VacOne - Coffee and Cold Brew Maker

Product Notes:

Quite apart from its temperature (which of course some prefer on hot summer days, especially if poured over ice), cold brew coffee has numerous merits: by using cold or room temperature water which doesn't expose the grounds to heat, it produces far less acid content, so is easier on the stomach and has a smoother, less bitter taste, without having to add as much or even any creamer or sweetener. But with many systems, it can take many hours or even a full day to brew it, which is pretty inconvenient. So just imagine: with the VacOne Air Brewer, once you've got your grounds (a fine or espresso grind is recommended), now you can be sipping smooth cold brew in just five minutes!

Rather than relying just on gravity to get the water to drip through, it uses a cordless vacuum pump sealed within the head to draw the air out of the carafe when you activate it, which then sucks the coffee in, through the filter ring around the pump. This pump operates on a rechargeable battery which only needs to be recharged every 100 uses or so, so you can use this device virtually anywhere: even camping! (It charges using a cable which connects on the bottom after removing the yellow plastic cap; there is a USB connector on the other end, and it only takes two hours to charge when connected to a laptop or computer.) 

Similarly, even though the VacOne does not heat up the water itself (heck, you can just use your microwave for that - it doesn't even have to be boiling [it should be just 200ºF]), it only takes 30 seconds of brewing time and about 30 seconds of pump action to deliver up to 12 ounces of delicious hot coffee... which will be free of the brown foam of bitter oils (known as the "effluviam" or "bloom") that gets released when roasted coffee makes contact with water, which almost any other coffee maker allows to pass through its filter. In this case, they just float to the top and remain with the grounds, producing a much smoother cup.

Either way, just spoon in the coffee grounds and spread them out with the stirring stick; fill the reservoir to the appropriate level with the desired temperature water; wait either 30 seconds (for hot) or 4 minutes (for cold) to steep; press the button on top to activate the vacuum pump; and press it again when the water stops flowing....and it's done. Then just wiggle the head a bit to break the air seal - sometimes poking the crust on the grounds a bit with the stir stick can help with that - and pry it up with your thumb; remove the head; and pour it into your cup straight from the carafe. Clean up is a breeze, too: just dump out the coffee grounds and rinse the head under a sink tap - you don't even need to remove the filter (ever!).

In addition to the water temperature and steeping times (30 seconds vs. 4 minutes), the other two main differences between making hot and cold brews in this device are the amount a coffee grounds (an extra, fifth scoop for the cold brew) and amount of water you use: just 300 ml for the cold brew (which produces a concentrate, which you can then dilute with more water), to as much as 400 ml for a lighter strength of hot coffee. There are three graded lines on the head to show the three recommended levels, to assist with that. By varying not only the brewing times but also the grind sizes, you can also experiment with a number of different types of hot coffee, to create practically an espresso with finely ground coffee or even a full-bodied French press blend, using coarsely ground coffee. The creators give some suggestions for a range of possibilities in the final product photo.