Vac Pots Used To Make Coffee

[DonRocks]

Minor note for most but I was back in to Wydown earlier this week and had a chance to taste some coffee being brewed experimentally with a vacuum pot.  Not entirely sure but I don't think any shops in DC are using these (though Spro in Baltimore does) but looks like they may use it when they move to the Louis at 14th and U later this year/early next. Vac Pots produce a very clean and pure brew and are more common on the west coast.  They're more skill dependent to produce good results than other methods and were first used in the 1960s before falling out of favor to be resurrected in the late 90s.  Fun to watch (and smell) in action if you get a chance. They're definitely a multi-sensory exprience.  Stumptown shops in San Francisco use them along with other shops there and up through the Pacific NW coffee bastions in OR, WA and BC.

Whether or not this becomes regularly available at Wydown in the future (they're more time and labor intensive which is why most shops don't use them), Wydown is clearly focused on providing an especially high-quality experience as they further develop the concept.

Pic of a vac pot here for those that haven't seen one.

vacpot.jpg

Do you feel there are "advantages" to Vac Pots over, say, French Presses, pourovers, or hand-pulled espresso? I'm sure they each have their own strengths and relative weaknesses (and probably depend on the roast, the origin, etc.), but I'd still like to know your opinion - perhaps if you answer specifically in terms of Vac Pots, I'll split that into a separate thread - this is one technology I know nearly nothing about.

I was only in Seattle for a day this week, but still managed to notice quite a bit of Stumptown Roasters coffee, btw.

[darkstar965]

Do you feel there are "advantages" to Vac Pots over, say, French Presses, pourovers, or hand-pulled espresso? I'm sure they each have their own strengths and relative weaknesses (and probably depend on the roast, the origin, etc.), but I'd still like to know your opinion - perhaps if you answer specifically in terms of Vac Pots, I'll split that into a separate thread - this is one technology I know nearly nothing about.

I was only in Seattle for a day this week, but still managed to notice quite a bit of Stumptown Roasters coffee, btw.

Big caveat necessary that personal preferences really drive any answers to your question about advantages. There is no right and wrong same as food and wine. If you like it, that's what most matters and scorning others who feel differently just ain't cool on any level.

That said, my personal view is a thumbs up on Vac Pots.  Think we/I may have posted some thoughts on brewing methods elsewhere on the site (under different topics) and think some of the coffee proprietors in town have also.  Maybe at some point the McCrackens will post here when they get a free moment (very much in short supply right now!) and share a bit on why they use the methods they do.

Again, just personal but I tend to favor brew methods that are cleaner and purer representations of good beans.  I almost always order pourovers for that reason when ordering brewed coffee versus espresso or espresso drinks.  I think of vac pots as producing a result along the lines of pourovers; not the same but toward that end of the spectrum.  Alternatively, I'm not a huge fan of french presses, clevers and other methods that can be "muddier." All coffee (bean), grind and personal preference dependent.