CoffeeJunky,
First of all, best of luck in your venture!
You asked for an honest assessment, and then you seem to disregard what you have asked for.
And as far as siphon brewing goes, my reputation both here and abroad is sound. If you were not seeking the opinion of an expert, you should not have posted this on a forum where the occasional expert or two may frequent.
Using a siphon brewer does not mean one is brewing siphon coffee, just as using an espresso machine certainly does not make the resultant product "espresso."
Proper siphon brewing is not simply a methodology, at its core it's the philosophical pursuit of clarity and perfection, it's about understanding nuances in the coffee and adjusting ever so slightly to coax those nuances into the cup. Just as a tea master approaches Chado, or Way of tea, is how the understanding of the siphon should be approached.
Trying to hurry, rush, or speed up the process is counter to everything the process is about.
First of all, The most of the siphon brewer have safety concerns. Many of the Siphon coffee brewer uses burner or some type of lamp that can be fire hazardous. This product solves that problem.
It's no secret we're (caffe d'bolla) the sole authorized importer and distributor for the Beam Heaters for everywhere outside of Asia. The products are apples and oranges, but my assessment is valid.
The butane burners are not meant for commercial use. I agree, inline gas burners have potential hazards, which is why the halogen Beam Heaters for siphon been around since mid 2007. Safer. Cleaner, more ambient heat. Complete control over brewing temp. Used in hundreds of shops in Japan as well as at the siphon brewing championships. So, there isn't a problem to be solved.
Second . I think boiling time could be also interesting subject if you don't have the hot water available. I have brewed about 1000 times, on different type of siphon brewer but this is actually easier to use and much more user friendly.
Siphon always starts from hot, not from cold. If you don't have the ability to produce hot water, you have much bigger problems to deal with than coffee brewing!
Third, this product have been sold over 100,000 units in past 3 years. It just have not been in US yet. Many of this siphon brewers are still in use and they are over few years old. The glass is the same glass that was made for water kettle and specially designed for siphon vacuum pressure..
Didn't answer the question. Where is the glass manufactured?
This unit has temperature control, and you can control your brewing time. I think getting cold water to boil in short period time is essential for small coffee house and I believe the heating unit is very similar to Espresso boiler..
As mentioned. Siphon is never meant to heat from cold. And what shop wouldn't have a hot water tower or ability to boil water?
This siphon brewer is a new concept because of the way it is designed to brew tea and coffee in the same pot. Also most of the decent siphon coffee brewers will cost around 300 dollars and up and these will be distributed under 200 dollars.
The siphon has no practical application for tea other than to look pretty. Yes, a good siphon set up is $400+ If people or shop owners have a goal to make excellent coffee, cost is rarely an issue.
