Product review: Cona vacuum coffee percolator

Some products are definitely filed under "luxury items", but if there is quality going along with it, sometimes you are allowed to spoil yourself.  The Cona coffee maker is one such item.  Vacuum percolation as a method to brew coffee has been accepted by many aficionados for decades as the ideal way to get the most out of those premium coffee beans tucked in your freezer.  The system brews the coffee at the perfect temperature, then separates the beans from the coffee at the right time, all the while giving you a show.  The glass unit itself, while adding to the spectacle, is chosen as the optimal brewing medium as it will impart no foreign taste to the brew - no plastic or paper filters, no metal pot - just pure perfectly brewed coffee.

Ok, that's great, I love a good cup of coffee, but as a cook that likes to see things with added culinary value, there's another intriguing aspect to this coffee maker - soup!  Coffee aside, flavours in general infuse best within a tight range of temperature.  A good chef will always tell you that almost never should you see something boiling on the stove - things like pasta water, and blanching water are acceptable instances.  Listen to someone who is a master of Tea, temperature and time are huge factors in the execution of a quality product.  

Now imagine sitting down to a dinner, and the soup course comes out in a strange contraption with broth in the bottom chamber and some fresh herbs and aromatics arranged around some delicate cuts of seafood in the top.  You then watch as the broth heats up and enters the top chamber, cooks the fish and absorbs the aromatic flavours, then makes its way back to the bottom.  Your server then pours the soup into your bowl and garnishes it with the seafood from the top.  Hell of a show no?  Vue de Monde in Melbourne Australia made headlines with a bouillabase this way.  They've since moved on to other soup infusions, but the system remains.  I love seeing creative thinking like this.  The soup is wonderfully executed and you manage to add a whole different level of experience to the meal.  Well done!

Interesting no?  Whether in pursuit of a perfect cup of coffee, or brewing a beautiful soup, if your luxury budget allows, consider adding a Cona system to your arsenal.  CHECK IT OUT HERE.