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Tuesday 23.02.10, 10:50am
Neil Sowerby
Siphons we usually associate with soda, but a new Northern Quarter coffee shop/art gallery is reviving their association with coffee making. If news of Grindsmith on Hilton Street (opposite the tropical fish shop) hasn’t percolated (sic) into your conscience yet, it’s because it is early days for enterprising co-owners Ben Young and Neil Greenhalgh.
Last Monday (February 15) saw the private view of their first exhibition in the tiny cafe space – paintings by Sean Penlington is on until March 15. Some of his narrative canvases reference images of soldiers, others challengingly teeter towards abstraction. In truth, I was somewhat distracted by the unusual method of coffee preparation, only matched in Britain, Ben told me, by a cafe in Lincoln!
For £2.50 my colleague Adelle and I shared a jug of coffee (soya milk for her) made by the ‘siphon’ method first invented in Berlin in the 1830s. It was very popular, particularly, in the States until the 1960s, then fell from favour in cafes as espresso conquered the world. Now this vacuum pot method is undergoing a revival among coffee enthusiasts, who value the purity of the filter-strength brew it provides.
No metal or paper is involved in the preparation ex-Whittards man Ben tells me. At Grindsmith we watched entranced as a little burner was lit under two retort-like jugs, the top one containing ground coffee (an espresso blend), the lower one water. For a full scientific explanation of how it works visit http://coffeegeek.com/guides/siphoncoffee
But if life’s too short, here is the geeks’ key description:
’’Almost everything about using a vacuum coffee maker is sensory involved: aromas, fragrance, motion, touch, action. Grind the coffee, add it to the top vessel. Add cold (or hot) water to the bottom. Put the bottom on a heat source. Add the top vessel with its attached siphon. Watch. Liquids defy gravity. The brew gurgles, but it's not boiling. Remove from heat source. Watch the coffee move back down, or "south". Watch the bottom vessel's brewed coffee gurgle as air is drawn through the spent grounds to release the built up vacuum. Remove top vessel. Smell. Ahhh. Pour. Taste. More ahhhh.’’
Grindsmith, 6 Hilton Street, Manchester.
W: www.grindsmith.com
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