You wouldn't be investigating this product if you didn't love your coffee, so the fact that this is more work than a drip machine is likely irrelevant to you. The payoff for (not really all that much) extra work is a great cup. Once you've gone a few rounds with this method, the end to end time (burner-on to coffee-down) is less than 10 minutes. Actual brewing, which is the only part where you actually need to pay close attention, is 2 minutes. And man, the coffee is good.

I have no fewer than 6 coffeemaking appliances -- ancient Bodum Santos Electric (a warhorse that I used constantly for over 10 years, still works like new...sadly, Bodum stopped making these); reasonable mid-line drip machine (only use when I need to produce a volume of coffee for guests); a Bodum french press; an Aeropress (pretty cool, makes a smooth cup); a Coleman percolator we use for camping; and the Yama. They all have something to recommend them, but my runaway favorite is the Yama.

The manufacturer has made an honest attempt to make this unit pretty, with the floral scrolling in the base and its overall design. Even so, the first impression is that it's a bit rickety-looking. The screw-on uprights move a bit, and the whole thing flexes in a mildly unnerving way. But I've brewed well in excess of 100 pots in the Yama and it shows no sign of wear or failure. Nowadays I don't even question its sturdiness...it has help up just fine.

A few weeks into usage, I started getting a nasty flavor note. After some investigation online, I determined that it was buildup on the 3 cloth filters. I tried the various methods that were suggested for cleaning them, but was never able to completely eliminate that off-note, so I tossed them. There are two excellent alternatives to the cloth filters. First, you can use the paper filters for Aeropress. They are very inexpensive and fit well. They do deposit a little more sediment in the cup, but some people like that. Since I don't, I tried another method, which is a Yama stainless steel filter. Make sure you wash the steel filter well before putting it to work, as it does present a slighty metallic taste on first use. But it doesn't leave as much sediment as the paper filters, produces a cup that I think is as good as the cloth filters, and most importantly doesn't get nasty with use. It rinses clean under a faucet, and stands up to repeated use. Mine has had most of those >100 pots pass through it, and it's still in fine shape.

I think the butane burner is the most effective of the available means of producing heat. Stovetop would probably work if you have a gas stove, but electric stovetops are too up-and-down on the temperatures, making for more drama than needed during the brewing process. Alcohol burners work ok, but they take longer than butane burners....a lot longer, in my experience.

YMMV, but for my money, vac pots are the best way to brew coffee. I'm giving the Yama 5 stars because it is a good value for the money, it hits its design goal beautifully, and for me it has stood up to a lot of use. It does everything it is purported to do, and it makes killer brew.

The siphon is absolutely beautiful. the gold leaf and black porcelain evokes that refined fusion of european and asian aesthetic like whistler's peacock room and the whole thing is very impressive looking. the butane burner is also really sexy and fun to play with and very easy to fill (fills with standard cans of butane lighter fluid). Most importantly, it makes a delicious cup of coffee and is very fun to use. Lower acidity than french press but similarly robust flavor.

However, the package is simply not protected effectively during shipping. The upper ceramic piece came chipped, and although I superglued it back in place pretty easily, now there's a little gap of white in the porcelain and it drives me sort of nuts whenever i see it. I wouldn't let that stop you from buying a siphon, i just worry that it could come with even worse damage. I'm gonna look into getting the top portion replaced, but i don't want to send back the whole unit as it was a gift (she loves it btw).

If you love a French Press, but want to move into something a bit more elegant and exotic to make coffee the Siphon Based System is just the answer. I opted for this device because it is fueled by Butane Gas - the same gas to fill Cigarette Lighters.

If you love hot coffee that is not burnt or over cooked, and you wish to get away from the paper filters, this Siphon Pot of perfect. I loved it.

Just received this today... outer package was damaged, so I feared the worse, but the inner box was undamaged, and everything was intact.

This is not difficult to use. I watched a couple of videos on YouTube on the concept overall, but it worked like a charm. We used five scoops for the five cup mark, and it makes a pretty strong cup this way, not quite espresso, but close. Works well for us, as we like milk and sugar, but if you like it black and not so strong, you may want to try four scoops. btw, we weighed one scoop of grounds on our digital kitchen scale, and it came to 7 grams for the grind we are using, which is pretty fine.

The result? Wow, what a great cup of java! There really are nuances here that you just don't get with a drip coffee maker. Even our Italian stove-top espresso maker doesn't quite measure up, although it is very good, too.

The butane burner is really first quality, adjustable in very small increments, feels heavy and substantial, and the control knob is smooth and sure.

And, it's beautiful! This would make a nice presentation for company, although to get four full cups of coffee you'll likely want to make two batches. But it is quick enough to do so that it really isn't an issue.

Be careful taking the top carafe off, because it will, of course, be hot. But this is a great piece of equipment, both aesthetically and for the fine coffee it makes. We're really happy with it!

Very happy with this syphon. Have made some very nice coffee with it. Only down side is the plastic service handle around neck of the bowl which broke quickly but is easily fixed.