These days, I’m finding it harder to enjoy the simple drip brew coffee, especially made at home… between my beloved siphon coffee setup and my new stove-top Moka pot, I just can’t bring myself to fire up the old drip anymore.

Sure, I’ll sometimes whip down to Coffeetime or True Brew or even Starbucks when I need a cup in a jiffy, but on a Saturday or Sunday morning, or on vacation, I’ll take the time to set up the vacuum.

The siphon, or the vacuum pot, which looks suspiciously like a bong or underground meth lab when it gets set up is pretty simple in concept: water boils in the lower chamber, passes into the upper chamber where it makes contact with the grounds for about a minute (I prefer shorter contact time with a finer ground: your mileage may vary), and then passes through a cloth filter on it’s way back down.

When finally sipped, the coffee is clean and powerful, free of any grind and other impurities that come with other setups. Maybe it tastes better because it takes a little more work to get going, and clean up is definitely a hassle, but for the outcome, all the effort is worth it. (It’s called a siphon because of the way it uses pressure to pull the liquid between the chambers. It’s also called a vacuum, because it vacuums all the moisture out of the grounds in the top chamber).

I’ve seen vac pots behind the counter at both Dark Horse locations here in Toronto, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone brave enough to take the plunge. I got my pot from the Green Beanery in the Annex, so if you want to find out more about the process, go in and ask them.

Or, if you stop by the apartment, Ill happily share a pot with you.