Japanese Electric Brewer Siphonysta Vacuums Up Funds for Spring Launch

The Siphonysta coffee brewer, which is currently heading into production. All images courtesy of Tiger Corporation.

Japanese houseware maker Tiger Corporation is moving into production of the Siphonysta, a new electric coffee brewing device modeled after the manual siphon or “vacpot” coffee method.

A Kickstarter campaign supporting the Siphonysta has more than doubled its $20,000 fundraising goal, reaching $52,000, as of this writing, with more than a week to go.

With dual vertically oriented chambers and a reliance on steam pressure, the 1- or 2-cup Siphonysta brewer does have a lot in common with its namesake, although its functionality is practically an inversion of the classic manual method.

In a vacpot, hot water from below rises to an open upper chamber where dry coffee is then added, steeped and stirred manually before the liquid is drawn down by natural vacuum force. With the Siphonysta, dry coffee starts off in the bottom chamber. Water is heated in the upper  chamber and then descends. The brew is agitated by steam, and is then driven through a filter back to the upper chamber.

Another novelty in the Siphonysta process is that the grounds are initially soaked in the lower chamber by steam before hot water is introduced. A pipe connected from the body of the machine to the lower cylinder delivers a moist jet of steam prior to brewing, which the company said penetrates the coffee bed and evenly saturates the grounds for a faster and more thorough extraction.

The machine offers variable preset temperatures, including a “Dual Temp” mode that automatically reduces the temperature of the brew halfway through, which the company contends reduces bitterness.

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“The mode offers a less cloying, clearer taste by using a two-step temperature extraction system that switches the heat of the pouring water in the middle of the extraction process,” Rie Tsuji, PR director for Siphonysta, told Daily Coffee News. “This is not possible with traditional siphon coffee makers. The Siphonysta uses steam and vacuum technology to achieve the same immersion extraction as seen in traditional siphon coffee, but is also capable of extracting the maximum potential of coffee beans through delicate brewing temperature control, automatic stirring by steam, and pressure control technology that enables water to be pumped with optimum timing.”

Siphonysta is the first consumer coffee product made by Tiger Corporation, which was founded in 1923 in Osaka. For nearly a century, the company has specialized in vacuum insulation technology for consumer and commercial products such as bottles and other containers. The company also offers electric household products such as hot water dispensers and rice cookers.

For the Siphonysta, Tiger positioned a heater into the back of the machine’s body. That allows for the water in the upper chamber to heat rapidly while also generating steam that can be volume-programmed for steaming the grounds, heating the water and agitating the brew.

A push-button interface with options for “Flavor” and “Strength” results in changes to the water temperature and brew phase durations executed automatically by the machine. The brew is driven to the upper chamber by a pump as the chambers are decompressed, then flows downward through a spout into a mug or carafe.

Tiger Corporation says it plans to begin delivering the machine to Kickstarter backers this June, after which time the machine will launch for sale on Amazon and other online retailers for a retail price of $700.

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