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Permalink Reply by Jonathan Aldrich on September 29, 2009 at 2:06pm

Brady, I wonder if perhaps your problem may be putting too little water in the lower chamber vs. the capacity of the vac-pot. Seems like if proportion of water vs. available space is too low it would cause pressure to build up faster and send water up before it has reached the correct temperature because air heats up faster than water. Just a thought...

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Permalink Reply by Jason Haeger on September 29, 2009 at 2:34pm

I'm glad I didn't have to make a video of a vac-pot session just to prove my earlier statement.

Thanks, Brady. That is certainly well below the 202F range.

Brady said:

Not to be contentious... but I was just able to send all the water in my 8-cup Yama north and keep it there without the lower chamber water ever going above 190 F (87 C). Only a couple of very tiny bubbles. Upper chamber water temp never topped 165 F (74 C). Darn near sea level here too.

This is why my first few vac-pot batches never came out very good... I was connecting the two chambers too soon and getting warmish water up north too quickly.

BTW... if you want to check the lower chamber water temp, do a run without the filter in place and stuff the thermometer stem down the tube. You can estimate temp pretty accurately by watching the size and bubbles, then apply your learnings to a real batch.

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Permalink Reply by Cash Reynolds on September 29, 2009 at 5:16pm

I like brewing my coffee one cup at time with this single cup cone set-up which, I feel, gives me better controll during the brew process. Typically I'll brew my cup on the strong side and cut it with water as needed to achieve a really satisfying cup. Also I have a standard 16oz pyrex measuring cup that I use in the microwave to get the right amount of water, fresh off the boil quickly. Quick, simple and good results... just the way I like it!

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Permalink Reply by Brady on September 29, 2009 at 7:49pm

Jonathan Aldrich said:

Brady, I wonder if perhaps your problem may be putting too little water in the lower chamber vs. the capacity of the vac-pot. Seems like if proportion of water vs. available space is too low it would cause pressure to build up faster and send water up before it has reached the correct temperature because air heats up faster than water. Just a thought...

Thanks, but this was an experiment to see how cool water could be and still be "sent northward"... in order to show what range of temperatures could be used to brew. So I intentionally did everything I could to keep the water cooler.

To get best control of temperature, I think its standard to leave the upper chamber detached until the water reaches the temperature you are looking for... then do your best to maintain that temp until the infusion in complete. This negates any impact of airspace. Good thinking though.

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Permalink Reply by teresa pilarz on September 29, 2009 at 8:07pm

It changes depending on my mood, but usually pour over is always a winner.

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Permalink Reply by Chris Dodson on September 29, 2009 at 9:23pm

I like to leave the upper chamber on to keep it heated. Yes, I'm a total sucker for everything being hot..

Brady said:

Jonathan Aldrich said:

Brady, I wonder if perhaps your problem may be putting too little water in the lower chamber vs. the capacity of the vac-pot. Seems like if proportion of water vs. available space is too low it would cause pressure to build up faster and send water up before it has reached the correct temperature because air heats up faster than water. Just a thought...

Thanks, but this was an experiment to see how cool water could be and still be "sent northward"... in order to show what range of temperatures could be used to brew. So I intentionally did everything I could to keep the water cooler.

To get best control of temperature, I think its standard to leave the upper chamber detached until the water reaches the temperature you are looking for... then do your best to maintain that temp until the infusion in complete. This negates any impact of airspace. Good thinking though.

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Permalink Reply by Bryan Wray on September 30, 2009 at 6:51am

Brady, Chris, everyone in on the vac-pot talk: I'm really, really interested in where this is going, but maybe we should move this to a different thread? I'll start one over in the vac pot brewers group. I'll post the link when it's up...

-bry

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Permalink Reply by Jason Haeger on September 30, 2009 at 6:52am

I suspect that in doing so the discussion will probably die. But go for it. We'll give it a shot. :shrug:

Bryan Wray said:

Brady, Chris, everyone in on the vac-pot talk: I'm really, really interested in where this is going, but maybe we should move this to a different thread? I'll start one over in the vac pot brewers group. I'll post the link when it's up...

-bry

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Permalink Reply by Bryan Wray on September 30, 2009 at 6:57am

Jason Haeger said:

I suspect that in doing so the discussion will probably die. But go for it. We'll give it a shot. :shrug:

Bryan Wray said:

Brady, Chris, everyone in on the vac-pot talk: I'm really, really interested in where this is going, but maybe we should move this to a different thread? I'll start one over in the vac pot brewers group. I'll post the link when it's up...

-bry

Oh I know it will... But here's to hoping!

Here's the new thread.

-bry

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Permalink Reply by Duane Fahey on October 1, 2009 at 7:36pm

Thanks Fraser!

Fraser Jamieson said:

Well, I shouldn't say this without checking first, myself; but, I'd suggest looking Bodum's web site for some info.

Back, for a second, to the first post's question: My favourite coffee is from the French Press. Years back, I always made it in an ibrik, after first crushing my coffee in a marble mortis and pestle. It was from that that I developed a taste for coffee grounds.

So...now that I'm using a Bodum, I'm grinding my coffee much finer than they suggest. I enjoy the texture of it. Just my personal opinion.

At work, though, we serve only drip and espresso. Drip I can't stand, at least, not often, and never in our shop. Our espresso I enjoy, but only when I make it or when it's made by one of my co-workers. I'm the only one who owns a tamper...so you can only imagine how bad it is most of the time.

Anyway, Duane, Bodums all come with a spoon and the suggestion of two scoops per American cup or 3 small Euro/Espresso cups. Whatever, I use much much more than that so that the piston can't make it all the way down. Most wouldn't like it that way; Bodum's suggestion makes universally acceptible coffee. As for temp: I use water at about 93 C and have good results with that. Again, check with Bodum.

Good luck on your i-project. Sounds like a great idea.

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