Coffee Siphon

So over this past semester I tackled a coffee maker design, and wanted to do something a little unconventional. (Superfluous if you'd prefer)

Everyone and their mother's uncle focuses on making a more convenient and time saving machine...and I focused on a performance.



Basically, I have an uncontrollable love for the local coffee-shop (an appropriate passion for a San Franciscan)
I wanted to create something that would intrigue the everyday coffee drinker; a machine that causes the Barista to visually captivate an audience. That's where the coffee siphon caught my eye.

Siphon 101: Fill the bottom with water, and the top with grinds. Heat the water until it evaporates and soaks the grinds in the top chamber. Turn off heat , creating a vacuum effect that pulls the grind soaked water back to the bottom chamber. Result: A beautifully clean cup of coffee made with an AWESOME contraption.
The basic look involves two clear glass chambers, a stand, and a burner of some sort. The combination of fire, steam, bubbling coffee and a little physics adds for a great show.

Anywho, I'm talking too much, here's the actual product I designed

The changes I made were based on material and function. A bamboo stand is a cheap and eco-friendly alternative to a stalk of ABS plastic or full metal. 

The top carafe is held in place with a bamboo steamer handle, shaped to easily hold. The bottom has a little headphone-esque shaped handle (I wanted to mimic the imagery of the siphon in the handle, two circles and a line)


I have a little step by step guide somewhere...I'll share it when I find it..
But this was a pretty awesome project to tackle. I took a step out of the norm and designed this like a mini gilligan's island piece, but I love how it stood out amongst other projects.

Some sketches I made in the process:

This is just a quick overview post. I might share a few more parts later :]