Vacuum brewing is going mainstream.
Written: Mar 15 '02
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Easy to clean, brews very quickly, makes a great cup of coffee.
Cons: Pricey, plastic parts might wear out over time.
The Bottom Line: It might look weird, and take a few more minutes to clean, but makes a great cup of coffee in next to no time!
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| gunf1ghter's Full Review: Starbucks Barista Utopia |
As something of a coffee afficianado (maniac?) my quest for the perfect cup of coffee never ends. Although many folks are perfectly happy throwing some folgers crystals into their drip coffee maker, I demand a higher quality cup of coffee.
Soon after I became hooked on quality coffee I discovered the french press. It made damn fine coffee (much better than the anemic output of a drip machine), but sadly there was a tendancy to get a lot of grit mixed in with the final product, to overcome this I found that I was making far more coffee than I could possibly drink. Additionally, a french press continues to brew coffee until it is completely removed from the carafe. This means that your first cup is excellent, but subsequent cups are often very bitter and over-saturated.
Doing some research allowed me to discover the wonderful vacuum brewing system that has been in use since the 20's or 30's. The great thing about this brewing system is that it produces a near perfect cup of coffee, with the coffee being brewed at precisely the correct temperature. The result is a rich, flavorful cup of coffee without the harshness or grit that is found in a cup brewed in a french press.
This brewing system is still widely used in Japan, and some upscale restaraunts still employ it.
The great thing about this new Starbucks machine is that it combines the convenience of an electric (most older style vac pots are prepared over a small spirit lamp) with the high quality of vacuum brewed coffee.
The unit itself consists of a rather ingenius design. The bottom base unit is simply the timer and power delivery system, the carafe actually contains the heating element... more on this later. Although the parts are made of plastic, I have no complaints about the quality. If anything this is an advantage for me, as I have broken many of the glass vacuum pots that I have owned while cleaning them.
Coffee preperation consists of some very simple steps, fresh filtered water is placed in the bottom carafe. Fresh ground coffee (the grind is up to you but I use a grind similar to that I would use in a french press) is placed in the top filter basket. Although our friends at starbucks recommend two tablesppons of coffee to every 5 oz of water, I would recommend the more commonly used measure of two tbsps to 8 oz of water. In any event you are free to experiment with these things. Place the filter basket snugly on the bottom carafe and hit the power button. From the time the power button is hit to the time the coffee is ready is usually about 4 minutes... it really does brew coffee quickly!
After the brewing is done, remove the top basket... there is a flip down lid that will keep the carafe sealed so that you can keep the coffee hot while you enjoy it. Also, they employ a pulse heating system that only heats up the coffee for a short period every couple of minutes (regular drip makers keep the bottom "burner" on continuously which just cooks the coffee making it better and un-pleasant).
When you are done, cleanup is very simple... all of the plastic parts can be rinsed in the sink under hot water. The only problem here might be for folks who have a septic system and can't put the coffee grounds down their disposal drain... in that case you would have to scoop the grounds out of the filter basket which would make cleanup more of a chore.
I really like this unit... it was developed by the folks at Bodum who spent a great deal of time building a fantastic unit... they also spent a great deal of time developing one of the original glass vacuum pots which I also own.
Some folks have complained of problems with these units... seals that don't fit properly and so on. I think that was really a problem with early production units... I have never had a problem with mine and I have been using it continually for over 4 months. Although the plastic might look a tad bit tacky it is practically in-destructable which means that it should last for a very long time. I expect that the heating unit would finally wear out before the plastic seals ever failed. The unit is also rather expensive, $120 is a lot of money for a coffee maker, but if you really enjoy great coffee you will love this one!
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
gunf1ghter
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Reviews written: 36
Trusted by: 6 members
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