you can now use that old vacuum pot (at least for a little while) without shelling our $25 for a new gasket. Just watch....

Fill the bottom pot with water, no higher than the DRL printed on the bottom pot... In my case, this is the 8 cup mark.

Place this over medium flame (no higher) and allow to come to a simmer.  (If you have an electric coil stove you should have a wire star to prevent actual contact with the coil, though I have seen people use these directly on the coil before)

Once the water in the lower pot comes to a simmer, run the filter rod under cold water and place it in the upper bowl.  (the pebbly texture prevents the grounds from entering the lower bowl during the final siphoning)

Place the ground coffee in the upper bowl.  1 TB per cup and an extra one for the pot for a total of 9 TB. (Your grind should be coarser than Auto-Drip grind, but not as coarse as French Press grind)

Place the upper bowl on top of the lower bowl, then press gently and twist to the right to form a seal.

Now it's a waiting game... as the water below begins to turn to vapor, the pressure will begin forcing the hot water up the tube and into the upper bowl.  (it's all based on atmospheric pressure and water displacement, but am going to refrain from completely "geeking out")

Eventually, the water in the lower pot will drop lower than the end of the siphon tube... THIS is what you have been waiting for...  The steam in the lower pot now has the ability to escape up the tube. As this steam bubbles up through the water and grounds in the upper bowl, it churns everything around, creating greater contact between the coffee and the water and as an added bonus, it keeps the water in the upper bowl at the correct brewing temperature of 195-200 degrees. How brilliant is that?

Let it churn for 60 to 90 seconds.

Then simply remove the pot from the flame and allow it to cool... This is where the magic begins.

As the lower pot cools, the steam that is left will begin to cool and condense, thus there is now less pressure in the lower bowl.  The lower pressure below begins pulling the coffee infused liquid, in the upper pot, down into the lower pot in an effort to equalize.

Now, since some steam escaped during the "churning", the pressure in the lower pot is actually "less" than what it displaced before. (I hope that made sense) As a result, there is more "suction" than there is water in the upper bowl, this leads to the gasping sound at the end as the lower pot sucks air in through the grounds as well.  This little burst of drawn air at the end is powerful enough to "suck" the coffee grounds almost completely dry.

Remove the upper bowl and lay it CAREFULLY in the sink...

And there you have it..... Delicious coffee just like they made it back in the 30's... or as I like to call it "Coffee AND a show"

Now, pour your self a nice cup of super rich and super smooth vacuum brew!

Cin Cin!!
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