Bodum Santos Vacuum Pot – Hit at Thanksgiving

My wife’s family with all of her cousins (on her mother’s side) typically get together over Thanksgiving. They’ve been doing it for over 20 years or more. It’s becoming more of a challenge since we are now spread out in cities like Nashville, Detroit, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, and Rochester, NY.

This year my wife asked me before going, “So are you going to bring all of your coffee stuff and at least try them out on my brothers?” (She is the only girl among three brothers – although only two out of the three brothers are coffee drinkers.) My wife’s youngest brother was responsible for bringing the coffee beans. I brought my Cuisinart Grind and Brew, a French press, and my Bodum Santos Vacuum Pot.

Overall the vacuum pot was the hit. First of all, watching it brew the coffee is entertaining in itself -  the mad scientist effect. Second, by brewing the coffee for 3-4 minutes, it becomes as rich as the French press, yet without as much of the grit.

Vacuum/Syphon Coffee Maker – 8 O’ Clock dark roast

This morning I made myself a cup of coffee in the Bodum Santos Vacuum coffee maker. It is really cool to watch it brew.

1. Heated water in a kettle on the stove.

2. Ground coffee beans. Smelled it. Mmm.

3. Added grounds to the top vessel of coffee maker.

4. When the water was just about to boil, turned fire off.

5. Added the hot water to the bottom vessel.

6. Connected the top vessel to the bottom vessel.

7. Turned on heat – within seconds the bottom vessel began to boil and hot water filled the top vessel.

8. Stirred the coffee in the top vessel. Smelled it. Mmm.

9. Turned on the timer to 3min 30sec. Turned the fire down to a low simmer.

10. When the timer went off, removed the coffee maker from the stove and set it in the holder.

11. Watched the coffee empty from the top vessel to the bottom, as the water in the bottom vessel cooled.

12. Poured the coffee into my travel mug. Took a quick slurp to sample the taste.

13. Got on my bus to work.

Verdict: The Vacuum made coffee is cleaner than the French Press coffee. On a scale of 1-10 for the intensity of the taste, 4 for drip, 9 for French Press, Vacuum was a 7. The taste lingered like the French Press, but not with the same intensity. Still, much better than drip. I think I’m leaning towards the French Press for the attack-of-the-taste buds sensation.

Vacuum/Syphon Coffee Maker

This past weekend my family and I visited my brother-in-law and his family in Rochester, NY. Before going I checked Craigslist to see if anyone in his area was selling a French Press or a burr coffee grinder. It turned out that someone in Buffalo (through which we travel on our way to Rochester) was selling a “Bodum Santos vacuum coffee maker” for $10. I immediately searched YouTube for vacuum coffee makers. It really looked like a cool way to make coffee. CoffeeGeek.com also had a really good article recommending the vacuum/syphon coffee maker and giving good step by step instructions on how to use it. So on our way back, adding an extra hour to our trip back home, I stopped to pick the coffee maker up. I made a cup of coffee in it this morning. Mmm, good coffee. Same impact of taste as the French Press, but without the grit.