The Vacuum Method
(or Cona Brewer) was the original way of serving coffee at the
table and was at one time one of the most popular system for
restauranteurs.
Since early in the last century, the brand name ‘Cona’ was
synonymous with freshly brewed coffee and the company pioneered
this type of brewing. The name of Cona undoubtedly originated from
the famous Hawaiian coffee called Kona – considered by many to be
one of the worlds’ finest beans.
The Vacuum System consists of two glass bowls, one which fits
snugly over the other, with a glass filter or plug, in between the
two bowls. Water is placed in the lower portion and a fairly coarse
ground coffee is placed in the upper bowl. Gentle heat is then
applied to the lower bowl (usually at the dining table by using a
small spirit lamp), and when the water reaches the right
temperature, pressure forces it into the upper bowl via the
filter/plug. When all the water has gone from the lower jug to the
upper one, the whole unit is removed from the heat and the coffee
is filtered back down into the lower bowl, leaving the spent
grounds in the top bowl.
Due to the increase in health and safety restrictions, this
system is rarely used commercially today, and is disappearing from
the domestic scene as well.