Ubercoffee Pot

[Tuckerfan]

And it’s a “mere” $20K.

WITH its brass-trimmed halogen heating elements, glass globes and bamboo paddles, the new contraption that is to begin making coffee this week at the Blue Bottle Café here looks like a machine from a Jules Verne novel, a 19th-century vision of the future.

Called a siphon bar, it was imported from Japan at a total cost of more than $20,000. The cafe has the only halogen-powered model in the United States, and getting it here required years of elliptical discussions with its importer, Jay Egami of the Ueshima Coffee Company.

And I gotta admit, it does look cool (not necessarily $20K cool, but cool none the less). Apparently, there’s some Zen involved with how it works.

A siphon pot has two stacked glass globes, and works a little like a macchinetta, that stove-top gadget wrongly called an espresso maker by generations of graduate students. As water vapor forces water into the upper globe the coffee grounds are stirred by hand with a bamboo paddle. (In Japan, siphon coffee masters carve their own paddles to fit the shape of their palms.)

[Ellen_Cherry]

But the actual purchase price isn’t necessarliy $20K?

[Mindfield]

Finally, a brewing system worthy of my thrice-daily Kopi Luwak habit!

Also, this:

“Siphon coffee is very delicate,” he said. “It’s sweeter and juicier, and the flavors change as the temperature changes. Sometimes it has a texture so light it’s almost moussey.”

Juicier.

Moussey.

Coffee.

That pretty much says it all, really.

[gotpasswords]

@Mindfield

Moussey.

Coffee.

That pretty much says it all, really.

I hope they meant mousse, rather than mouse.

Mousse would not be a bad description for a nice head of crema, actually.

They apparently crank out a fine cuppa joe, according to the reviews on Yelp.

I may have to pop over there at lunchtime once they get it up and running, just to gape at a $20,000 coffee maker.

But, will it do any better than the vintage siphon pot, or the macchinetta, or the percolator, or the french press that I already have?

[gotpasswords]

Well!

Even though this thing is just a block away from my office, I don’t think I’ll be there all that often, just because I’m not going to be able to consume a full pot of coffee on my own. And not for in the neighborhood of $15 per pot, even if a pot comes with a small plate of pastries or candy specially selected to match and enhance the coffee.

The brewer has an almost steampunk look with its fittings, brass, and well, steam. It’s now behind a lucite panel to keep it safe from curious fingers. (And to keep curious fingers safe from getting burned!) Apparently it did not cost $20,000 on its own - 20k was the package price for the machine, shipping, accessories and installation. So it’s probably an $18,000 coffee maker.

[Phlosphr]

@Mindfield

Finally, a brewing system worthy of my thrice-daily Kopi Luwak habit!

I got a pound of the poop coffee for Christmas - it’s actually quite good, but placed through that Jules Verne Contraption I bet would be worth it’s weight.

Now as far as I know, 20k for a good brass espresso maker is about right, so what’s all the ogling at the 20k for this coffee maker about?

[Bites_When_Provoked]

But what does it taste like, gotpasswords? Enquiring minds want to know!

[Boyo_Jim]

Finally, a brewer suitable for my cofcaine.

[detop]

@Mindfield

<snip>
Juicier.

Moussey.

Coffee.

That pretty much says it all, really.

Wimps.

Real coffee should melt the spoon as you stir it. Coffee starts to be ready when the spoon stands by itself in the cup.

[gotpasswords]

@Bites When Provoked

But what does it taste like, gotpasswords? Enquiring minds want to know!

Send me the fifteen bucks, and I’ll try it.

I’m not in their target demographic - at work, I take a scoop of the free no-name office coffee and dump it in my travel french press. At home, it’s Maxwell House in a percolator.

[Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus]

@gotpasswords

I hope they meant mousse, rather than mouse.

Mousse would not be a bad description for a nice head of crema, actually.

Maybe they meant the majestic moose.
(following statement not directed at gotpasswords specifically)

Seriously, siphon coffee is the best. Anyone who is fortunate enough to live near a cafe that sells it should try it before they dismiss it.