Vacuum Coffee Machine

Vacuum Coffee Machine

Originally called the Napier, after its Scottish inventor, this brewing method has been in use since before 1840. In Britain these wonderful machines are manufactured by the Cona company. If the dinner table conversation is flagging, put one of these in action on the table; they are amazing to watch (although they are a bit fiddly) and make good coffee, if it is not kept warm too long. Some of them come with an electric coil heater, others require a spirit lamp.

The grind should really be fine-to-medium; if a fine grind is used, you may get sediment in the coffee liquid, depending on the type of filter stopper your machine has; if you use a medium grind, you may require slightly more coffee if you want more flavor. the vacuum might be the one method that actually benefit the omni-grind now marketed by many coffee companies as working for both filter and plunger, a fallacy, of course.

Pour the cold water into the bottom jug. Place the filter into the top of the glass funnel. (In some Cona machines the filter may be a glass stopper; if it is the rubber stopper, drop the chain through the funnel and anchor it around the funnel's bottom rim.) Place the jug on or over the heat and carefully twist the upper bowl and the funnel into the bottom jug. Put the dry coffee in the upper bowl and wait for the water below to boil. When the water has finished rising up the funnel, it always leaves a small amount of water in the bottom jug, but this protects it from the heat - stir the upper mixture well, immediately lower the heat, or remove entirely from the heat, and wait for the coffee to descend. Carefully remove the upper bowl and grounds, and serve the coffee.

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