What is Syphon? Why is it important?

“The symbol for the artistic method of making coffee” – that is how many people use to describe Syphon. What is Syphon? Where does it come from?

Historical periods of Syphon

The original design of the Syphon

Since 1830, a number of vacuum pressurized coffee machines have been used in Germany. However, the earliest known invention of the Syphon coffee pot was Marie Fanny Amelne Massot of Lyons (France). “Vassieux” was the first name of the Syphon pot in a patent application in 1840. This is a vacuum pressurized coffee maker made up of two interconnected glass bulbs held on a stand. And perhaps, those are the designs that are most similar to the modern Syphon, although there have been significant changes in the past 100 years.

Although Syphon vases with beautiful decorative motifs have stepped out of the kitchen into the living room to become decorative items. However, there are still significant problems related to glass materials. Because of its poor heat resistance, it is easy to explode and break during preparation. So a series of invention designs were born to overcome the problem of breaking the glass kettle when the boiling water completely evaporated.

In the 1850s Syphon was completely separated into two parts, including a metal vessel and a glass vessel. They are balanced like a balance and connected through a pipe. This texture is called the Balancing Syphon. Of course, at this time, many people didn’t like the Balancing Syphon. So that it has really drifted into the past. In fact, it’s only in a handful of collections or sold on Amazon as a decorative item rather than a coffee enjoyment.

The process of reinventing the Syphon

When the vacuum coffee pot re-emerged in the early twentieth century, it was accepted as a new American invention, despite its long history in Europe. This was also the period that saw the rapid growth of the series of vacuum coffee pots, which brought Syphon to its peak before settling into the 1950s.

In 1898, the design of the vacuum coffee maker consisted of a metal vessel below with a cylindrical glass vessel above. These two vases fit tightly together with linen. Again, this design is not entirely new, and looks to be a copy of the vacuum coffees popular in Europe in the 1850s.

And then, a tool called Coffee Percolator was invented by Albert Cohn in 1914. The pure design “descendant” of the first Vassieux vase was invented in France, only it was invented in America.

The new turning point from heat-resistant glass Syphon

In 1915, a vacuum coffee maker was produced from Pyrex, with the new heat-resistant glass material of Corning Glass Work. It is sold under the name “SILEX”, which stands for the words:

+ Sanitary: clean

+ Interesting method of making: interesting method

+ Luscious coffee: good coffee

+ Easy to operate: easy to use

+ X-ray transparent: transparent

With tempered glass, the Silex flasks overcome the problem of their predecessor Vassieux from France. At this time, it became a popular vacuum pressure coffee maker in restaurants, hotels… As a result, today the name “Silex” is as popular as “Syphon”.

The era of electricity and automation on the Syphon

Between the 1930s and 1950s, some of the most prominent manufacturers in the application of new materials and automation to the Syphon vessels appeared such as Cory, Proctor Silex and Sunbeam.

Several designs of the electric Syphon are patented by the company Silex, with a special stabilizing mechanism designed to keep steady on moving vehicles such as ships and trains. The inventors of the flask of this period struggled with the new problem of determining the right time to cool down the flask. However, several solutions have been proposed, with the use of thermal sensors and mechanisms that sense vessel vibrations caused by steam.

The 1940s saw many improvements in the design of Syphon flasks, including Harvey Cory’s “Rubberless” patent (in 1942) with the use of a rubber gasket between the two flasks. glass.

Remarkably, in the same period of 1940 – 1943, the coffee industry saw the appearance of Sunbeam’s Coffeemaster product line. This is a series of successive generations of shiny chrome Syphon pots combined with automatic electrical systems, making coffee with Syphon has never been simpler.

By the mid-1950s, Syphon’s profits were declining and the number of patents had dropped significantly after about 1951 as users switched to electric filters more quickly and economically.

The Renaissance of the Syphon

In the early years of the 21st century was the renaissance of the Syphon flasks. The movement was initiated by true coffee connoisseurs and the Art Deco movement of the time. A few companies still produce and sell simple handmade vacuum coffee pots according to the original designs in Europe, especially Asian companies like Hario, Yama,.. This is a clear example of how simple designs can last. After going through countless designs, modifications and influences by technology, the handmade Syphon has never been forgotten.

Syphon method become more popular

There is rarely a method of making coffee as popular and as old as Syphon. Syphon has never been forgotten. Why do you forget 43 Factory Coffee Roaster when it has a method of making coffee using a Syphon pot?