Vacuum Pot

I am the new and, until quite recently, perplexed owner of a vacuum pot of uncertain vintage. It's an old--who knows how old--tabletop Cona. It was a curiosity that I took home from one of the seemingly perpetual garage sales that grace my neighborhood. Garage sales are so common here, I sometimes feel like there's simply one garage sale that changes not its character, just its location. 

The pot itself has the charm of a glass Humpty Dumpty. The bottom globe, by some optical trick, looks out of proportion with the top. Its "belly" is quite large, and its head comically small. Somehow, though, it does not overflow once the water vapor moves the water from bottom to top.

I made my very first pot with it this morning, and it was perfect. I used a fine metal mesh as a filter, and the result was impeccably clean, almost as clean as cloth would be and with none of the fuss. 

The upper portion is appropriately shaped like a fine piece of crystal drinkware. As the coffee steeps in the very hot water, and as you break the crust, incredible aromas waft up. It's a cupping, intensified.

My coffee was from Kuma, their current Sumatra. It was delicate, with an invigorating foresty aspect, reminiscent of wild white sage or pine needles. There was also a grapefruity acidity, and a grounding base of wood. This morning I drank Big Sur.

The grind was medium-coarse, and the total time was 3:00. The pot took care of the temperature for me. Given the superb result, it is only proper that I in turn take care of this pot.





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