Customer Reviews

YAMA 8 Cup Vacuum Pot Coffee Brewer - Coffee Siphon

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

When I first seen this product, I was trying to decide between it and the Bodum. Having made a side by side comparison, I decided I liked the handle on the Yama model better (it looked more sturdy). I was a little hesitant about buying it at first because it was made in Taiwan, but when my pot arrived I knew i made the right decision. The coffe pot is hand made and the quality of the craftsmanship is exceptional. When I purchased this unit, I also purchased a cory glass filter from ebay to us in place of the filter assembly that comes with this unit for about $15.00 (shipping included), I highly recommend this and it works great. I have used this brewer several times now using coffe ground for auto drip and it works great; my friend who is a coffe fanatic said it was better than starbucks and is buying one of these as I write this review. I did not buy this product through Amazon because quite frankly the 20 dollar shipping charges that the seller (Expresso Parts Northwest) is charging for this item is outragious! (Sorry Amazon). Shop arround, I payed what Expresso charges here on this site with shipping included. I buy a lot of things from Amazon and wanted to write a review for the Amazon shopping community. If you love the taste of a good cup of coffe, buy this brewer you will not be disappointed. There is a little more work involved than a automatic drip machine and if you are all about convenience, than don't buy this product, but if you love coffe and don't mind a little extra time and effort in producing an exceptional cup of coffe than this product is for you!

Hi All,
OK, this is the first time that I have ever written a review of any product. In short, you will find NO OTHER percolator, drip machine, or other that will give you a better cup of coffee than a vacuum brewer such as the Yama. I purchased the Yama 8-cup 6 months ago, and love it! Not only is it fun to watch for the first couple times (not a bad idea, so as to ensure nothing screws up), it is a breeze to wash after the brewing. You can get your hand or brush into the top globe, although you need a brush for the lower (coffee urn).

I was a bit confused when reading about how the cloth filter fit into the scheme, but once I saw it...it was very obvious. Set the filter in the bottom of the top globe, with the chain assembly dropping down through the narrow tube, then pull the chain (spring thingee) down farther from the bottom and hook it onto the base of the narrow tube. Simple. The filter works great. Absolutely no sediment flows through, and cleaning the filter assembly under running water is a breeze. I bought an additional package of 5 filters, which should last a year or more. The system comes with the top globe, the bottom coffee urn, the filter assembly, a wire burner offset (barrier between hot glass stove top and the coffee urn), and a black plastic stand, which the top globe (and filter assembly) slide into, via the narrow tube after brewing.

Now, about the brewing. First, this system will, in all probability, brew a stronger coffee batch than what you would in a drip machine. My 1st time, after reading the instructions (yes I do read those), I cut back about 30% as a start, and found that to work nicely; then massaged each pot till it was perfect. To me, if the brewed coffee smells like the original grounds, then that is perfection. The only caution I can think of (other than being careful with the glass components and not dropping the filter assembly down the disposal) is to ensure you put the supplied wire offset between the glass-top stove burner and the pot. Gas stoves are not a problem.

There is no special way to put the grounds into the top. Just use the supplied measuring scoop, and toss in. When the heated water starts rising into the top globe (takes about 5 minutes to heat enough to start to rise), all the grounds get soaked, they level out and rise with the hot water level. I put the burner on 3/4. I always set an audio timer for 13 minutes, so I don't forget and the brewer boils dry. Once all the water (except about 1/2 cup left in the base) rises into the top bowl, air starts bubbling up through the narrow tube and agitates/churns the floating coffee grounds above.

After about a minute or two of churning, I pull it off the hot burner to a cold area and let it do it's thing. In a few seconds, the brewed coffee starts descending through the filter, to the bottom, leaving all the grounds above. When it gets to the last cup, it starts gurgling and finishes draining. Remove the top globe with filter and place into the black stand.

I believe you will have the best coffee you have ever brewed. We have two other coffee drip brewers (Brew Station and standard Gevalia) and they can't compare. We get "8 O'Clock Coffee" (Highly rated) which we grind at BJ's wholesale club, and a 2-lb can of New Orleans French Roast Coffee with Chicory (Publix). 1 rounded scoop of the French Roast and 3 rounded scoops of the 8 O'clock for 6-7 cups of water. I have brewed successfully as little as 3 cups, testing the system, but it is so good, I now brew 7 cups as measured on the urn.

Amazon appears to not have it in stock (still), I found the system at [...] and I will be purchasing one or more for friends. One of the few items purchased that is better than I expected...much better! Enjoy, and hopefully this has been helpful.

Yes, you do have to pay attention to the basics: Time, temperature, water and bean quality. That said, it WILL produce an exceptional cup. I have tried many electrics, without exception they are junk. I have not tried the vaunted Technivorm, but I'd rather buy lottery tickets with $300. I rinse out the pot with hot water, the funnel I dump the grounds and then rinse and give it a swipe with a sponge. Every week or so it goes in the dishwasher. The cotton filters seem to last about three months of daily use. I use filtered hot water around 190F heat to barely a simmer then plunk the funnel and let it perk for about a minute then take off the burner giving maybe 2 min total brew. Every so often I check the temp with my thermapen and adjust my technique accordingly. I also use a chemex depends on my mood, cup is different but just as good. Simple, elegant, exquisite quality. Any coffee lover needs to at least try this.
The eight cup version has trouble with a 4 cup cycle, so I also have the little one, 5 cup.

I stumbled upon this maker on a blog--it recommended the siphon to replace French press coffee since it doesn't have the grittiness of the grounds. I looked it up and sure enough, Amazon listed it.

I was also torn between this and the Bodum. I chose this one because the handle looked less obtrusive. I was concerned about the stability of this top heavy thing on top of the stove, but it is quite stable.

Ultimately, this makes a fabulous cup of coffee. This is day # three, pot # 5 and I'm very happy. The coffee grounds do not come through to the bottom--very clean coffee and there's no bitter taste.

Beware -if you start making your coffee with the vacuum pot you won't enjoy any other kind! Be very careful how you handle the pot because it's pretty fragile, mine lasted just 6 weeks. Fortunately I found that Northwest Glass Designs will sell you just the 1/2 you need to replace instead of having to buy an entire brewer. Also, I recommend buying a glass filter for a couple of reasons, you never have to buy replacement parts for it and your coffee does not get filtered through cloth or ever touch anything but glass. I was able to buy mine through eBay, it was originally for a Cory coffee maker but works perfectly with the 8 cup Yama brewer. Enjoy being spoiled! :)

I like the coffee this method makes, however, I still cannot find a method that beats old fashioned percolated coffee made on the stove top with an ALUMINUM percolator...NOT stainless, and NOT glass, but Aluminum.
One of the reasons this Yama pot makes coffee taste funny is because of the glass, glass imparts a funny taste to coffee, a funny taste that not too many will pick up on.

I also have several other methods of brewing coffee including a Bunn drip, and every other method you could possibly think of, NOTHING beats stove top perked coffee.
I also have a glass electric percolator, and the glass changes the flavor of the coffee, give me aluminum any day!

For me, stove top perked coffee is THE #1, second is the Bunn drip, third is this Yama,(it really does make pretty good coffee, but nothing beats perked),the others such as: French Press, Bialetti, Espresso (I have a Piccola Machine), Greek, and Turkish etc.,(I have way too many to list them all), these are not even in the running.

Goes to show you that one cannot listen to the sheep/parrots of the world that reiterate things they read on line by making such ridiculous statements as perked coffee is not good.
One of the things 'they' say is that brewing coffee by percolating boils the coffee ... WHAT??
That is a ridiculous statement, and those people have no idea what they are talking about!
Perk some coffee in a glass percolator and you will see that the coffee starts to bubble to the top WAY BEFORE any boiling takes place....that worn out statement percolating is boiling has got to go!

Another false statement going around is that the aluminum coffee pot causes Alzheimer's.
False! ... I will not get into why that is a false statement as I've taken too much time already on this.

To get back to this Yama pot, I've had mine for about two years now, so it's not as though I still have a learning curve to develop using this method.
I'm not sorry I bought this pot, however, I would not buy it again.

I had purchased the expensive Bodem coffee maker earlier.. I even purchased extra rubber grommets because the seal was never good. Once I had purchased this one, everything seems to fall into place. The coffee has flavor and the seal is great. I also purchased a hot plate to slowly heat it up and maintain the temperature. I would buy this one again should there be a need.

This thing really brews some really great clean coffee. It really brings out the true good taste of the coffee you are brewing and virtually leaves no oil or residue in the cup. It's really great to watch the brewing in action and only takes about one minute of actually brew time once it gets going. A little stirring is required once it is in the top brewing glass and that's all. It's a little time consuming because you have to wait for the water to come to a boil but after that, it super quick. I measured things out and noticed that what level line you pour the water to, that's actually how many scoops of coffee I use to make the coffee. This equals to about four 8oz cups of coffee for a full pot and you should not pour water past the last mark on the decanter because it will over flow on the top glass when brewing.

Why doesn't the big coffee name brand stores use this method, I'll never know. Once people try coffee brewed this way, they'll ask for this coffee every time.