# Siphon Coffee

Source: https://dailyextraction.com/methods/siphon/
Last updated: 2026-10-20

> A siphon, or vacuum pot, has two glass chambers. Heating the lower one builds vapour pressure that pushes the water up into the top chamber, where it brews with the coffee. Take the heat away and, as the lower chamber cools, the vacuum pulls the coffee back down through a filter. Hario suggests 15–17 g of medium-fine coffee to 250 g of water.

## At a glance

- Ratio: 1:15 (17 g coffee : 250 g water)
- Grind: Medium-fine (table salt)
- Category: Vacuum & Siphon (Vacuum)
- Difficulty: Advanced
- Origin: Germany, 1827
- Also known as: syphon, vacuum pot, vac pot, vacuum coffee maker, siphon coffee maker

## Steps

1. **Prepare the filter**: Soak the cloth filter in warm water, then fit it in the upper chamber and hook its chain to the bottom of the tube.
2. **Fill the lower chamber**: Pour 250 g of water into the lower bowl and dry the outside of the glass.
3. **Heat**: Rest the upper chamber in the bowl at an angle and heat the lower bowl. Once the water starts to boil, seat the upper chamber firmly.
4. **Add the coffee**: When the water has risen into the top chamber, add 15–17 g of medium-fine coffee and stir gently, three to five times.
5. **Brew**: Lower the heat so the water just stays up top, and brew for 70 seconds.
6. **Take away the heat**: Turn off the heat and give it 3 good stirs. As the lower chamber cools, the coffee is pulled down through the filter.
7. **Serve**: When the coffee has drained, remove the upper chamber carefully and pour.

**Siphon coffee** is brewed in a **vacuum pot**: two glass chambers, one above the other, joined by a tube. Heat the lower chamber and **vapour pressure pushes the water up** into the top chamber, where it brews with the coffee. Take the heat away and, as the lower chamber cools, the **vacuum pulls the coffee back down** through a filter. It's part science experiment, part theatre, and it makes a very **clean, aromatic, light-bodied** cup. Here's how it works, Hario's recipe and the surprisingly long history.

## The short version

- **Two chambers**: heat pushes the water up, cooling pulls the coffee down.
- **Hario's guide:** 15–17 g of medium-fine coffee to 250 g of water.
- **Brew for about 70 seconds** in the top chamber, then take the heat away.
- **Cloth or paper filter**, for a very clean cup.
- **Invented in Europe from 1827 on**, and loved in Japan's coffee houses.



## How does a siphon work?

![Diagram of a siphon brewing in three stages: heat pushes the water up the tube into the upper chamber, the coffee steeps in the upper chamber, then cooling pulls the brewed coffee down through the filter](https://dailyextraction.com/diagrams/siphon-cycle.svg "Up, steep, down: the siphon's three stages.")

1. **Up:** heating the sealed lower chamber builds vapour pressure, which pushes the water up the tube into the top chamber.
2. **Steep:** you add the coffee to the hot water up top and it brews, with the heat kept low so the water stays there.
3. **Down:** take the heat away, the lower chamber cools, and the **partial vacuum** pulls the coffee back down through the filter.

Strictly, it isn't a true siphon at all: it works by vapour pressure and a vacuum, which is why it's also called a **vacuum pot**.

## What do you need?

- **A siphon brewer**: two glass chambers, a stand and a filter
- **A heat source**: an alcohol burner, butane burner or halogen heater
- **A filter**: cloth, paper or, on some models, a glass rod
- **Coffee**, a grinder, scales, and a bamboo paddle or spoon to stir

## How much coffee and water should I use?

**Hario UK's syphon guide:**

| | Amount |
| --- | --- |
| Coffee | 15–17 g, ground medium-fine |
| Water | 250 g |
| Stir | 3–5 gentle circular stirs once the coffee is in |
| Brew | 70 seconds on low heat, then heat off and 3 more stirs |

Hario's global guide puts the coffee in the upper bowl first, heats for about one minute once the water has risen, then turns off the heat and lets the coffee come down on its own.

## What grind size should I use?

**Medium-fine.** Too fine and it can clog the filter and stall the drawdown; too coarse and it tastes thin. Adjust from there.

![Chart of coffee grind sizes from extra fine to extra coarse, with medium-fine highlighted for siphon coffee](https://dailyextraction.com/diagrams/grind-size.svg#medium-fine "The siphon sits around medium-fine on the grind scale.")

## How do you brew siphon coffee, step by step?

1. **Soak the cloth filter** in warm water, fit it in the top chamber and hook its chain to the bottom of the tube.
2. **Pour 250 g of water** into the lower bowl and dry the outside of the glass.
3. **Heat it**, with the top chamber resting in the bowl at an angle. Once the water starts to boil, seat the top chamber firmly.
4. **When the water has risen**, add 15–17 g of medium-fine coffee and stir gently three to five times.
5. **Lower the heat** so the water just stays up top, and brew for 70 seconds.
6. **Turn off the heat and give it 3 good stirs.** The coffee is pulled down through the filter.
7. **Remove the top chamber carefully** and pour.

Brew mode on this page times the brew and drawdown for you.

## Why isn't my siphon working?

| Problem | Likely cause | Try |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Water won't rise | Top chamber not sealed | Seat it firmly once the water is near boiling |
| Drawdown stalls | Grind too fine, or a clogged filter | Grind coarser; clean or replace the cloth |
| Bitter, harsh | Too much heat, or brewing too long | Turn the heat down and shorten the brew |
| Thin, sour | Grind too coarse, or too short | Grind finer, or brew a little longer |

## A short history of the siphon

- **1827–1830s, Germany:** the earliest vacuum brewers appear. Wikipedia credits **Johann Nörrenberg**, who described one in 1827; Hario UK credits the 1830s German maker **Loeff** with the earliest known design.
- **1841, France:** **Madame Vassieux of Lyon** patents the twin-globe design, two glass globes held in a frame, that most people still picture.
- **Around 1840, Scotland:** a vacuum coffee machine is credited to **Napier**, an early relative of the siphon. Wikipedia names **James Robert Napier** and 1840; other sources name his father, the engineer **Robert Napier**.
- **Balance siphons:** a side-by-side variation, the [Belgian balance siphon](https://dailyextraction.com/methods/belgian-balance-siphon/), also follows the same principle.
- **Japan:** Hario began making syphons in heatproof glass in the 1940s, and says the syphon was the first household product it ever sold; in 1946 it developed an all-glass vacuum pot modelled on America's Cory brewer. Japan later started the Japan Siphonist Championship, in 2003.

## Siphon vs other brewing methods

| | Siphon | [French press](https://dailyextraction.com/methods/french-press/) | [Chemex](https://dailyextraction.com/methods/chemex/) |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| How it brews | Full immersion, then vacuum drawdown | Steep, then press | Pour-over |
| Filter | Cloth or paper | Metal mesh | Thick paper |
| Cup | Clean, light, aromatic | Heavy, full | Very clean |
| Effort | High, with a heat source | Low | Medium |

## How do you clean a siphon?

Let everything cool. Empty the grounds from the top chamber, rinse the glass, and rinse the cloth filter well. I'd keep a cloth filter damp in a covered container in the fridge between uses, and replace it when it stays stained or smells stale.

*General guidance only. Siphons use an open flame or heater, hot glass and pressure: never leave one unattended, let the glass cool before handling, and always follow the instructions that come with yours.*

## Siphon vs other methods

- **[Belgian balance siphon](https://dailyextraction.com/methods/belgian-balance-siphon/):** the side-by-side version.
- **[Cona vacuum brewer](https://dailyextraction.com/methods/cona/):** a classic British vacuum brewer.
- **[Napier vacuum machine](https://dailyextraction.com/methods/napier-vacuum/):** an early Scottish relative.
- **[French press](https://dailyextraction.com/methods/french-press/):** full immersion without the theatre.

Explore every vacuum brewer in the [vacuum chapter](https://dailyextraction.com/methods/vacuum/).

## Words used in this guide

- [Drawdown](https://dailyextraction.com/glossary/drawdown/): Drawdown is the final stage of a pour-over brew, when you have stopped pouring and the remaining water drains through the coffee bed.
- [Immersion vs percolation](https://dailyextraction.com/glossary/immersion-vs-percolation/): Immersion brewing steeps all the coffee in all the water at once, as a French press does.
- [Pour-over](https://dailyextraction.com/glossary/pour-over/): Pour-over is a way of making filter coffee by hand: you pour hot water over ground coffee in a filter cone and let it drip through into a cup or jug.
- [Metal filter](https://dailyextraction.com/glossary/metal-filter/): A metal filter is a fine stainless-steel mesh that holds back coffee grounds, as used in a French press plunger and some reusable pour-over filters.

## FAQs

### How does a siphon coffee maker work?

Heating the lower chamber builds vapour pressure that pushes the water up a tube into the top chamber, where it brews with the coffee. When you take away the heat, the lower chamber cools and the vacuum pulls the brewed coffee back down through the filter.

### What's a good siphon recipe?

Hario UK suggests 15–17 g of medium-fine coffee for 250 g of water. Add the coffee once the water has risen, stir gently three to five times, brew for 70 seconds on low heat, then turn off the heat and stir three more times.

### Who invented the siphon coffee maker?

Wikipedia credits Johann Nörrenberg, who described a vacuum brewer in Germany in 1827; Hario UK credits the 1830s German maker Loeff. In 1841, Madame Vassieux of Lyon patented the twin-globe design most people picture.

### Why is siphon coffee so clean?

The coffee steeps fully in hot water, then drains through a fine cloth or paper filter, which holds back sediment, giving a light, clean, aromatic cup.

### What heat source should I use?

Siphons are heated by alcohol burners, butane burners or halogen heaters, depending on the model. A steady, adjustable heat makes it easier to control.

### Is it called siphon or syphon?

Both spellings are used. Hario UK uses syphon. Strictly, it works by vapour pressure and a vacuum rather than a true siphon, which is why it's also called a vacuum pot.

## Sources

- [Hario syphon brew guide](https://www.hario.co.uk/pages/brew-guides-syphon)
- [The history of the coffee syphon](https://www.hario.co.uk/blogs/news/history-of-the-syphon)
- [HARIO coffee tasting life: siphon](https://global.hario.com/coffeelife/siphon.html)
- [An introduction to brewing with siphons](https://www.hario-europe.com/blogs/hario-community/an-introduction-to-brewing-with-siphons)
- [Vacuum coffee maker](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vacuum_coffee_maker)
- [Vacpot syphon: the history and brewing guide](https://perfectdailygrind.com/2015/10/vacpot-syphon-the-history-brewing-guide/)