Northwest Glass Yama Coffee Siphon Vacuum Pot, 1-Unit

by Northwest Glass

• This stylish siphon has a base with a beautiful look for any home or office
• Made of heat resistant borosilicate glass
• 15-Ounce capacity
• Inludes a soot free denatured alcohol burner
• Recommended by coffee Geek for making a smooth, delicious cup of coffee

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 4 x 4 x 13 inches ; 3 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B002CVTKUG
• Item model number: TCA-3D
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (29 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #55,090 in Kitchen & Dining (See Top 100 in Kitchen & Dining)

Product Description

Size: 15-Ounce

Directions for use; use a slightly finer grind of coffee. Drop the washable, reusable cloth covered filter into the infussion chamber with the chain hanging down into the glass syphon tube. Pull the chain down until you can hook it to the bottom of the siphon tube. Fill the bottom carafe to the 5 mark with hot water and place 5 measuring spoons of coffee in top chamber. Fill the burner with soot free denatured alcohol, ethyl or an ethyl / isopropyl mixture that's high on the ethanol side - isopropyl alcohol (rubbing alcohol) tends burns hotter than ethyl or methyl alcohols, but also burns orange and produces a lot of soot.  This is available at hardware or outdoor stores. It takes about 4 minutes to heat the water, all the water is siphoned to the top chamber and then allow 2 minutes to brew. Once you remove from the heat source, the coffee comes back down to the bottom carafe. Remove the top, placing it in its convertible lid/stand, and bring the pot to the table for serving.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

40 of 42 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars first siphon experience December 8, 2009

By Virgil Hovar

Size Name:20-Ounce|Amazon Verified Purchase

I wanted to try the siphon method of brewing and thought this would be a good entry level pot. I have been very pleased with it so far. I have used it almost every day since I received it and used it for a presentation on coffee brewing methods. I must say that I was a bit disappointed when it arrived to see that the product features had not been (nor still is) accurate. The listing stated (and still does) that this unit also "Includes an bamboo stir stick and a butane burner". Of course it did not. It contained a plastic measuring spoon that also works as a stirrer as well as an alcohol burner. I had done enough research to suspect this was the case.

On the topic of burner; I had read quite a bit about the slowness of the alcohol burner but this really hasn't been too much of an issue for me. I heat my water in an electric water kettle before putting it in the siphon and it is back up to a boil in a very short time with the alcohol burner. I could see this being an issue if you didn't preheat the water or were using a larger pot.

So far I'm very pleased with my purchase and would consider using this company and supplier in the future.

27 of 27 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Inexpensive entry-level siphon makes great coffee July 16, 2010

By bbfla

Size Name:15-Ounce|Amazon Verified Purchase

Vacuum brewing is a blast!

It may take some trial and error at first, but the high quality of the resulting brew more than rewards your persistence in getting your technique just right.

The Yama TCA-3 was the second coffee siphon I purchased.

The first was a Hario Nouveau 5-cup model. While the build and glass quality of the Yama can't hold a candle to those of the Hario, that was to be expected, as the Yama is about half the price. More importantly, the Yama does make a great cup of coffee.

From a tactile standpoint, the Hario feels better in the hand and seems more solid; the Hario Nouveau's rubber seal between the top and bottom globes is of much higher quality.

Why didn't I buy another Hario, then? Hario has stopped importing them into the U.S. While they can be found occasionally on eBay or bought from vendors in Canada, the availability of parts is a potential concern.

The Yama, at its much lower pricepoint, is a perfectly adequate entry-level vacuum brewer and a reliable "daily driver" coffeemaker.

As such, I definitely recommend it for someone on a budget, or someone who wants to try vacuum brewing for the first time but is reluctant to spend over a hundred dollars on a Hario (or significantly more than that on a Cona).

Don't be surprised if the bamboo stir stick described in the ad doesn't arrive with the brewer: there was no sign of it in my package.

On a side note, if you find you enjoy vacuum brewing, I would highly recommend getting a butane burner to replace the included alcohol burner: the butane flame burns cleaner and hotter.

25 of 27 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Great Coffee! April 30, 2010

By C. Jones

Amazon Verified Purchase

This pot makes a very clean and bright cup of coffee. However, for the price, I would have expected better quality in the construction. While the glass and rubber gaskets seem fine, the plastic components and the base feel cheap. The spring that holds the filter in place seems like it won't last more than a few years. When this eventually gives out, I'll continue to make siphon coffee, but probably find a different company.