Choosing a siphon for tea and coffee

The assortment of utensils for making aromatic coffee and tea cannot but please with its variety. In many types of tea ceremonies, it is customary to use beautiful teapots, flasks and other vessels. But there is another easy-to-use device, which not every connoisseur of tea and coffee knows about. This is a siphon. Today we will get to know him better and figure out how to choose the right one.

The tea siphon is a very easy-to-use device in which you can brew delicious and aromatic tea, as well as many other beverages loved by many. It should be borne in mind that such a product is quite complex, so you need to handle it carefully and in accordance with all the rules. Otherwise, you can disable it and disappoint the guests visiting you. That is why it is so important to familiarize yourself with all the rules for the safe use of a tea siphon.

The first mentions of this device date back to the 19th century. No one can name the exact date of the invention of this product, however, for the first time a patent for it was issued back in 1830 in Germany. Later, the tea siphon was modernized by the French engineer L. Gabet. It was his last name that the convenient coffee siphons, which were already very popular at that time, began to be called. However, gradually interest in siphons faded away, and they were made of glass, and this is not the most reliable material. It is believed that it was the decline in interest in gabet that led to the popularization of instant coffee.

Closer to 1970, a very small number of companies did not stop producing vacuum siphons.Now such devices were bought only by their true fans and amateurs. Only in 2000 gabets began to regain their former demand and popularity again. So, today, many American and European coffee houses prepare excellent coffee in a siphon.

Initially, siphons were only used for brewing coffee. But over time, they began to be used for making tea. This happened after these devices came to Taiwan (tea country) from Japan. Nowadays, in many stores there is an opportunity to find good devices that differ in functionality and reliability.

The main feature of such devices is that when working with them, it is important to observe all the necessary safety rules. For example, a siphon bulb is an object that should never be touched with bare hands. You need to use good woven gloves or a special napkin. There are many more rules, without which it is better not even to start using such a device.

Today, using such a siphon, you can make not only coffee, but almost any type of tea. This cannot but please the connoisseurs of this drink. It should be borne in mind that with the use of this apparatus, some types of tea are especially rich and aromatic. These include the red hour, pu-erh, and aged oolongs. Moreover, using a siphon, it is possible to prepare whole tea cocktails by mixing different components.

To quickly understand how such a useful and functional device works, you need to familiarize yourself with its design. I must say that it is not the most difficult one. Of course, over time, it was seriously modernized, but its main "nodes" still remain the same. The siphon for tea and coffee consists of such elements.

• Glass flask located at the bottom. This vessel is usually rounded or teardrop-shaped. They make it from a reliable heat-resistant material that is not afraid of high liquid temperatures.
• Metal tripod. The lower vessel is attached to it so that there is free space for finding the heating element.
• Upper flask. This component is usually made of glass. Most often it has a cylindrical shape, a little less often it is spherical. In the lower part, the indicated container is complemented by a sufficiently long tube. Once the device is assembled, it will have to reach the very bottom of the lower heat-resistant container.
• The device also has lid.
• Rubber seallocated between the flasks.
• Small mesh filter. It is usually located on the top tank. It is made either from metal or from fabric.
• Heating source. Basically, this function is performed by a simple alcohol burner. But modern experienced baristas are more likely to use specialized models with a gas burner. They are often part of a set of some modern siphon models. The main advantage of such devices is that with them it is possible to more accurately regulate the heating in the conditions of different modes of preparation of the drink.

From the above information, we can conclude that the Gabet device is quite simple and straightforward. Knowing it, you can more easily figure out what the principle of operation of the device is. Let's take a closer look at how such a device works using the example of a tea siphon.

First of all, before starting the operation of this device, it is always necessary to check the reliability of its design. The filter must be properly connected to the upper container using a spring. The latter in a state of tension is fixed with a special hook that follows from the edge of the connecting tube.

Such a device operates on the principle of gas expansion under heating conditions. Hot water must be poured into one of the containers.As for the second one, which is connected to the first special glass tube, you need to pour the tea leaves into it. The liquid in the container located below heats up and boils, gradually rising to the container located above. Boiling (not to be confused with boiling) allows the liquid to achieve sufficient oxygen saturation, which has a beneficial effect on the taste and aroma of the drink. This usually takes about 30 seconds or 1 minute to complete. By changing the burner power, it becomes possible to regulate the drilling force.

A drink, such as tea, can be gently stirred using a wooden stick. To do this, you just need to remove the lid. As soon as the tea is ready, the burner must be turned off and removed to its place. Remove the plastic cap from the flask on top. At the same time, the drink descends accompanied by a characteristic puffing sound.

After all the above steps, it is permissible to proceed to disassembling the device. Flasks must be removed exclusively with gloves. The container is removed from above and carefully placed on the inverted lid.

When preparing tea or coffee in a siphon, it is worth keeping in mind some of the features of the operation of this device.

• In a high-quality and reliable siphon, it is possible to prepare all types of tea and coffee. As mentioned above, with the help of such a device there is an excellent opportunity to make whole cocktails from the mentioned drinks. These treats are made from a combination of different ingredients.
• The main advantage of making tea in a siphon before brewing coffee is the entertainment of the process itself. By itself, coffee is a fairly thick, impenetrable drink. In the siphon, he does not attract attention to himself. With tea, everything is different - it is actively bubbling, moving from one flask to another. This process is essential. You do not need to stop it.

• When working with such a device, it is very important to follow the safety rules - this is one of the main features of the Gabet operation. Otherwise, there can be very bad consequences.
• When preparing aromatic coffee, it should be borne in mind that the finer the grinding, the fewer minutes it will take to extract the treat. Therefore, using medium-fraction powder, the fire in the burner will need to be slightly reduced, allowing the coffee in the container on top to boil for another minute. In this case, the water will be even better saturated with taste and aroma.

As mentioned above, it is very important to follow all necessary safety rules when working with a coffee or tea siphon. Let's get acquainted with their list.

• Do not touch the flasks of the device with bare hands. Do this only with special gloves.
• The flasks are made of high-strength glass, but it can be broken. That is why it is so important to take good care of such containers. If the vessel accidentally hits something, but you did not see any noticeable defects, then it is better to test it anyway. To this end, it is necessary to brew tea in a full working cycle with complete safety.
• Be as careful as possible with the burner. It is permissible to start refueling it only if it has completely cooled down.Other heating devices and sources of ignition should be kept as far away as possible. Lighter gas is not suitable for refueling.
• The tea or coffee siphon must not be heated continuously and continuously for more than 10 minutes. In no case should there be more than five brewing cycles of tea or coffee without pauses and breaks. The flask located at the bottom can easily overheat and crack. The siphon should cool down in an exclusively natural way.

You need to choose the right gabet if you want to cook really tasty and healthy drinks in it. One should proceed from such important criteria when selecting this device.

• Gas-burner. This detail must be comfortable enough. Its adjustment should be hassle-free and easy. The presence of incomprehensible odors is unacceptable.
• The glass from which the flasks are made. The material for the manufacture of vessels for siphons must be of high quality and heat-resistant. High temperature tempered glass is the best option.
• Metal filter. This component will last much longer and will be more reliable than the textile one.
• The quality of the rubber parts. The siphon design contains small rubber gaskets. They act as a connecting part of the bulb. It should not be too soft, otherwise there will be no sense from it.
• Company manufacturer. It is recommended to look closely at high quality and well-known models from the Japanese brand Hario and the Taiwanese manufacturer Yama Glass. short-lived, but also unsafe.

For brewing tea and coffee in a siphon, see the following video.