What's the best way to clean a vacuum pot?

[BoldJava]

I don't yet have a vac pot, I was presuming it was removable!?

I need a vac pot, but not much choice in UK shops.

Conas are available thru Has Bean.  He always has a marvey selection of greens.  You will find him in the hunt on CoEs and active on Twitter:

https://www.hasbean.co.uk/categories/Coffee-Brewing%2C-Grinders-and-Machines/Cona-Vac-Pot/

45 pounds, $73 for the Cona.

B|Java

[cfsheridan]

I don't yet have a vac pot, I was presuming it was removable!?

I need a vac pot, but not much choice in UK shops.

Conas are available thru Has Bean.  He always has a marvey selection of greens.  You will find him in the hunt on CoEs and active on Twitter:

https://www.hasbean.co.uk/categories/Coffee-Brewing%2C-Grinders-and-Machines/Cona-Vac-Pot/

45 pounds, $73 for the Cona.

B|Java

What he said.  Stand-up chap.

[BoldJava]

The Bodum Santos Electric is a decent vacpot.

Unless I am mistaken, they have taken the electric Santos out of production.  I saw one close at over $200 on eBay.  There is one over there now at $78 but is has several days left on the auction.

B|Java

[J.Jirehs Roaster]

Throw it in the washing machine with a load of towels and 2 scoops of oxyclean.   

I treat mine like it's got a sleeping baby in it......very gently with careful and deliberate movements. I wash it by hand ASAP after brewing when swishing soapy water and lots of rinsing do the job. I tried cleaning the cloth filters but never felt good about it....glass rod is the way to go.

It's a delicate snowflake.

What he said...

I wash it as soon as it cools a bit (one cup of coffee, that is the primary mission.. the first cup) then clean out the grounds, wash right away, easy on the soap, I found a bottle or glass brush with bristles all around and plastic handle... usualy gets air dry before storage... always gets rinsed before next use.... glass rods clean much easier than cloth filter (I should try the cloth filter some day I suppose)

[John F]

(I should try the cloth filter some day I suppose)

Makes a nice cup but I had to rinse, oxyclean, rinse, boil, etc....to feel like I was getting all the oils and Oxy out of the cloth.

I'm prob. just mental over it but I really wanted that cloth clean. The glass is easy that way. 

[simmich]

The absolute easiest way I've found to remove the grounds is to set the top of the pot into the sink with the long thing into the garbage disposal, pun some water into the pot and remove the glass filter rod at around the same time. Slowly pick up the pot with water running into it. All the water with the grounds winds up in the disposal. A quick rinse with an occasional Joe Glow cycle.....done. Bottom gets soaked with Joe Glow and mega rinsed...no problema. Disposal eats the grounds. Glass filter rod a lot easier to deal with than cloths.

[garybt3]

The absolute easiest way I've found to remove the grounds is to set the top of the pot into the sink with the long thing into the garbage disposal, pun some water into the pot and remove the glass filter rod at around the same time. Slowly pick up the pot with water running into it. All the water with the grounds winds up in the disposal. A quick rinse with an occasional Joe Glow cycle.....done. Bottom gets soaked with Joe Glow and mega rinsed...no problema. Disposal eats the grounds. Glass filter rod a lot easier to deal with than cloths.

After I moved into my country home, I ended up replacing the entire septic system to the tune of around $9 K. I asked the guy that owned the company if he thought that dumping coffee grounds into the sink was a good idea. He said that it's good for his business!

He has removed and replaced a lot of pipes over the years, and he thinks that the coffee grounds tend to stick to the residue coatings and clog the pipes over time. On my system, he estimates at least 4 gallons of water needs to be ran from the kitchen to clear the tubes completely, after running a disposer. Once the solids get to the tank your problem is solved.

I scoop the spent grounds out with a spoon into a bowl that is used for composting. I 'think' that the earthworms like the coffee grounds, as I seem to have many of them in my compost pile. A good compost pile will even take care of chemex filters in about 6 - 9 months ;-)

My 2 cents!

[simmich]

The absolute easiest way I've found to remove the grounds is to set the top of the pot into the sink with the long thing into the garbage disposal, pun some water into the pot and remove the glass filter rod at around the same time. Slowly pick up the pot with water running into it. All the water with the grounds winds up in the disposal. A quick rinse with an occasional Joe Glow cycle.....done. Bottom gets soaked with Joe Glow and mega rinsed...no problema. Disposal eats the grounds. Glass filter rod a lot easier to deal with than cloths.

After I moved into my country home, I ended up replacing the entire septic system to the tune of around $9 K. I asked the guy that owned the company if he thought that dumping coffee grounds into the sink was a good idea. He said that it's good for his business!

He has removed and replaced a lot of pipes over the years, and he thinks that the coffee grounds tend to stick to the residue coatings and clog the pipes over time. On my system, he estimates at least 4 gallons of water needs to be ran from the kitchen to clear the tubes completely, after running a disposer. Once the solids get to the tank your problem is solved.

I scoop the spent grounds out with a spoon into a bowl that is used for composting. I 'think' that the earthworms like the coffee grounds, as I seem to have many of them in my compost pile. A good compost pile will even take care of chemex filters in about 6 - 9 months ;-)

My 2 cents!

I guess all that water I've been using to rinse with after putting the grounds into my disposal paid off! I've done this in various locations (one for 10+years on a septic tank) with no plumbing issues.  Sorry you had a problem.

[garybt3]

When you buy an older house, you can expect some issues to pop up every now and then! That episode was in 2006. There was a discussion back then in the coffee forums about dumping grounds down the sink, and most people don't care if it's not their house (renter's etc).

The system in our place had 3 different lateral field replacements since 1968 when the house was built. I had them install the new pipes that have a mesh weave over them, and have a 25 year replacement warranty along with a 1500 gallon tank. I saw some weird buildup inside of the pipe that was replaced going into the tank from the house, and it reminded me of clogged arteries for some reason.

I think that composting coffee grounds is a better solution, for me. I'm getting all I can get out of every batch of specialty coffee beans... Our garden is coming along pretty well this year. The soil was very poor when we bought the place, and tilling in shredded leaves and composted kitchen waste in every fall is making remarkable improvements. With the rising costs of groceries it just makes sense to me to have the luxury of a garden. Home grown food is much better tasting than Mega Mart imported veggies, but that's another topic.

[Timothy]

Why, with a vacuum cleaner, of course.  :icon_salut:

[Steve7]

Thanks for the Hasbean tip, although Steve there is dealing with my first big green order as we speak!
The Conas are nice, but expensive, and I need a workhorse really. I'd be afraid to smash a Cona!

Yes, a gas hob is a gas burner. I thought that vacpots suit electric hotplates better. Unless you use a diffuser?? Do they work, though, as gas flame would shatter the pots without the protective diffuser.

I'll check out the thread, above, but really mentioned it to get a gist of what you all own and what I should search for (Hasbean / Cona being the option if I can't source a cheaper one).

Hasbean is my (and only|?!) UK coffee shop of choice. This place would be, but the postage stings!

[Tex]

Thanks for the Hasbean tip, although Steve there is dealing with my first big green order as we speak!
The Conas are nice, but expensive, and I need a workhorse really. I'd be afraid to smash a Cona!

I like the vintage Silex/Cory vac pots. They can be cheap on eBay and if you want , there are hot plates for some models. Here's what I use if I'm fixing after-dinner coffee for guests.

Quick eBay search for Silex & Cory.

[shakin_jake]

Nice discussion on how we clean our vac pots.  Since I use Joe Glo for my espresso machine I also use it to clean the vac pot (5 cup Yama).  i'll put a scant teaspoon in the bottom, fill with hot water and mix, pour into the top.  I use a cloth filter so the filter is in place, with the Joe Glo water on top of it, with the top sitting on the bottom for 10 minutes

Nice thing about this, the Joe Glo water solution stays in the top and cleans the cloth filter.  10 minutes max is all it takes to clean the cloth filter.  No reason to leave the Joe Glo water solution on any of it longer than 10 minutes IMO, and I clean it this way after every use

Now I also run water through the pot and boil it on the stove top after the wash and rinse.  A lot of work but my coffee out of the vac pot tastes the way it should (((CLEAN))) but no TSP taste, just good fresh roasted coffee

Admittedly though, when it's just me drinking cofee at home, I'm pulling espresso shots and the vac pot doesn't get used.  I like vac pot coffee but I like espresso better=:-)


Jake
Reddick Fla.
Berkeley, a town to the left of reality, is so feminist you could get arrested for your daydreams.
–Andrew Klavan

[BoldJava]

...
Yes, a gas hob is a gas burner. I thought that vacpots suit electric hotplates better.

Urban legend.  Stovetops are wonderful.

Unless you use a diffuser?? Do they work, though, as gas flame would shatter the pots without the protective diffuser.

The diffuser is used only with electric burners.  The Yama stovetops work on gas stoves without any diffuser.

B|Java

[BoldJava]

The Conas are nice, but expensive, and I need a workhorse really. I'd be afraid to smash a Cona!
...

I could get you a Yama across the pond (see my group distribution post) for about $20-$25 more than is listed to cover the shipping to the United Kingdom (just estimating).  I have no idea what they would stick you for customs fees or VAT.  The price might end up bumping right against Steve's price for the Cona.

I don't believe one glass brand is stronger than the next.  I think their delicate nature is overstated.  In a world gone mad with plastics and other nonbreakables, I find the glass pot refreshing and like the challenge of getting through a serving without showing my clumsy side in action.

If you really want a workhorse, get an old stainless steel Nicro off Britain's eBay.  You need to be patient; they are few and far between lately.  B|Java