One of the ‘to-dos’ that makes the list most weekends is to sort through one of our sheds or cupboards and pile up the things we don’t use so we can sell them or give them away. This is a task that I love doing in theory, but in practice what usually happens is the stuff stagnates in that pile for another few weeks before I get around to doing anything with it.  

A few months ago, after one well intentioned cupboard sort, I came across an unusual device that I couldn’t remember us ever using. It took a little bit to figure out how to fit the pieces together, but when I looked up Hario, the brand on the glass, I found out it was a Japanese coffee siphon. 

Since we were happy with our espresso machine, I didn’t see us using the Hario siphon, so I took photos and got ready to list it for sale on Trade Me. Then when I was reading about siphon coffee riturals to write up the sale listing, I started to wonder if we should keep it instead. 

When Mark came in from whatever he was working on outside and noticed the device on the counter, he reminded me that he’d bought it more than a decade ago when we first started getting into coffee. He liked it because the brewing process produces a smooth and delicate cup of coffee, but also how following the steps in the ritual and seeing, hearing and smelling the coffee extraction is like a meditative experience. 

I watched him grind the beans by hand, place the stand on the counter and carefully secure the rounded heatproof glass bowl of water filled to the two cup mark. He placed the filter into the top section of the siphon and secured it to the bottom section, ensuring he had a good seal between the two pieces. Heating the water in the bottom section creates steam that pushes the water into the top section where it mixes with coffee to make a brew. When heat is removed a vacuum is created that sucks the brewed coffee back into the bottom section through a fine cloth filter. 

After that first cup we decided to embrace the Japanese siphon coffee ritual. Mark upgraded from the cloth wick burner that came with the device to a butane burner, which means that the glass bowl stays crystal clear as it heats up. There’s something mesmerizing about watching the first bubbles appear in the water as it boils. Adding the freshly ground coffee to the boiling water once it’s in the top part of the siphon releases the most incredible aroma.  

It can be a bit intimidating to start using a coffee siphon. This guide to siphon coffee from coffeegeek.com explains the steps in detail. I have watched Mark use ours several times, he makes it look easy. But when I volunteered to have a go and tried to remember the steps, I stumbled on the first one. He had to talk me through the process, after which I decided that for me, the best part of the ritual is watching him do it.  

Making our first coffee of the day with the siphon has become a ritual I look forward to every day, not just on Sundays.