Skip to main content
iCoffee LogoiCoffee
Menu
Language
Download on the App StoreGet it on Google Play

Siphon Recipe: The iCoffee House Brew

Delicate and layered, the showpiece brew. 17g coffee, 255ml water at 92°C, 1:15 ratio, medium grind. 90-second steep, vacuum drawdown. 12 minutes start to serve.

A row of three glass siphon brewers staged on a polished metal burner station in a cafe, warm interior lighting in the background

A row of siphons on the bar, the brewing method that turns service into theater. · Photo by Emil Widlund on Unsplash

TL;DR

The siphon brews by vapor pressure and vacuum. Heat the lower flask, water rises into the upper chamber where the coffee steeps, kill the heat, and the cooling vacuum pulls the finished brew back down through the filter. We use 17g (0.6oz) of medium-ground coffee with 255ml (8.6 fl oz) of water, a 1:15 ratio at 92°C (198°F), with a 90-second steep. The cup that comes out is the cleanest, most tea-like brew home equipment can produce. 12 minutes start to serve.

Ratio
1:15
Coffee
17g (0.6oz)
Water
255ml (8.6 fl oz)
Temperature
92°C (198°F)
Grind
Medium
Total time
12 min
Yield
235ml (7.9 fl oz)
Difficulty
Expert

What you need

Equipment

  • Siphon brewer (Yama, Hario Technica, or similar)
  • Alcohol or butane burner (NOT open gas flame; the heat curve matters)
  • Cloth or paper filter sized to the brewer
  • Kitchen scale
  • Stirring paddle (wood preferred)

Ingredients

  • 17g (0.6oz) freshly ground coffee (medium grind, like beach sand)
  • 255ml (8.6 fl oz) filtered water (pre-warmed if your burner is slow)

The recipe

1
at 0:00, ~2:00

Preheat the lower flask and add 255ml (8.6 fl oz) of filtered water. Light the burner.

Ensure accurate water volume for consistent brewing. Use a scale for precision.
2
at 9:00, ~30s

When water has risen to the upper chamber, add 17g (0.6oz) of medium-ground coffee and stir gently 2-3 times.

Gentle stirring ensures saturation without breaking the bed.
3
at 9:30, ~1:30

Brew for 70-90 seconds with the heat reduced to a maintenance level (not full blast).

Maintain gentle heat to avoid over-agitation.
4
at 11:00, ~1:00

Remove the burner. As the lower flask cools, the vacuum pulls the brew back down through the filter. Wait the full 60-90 seconds, then serve.

The vacuum pulls the brew through the filter. Don't rush it.

Why this recipe works

The siphon's draw is that it's a closed system. Water doesn't drop through grounds and out the bottom like a pour over; it's pushed up by vapor, steeped in the upper chamber, and pulled back through a fine filter by vacuum. Every parameter rides on the heat curve.

Ratio. 1:15, a touch heavier than typical pour over. The clean filter and short steep extract less than an open brewer, so the extra coffee compensates without muddying the clarity that defines the method.

Temperature. Around 92°C (198°F). The upper chamber sits 5-7°C below the boiling lower flask, which is the sweet spot. Hotter (full boil pushed up) over-extracts; cooler (heat removed too early) under-extracts before the vacuum pulls.

Grind. Medium, between V60 and French press. Finer grinds clog the cloth filter and stall the drawdown; coarser grinds under-extract in the 90-second steep.

Heat removal timing. The single hardest variable. Pulling the burner at exactly the right moment dictates how the vacuum pulls and how the cup tastes. Too early and the drawdown stalls; too late and the upper chamber boils and bitter compounds extract.

What makes this ours

The siphon rewards practice more than any other home brewer. The first cup is rarely good; the tenth is often the cleanest thing you can brew at home. If you want a method to spend a year mastering, the siphon delivers.

What to adjust

If your cup tastes bitter or astringent: heat was too high during the steep, or you stirred too aggressively. Reduce the burner and stir only 2-3 gentle passes.

If your cup tastes weak or sour: your steep was too short or the grind too coarse. Extend to a full 90 seconds and step one click finer.

If the drawdown stalls or stops: the filter is clogged with fines (grind too fine) or wasn't pre-rinsed properly. Restart with a properly rinsed filter and slightly coarser grind.

Related

More recipes