Any coffee lovers with vintage chrome vacuum pots?

[mikael3]

I'm looking to find a 1950s-era, plug-in vacuum pot that works and makes good coffee.  I've looked around and learned a little, but I'd love to hear recommendations / personal experiences.  I've learned there are all sorts of gasket issues with these things, but that's about all I know.  I guess Sunbeam made the first ones, but Cory sounds like the brand a lot of people prefer.

 

I'm interested in chrome.  The glass models kind of concern me.

 

Mi marido wants a percolator--for decoration, not use--and for that I'm eying GE. But for making coffee we'll actually drink, I want a vacpot.

 

[turquoisedude]

Go Sunbeam!

The Sunbeam vacuum pots are probably the best ones out there and they made them for a long time, so you should have a good selection out there. I have a C20 (late 1930s) and a C30 (mid-50s).  I use the C30 regularly and it really does make superb coffee.

 

Yes, there can be gasket issues, but it is possible to buy new-production versions of the original gaskets. I'll try to find a link to the place where you can get them. 

 

One thing to keep in mind when looking for a Sunbeam:  be sure the plating on the inside of the lower pot is intact.  When the plating wears off and comes in contact with the metal underneath (a copper alloy, I think) the flavour of the coffee will be compromised.  

 

To put things in perspective I have automatic vacuum pots by Cory, Knapp-Monarch, and Westinghouse.  The Cory has a wonky thermostat (a common problem with these pots) and I find it a little too 'hit or miss' for regular use.  The Knapp Monarch is good pot, brews quickly and has a 10-cup capacity, but the filter is not terrific and you wind up with a lot of sludge at the bottom of the pot.  The Westinghouse seems to work well enough, but the gasket is in poor shape and seems to 'melt' a little more each time I use it, so I tend to keep it 'on the shelf'.

 

 

 

[whirlcool]

You are right, vac pots do make the smoothest coffee. I have a Corey and a Sunbeam vacuum pot. They each have their advantages.

The Sunbeam pot is all automatic. You just load it up and turn it on.

The Cory goes on the stove so you have to keep an eye on it.

I think they both make coffee equally well.

The problem with the Sunbeam pot is that the seals are hard to come by. There is a company in Florida named DaySeal that makes reproduction seals that work well. They are $25.00 for a replacement seal. Not too bad. But I have had a problem with these seals after about a year or so of daily use they start to fail. DaySeal said my pot is getting too hot and I need to adjust the temp down on it. We haven't tried that yet. Maybe in the future.

Another note about vacuum coffee. When we used our KitchenAid drip machine we loved one particular coffee flavor. But when we made it in the vacuum pot it tasted different. Not bad, just different. So we experimented with some other flavors and found another one that tastes great in the vacuum pot.

I wash out our coffee pots each night so we start the morning out with a clean pot. I got tired of doing that. So I bought a Cory glass vacuum pot. Now that works out great. We just put it in the dishwasher every night and it comes out sparkling clean.

I have found that if I buy the best coffee I can find, I get the best results. We buy our coffee from a local coffee shop that roasts their own beans onsite. They charge about $10.99 for a pound of coffee. And it is so much better than store bought brands.

 

[mikael3]

There's a C30A on eBay right now with the tray and cream & sugar--$107.  It has the cloth filter, and I think I see some pitting inside the canister.  I wouldn't use this pot, because of the filter--but these pieces all together make a great display item.  Problem is, I have no clue what price I should expect to pay.

 

[washerboy]

Cory

I use my cory once in a while just for something different. Paul is very correct in saying that it's a hit/miss thing.  Some time I have great coffee and other times a mess. For some reason the peg will not allow the coffee and grounds  to seep back to the lower pot..and..well is a mess and a pain to clean up..either way getting the used grounds out of the top is always a bit messy. The Corey make very hot coffee!! I've yet to figure out how the glass peg keeps the coffee grounds from seeping down below. If you're really into the vintage coffee making you may want to try a drip pot...I have 2 and both make really good coffee and it's a  fairly fun and fast procedure. 

 

[rp2813]

I love my coffee, and like Allen I have been loyal to a local independent roaster for nearly 30 years.   I use a Cuisinart Burr Grind & Brew (automatic drip with glass carafe) daily. 

 

The vacuum pots intrigue me, but I can't get past brewing a primo blend in a metal assembly and keeping it hot in a metal carafe.  To me, it taints the flavor.  If that doesn't bother you, then Sunbeam seems to be the way to go, unless you don't mind the stove-top method of a glass Cory.

 

[mattl]

I've accumulated 6 or 7 Sunbeam C30 C pots, use 1 as a daily driver.  I never paid more than $30 including shipping.  A few have good rubber seals others hard as a rock.  The manuals are online and I've reset the thermostats to factory spec.'s and they make great coffee. 

 

I have run into one annoying issue, boil over.  it's very random, weeks can go by no issue them the contacts stick and I'll walk into the kitchen and see a lake of coffee on the countertop.  this happens with 2 of my pots that I use on a regular basis.  I leave them on most of the day when I'm home, I should just pout the coffee into a thermal jug and turn it off, might dig one out of the cupboard now that I mentioned it....

 

[kb0nes]

If you intend to use this pot as a daily driver make SURE you seek out a C50. The C50 was the last iteration before Sunbeam got out of the 'sucking' (vacuum) coffee business.

The C50 differs from its predecessors mainly by having a totally different seal design. The earlier models had a molded rubber seal that tends to get hard with age. Once they get hard you will have trouble getting the unit apart (get it hot to soften the rubber) and sometimes the seal, wont seal and you end up with an unfiltered pot of coffee stranded in the top bowl.

The C50 uses a large rubber O-Ring that is expanded by cam action clamping from 2 handles that secure the upper bowl. This is WAY superior to the earlier system. There is a guy molding replica seals now (www.dayseal.com) but I don't think the C20/30 seals are as good as the OEM's were. I have a Dayseal ring for my C50 and its just a big silicone O-Ring and it works perfectly!

The C20 had a cloth filter and the later models have a reusable fine stainless mesh filter.

If memory serves the C50 was larger capacity then the 20 & 30.

All in all the Coffeemasters were amazingly well made and most every one I have seen still works fine (seal excluded). The bowls are spun copper and chrome plated. Watch the plating in the bottom of the bottom bowl. Its often pitted and shedding, probably due to people allowing coffee to stand in the pot for extended periods of time.

The photo (lifted from Google images) is of a C50. The C50 is the only one with the pair of black Bakelite clamping handles were the bowls join.

 

[mattl]

I'd like to try a C50, it is larger, but they are more rare for some reason and hence more expensive.  It has a dual heating element, with the low powered "keep warm" section always on.  The older models have a set of contacts that turn the single high output element on and off to maintain temps.

 

[launderess]

Have A Nice Shiney NOS Sunbeam C-50 That Is Rarely Used

Since it arrived over a year ago it probably has seen active duty about three times or less. Just find it easier to go with my glass vac pots by Silex. No power cords first thing in the AM and the whole lot can be immersed in hot dishwater and done with quickly.

 

[launderess]

Brewing Coffee With Vaccum Pots & Troubleshooting

For those having brewing problems with their vac pots here are some tips.

First start with the grind of coffee. If you are using one of the glass Silex or Corey rods you want something not too coarse but neither very fine. Auto drip is about right maybe a big finer if you want stronger coffee.

The glass rods all work on the same principle; as brewed coffee is pulled down to the lower chamber via vacuum action the slightly rough surface traps grinds. As the layer of grinds builds the coffee itself acts as a filter as well. This is why the type of grind is so important. If it is too fine the rods cannot filter effectively and you end up with a cloudy brew full of fine grinds. Also there is a risk that the force of the vacuum pulling grinds/liquid to the lower chamber will cause the latter to compact (as coffee grinds are want to do)and form a somewhat solid mass. Once this happens filtering slows down and or ceases because the vacuum force is not powerful enough to blast through what is becoming a hockey puck of grinds.

OTOH if grinds are too coarse there is the risk of a weak brew as the surface area of coffee to water is not as good when finer grinds are used.

Silex and Cory among others got around the jammed glass rods by inventing other filters such as fine SS mesh, and of course those cloth covered disks. Have used the cloth covered disks and yes, you can take the grind very fine and it still is sucked down forcefully. Problem is one like many others back in the day do not consider the things very sanitary. Leaving a used bit of cloth soaking in water over night to keep it "fresh" just isn't up one's street. Never mind that coffee oils soon will grow rancid ruining one's brew long before the thing wears out. Yes, one could wash the things but without careful rinsing residue from whatever detergent will contaminate your coffee. This is why so many switched over to and or preferred glass rods or other types of filters.

To some extent all vacuum brewing methods will produce some sediment. But the finer your grind the more coffee dust is likely to end up in your brew. Silex promoted their cloth strainers as giving a "clear" brew because housewives no longer had to worry about serving cloudy coffee.

The other major important thing about vacuum coffee brewing is it is vital that the seals are in good repair and that they mate properly. If there is not a good seal not only will steam escape from around, but the vacuum action required brewing will not be what it should. This results in poor extraction (if water ever reaches the upper chamber at all), and in general a bloody mess.

 

[kb0nes]

Semi-immersable

Opps I forgot to add that the C50 model attempted to seal the base making this model more resistant to water ingress into the base. This is why they went to the rotary control so the shaft could be O-ring sealed. They still shouldn't be immersed (or put in the DW) but you can run water over the base, which is not a good idea with the earlier models.

The C50's don't seem to pop up on eBay as often as the C30's do. Perhaps vacuum pot sales were already starting to dwindle by then.

I don't want to talk about easiest, that would be my auto drip pot. It runs every day and needs a lot less cleanup. The vacuum pots for me are only driven on special occasions.

 

[whirlcool]

What I really wanted in the end was a C50 Sunbeam pot. But at the time I was looking (several months) I couldn't find a decent one on Ebay for under $100. So I settled for what I have. I think I paid around $35.00 for a like new C30B pot.

I bought the glass Cory pot, new never used on Ebay for $25.00. I did have problems with the top stopping the drip after awhile and you get stuck with 1/2 a pot on the bottom and 1/2 a opt left in the top. I found a different glass filter fixed that. It seems some have a larger "ball" on the filter than others. The difference is very small but it does make a difference. Once I found the right one I never had the problem again.

 

[jamiel]

Actually this is a perfect place to ask this. I found a C30 recently at a rummage sale which is complete except for what I gather would be a piece of stainless steel mesh. The plunger is stainless steel with the spring-loaded hook on the bottom, but the "plug" is only a flat plate of stainless with four cutouts. The unit came with a supply of round filter papers which just fit under the flat plate and are perfectly sized, but they seem to need support (i.e the stainless steel mesh?). In trying the unit it bubbled and sucked fine, but it pulled the grounds into the bottom (don't recall if it tore the filter paper, but although tight, it was not very sturdy. My grandmother used a vacuum stovetop Silex (with filter cloth) for most of the time I remember, so I'm familiar with the concept. Is there a round screen which is used in this case?

 

[whirlcool]

If you look on Ebay those Sunbeam cloth filters (which last a long, long time) pop up from time to time. I think I bought 100 of them for $12.95 or something like that. You are supposed to keep them in a cup in the refrigerator, but I always rinsed mine out with very hot water and hung it up to dry. Worked just fine.

 

[jamiel]

So one uses the cloth filters with the flat plate (and the paper filters were a bit of confusion)?

 

[ea56]

I have a C30 and I use the filter frame that you are speaking with a small wire mesh filter from a french press.  You can order these online thru Fantes I believe, or find them on ebay.  If you want extra filtration just put a 3 1/2" paper filter on top of the wire mesh filter.  I found that this worked just a well, or better that the cloth filters, was much less of a hassle and easier to clean.  For real easy cleanup, try using a Cory glass filter rod.  You can find these on ebay too. The coffee will taste more like french press coffee as there will be a little more sediment in the finished brew.  And to cleanup you just remove the rod, rinse the grounds down the garbage disposal and wash the upper bowl and rod.  I also have the Sunbeam Coffeemaster wire mesh filter, but it has a rubber ring that holds the filter mesh to the frame and I find that the coffee gets a slight rubber taste when I use it.

 

[launderess]

Sunbeam "C" Filters

Up until the C-50 Sunbeam sold cloth filters one could use in addition to the wire mesh that came with units. Have some floating about that came with one's first C-50 that we used until it quite literally died. Since that unit came with the original box and quite a few other bits (some of which belonged to other Coffemaster models) we were able to understand the purpose of the cloth filters.

IIRC even the C-50 recommends use of said cloth filters if one wishes a clearer brew than what comes with the mesh. Personally never bothered for reasons/complaints listed above regarding Silex's cloth filters. However did take one of the Sunbeam cloth filters and using it as a template cut a bunch of paper filters from the larger sized cone versions used with drip pots.

Using paper along with mesh makes cleaning up a bit easier as one just carefully removes and throws the thing away. It also helps keep the mesh filter a bit cleaner from grinds and coffee oil residue. After awhile even the best routine cleaning of mesh filters won't be enough one finds. That is when the thing must be taken apart and given a good scrubbing/washing up with very hot water. The residue becomes more of a problem for those that allow the filter to stand for long periods after use and full of grinds.

 

[rickr]

We use a Sunbeam C30 here, and it gets a lot of use. It was my grandmothers. We always remove the top part as soon as the coffee is drawn back into the bottom part. I think this saves the rubber gasket, not to let it sit there and "cook" with the heat of the lower unit. I have never replaced the gasket in all these years, so it must have helped preserve it to a great extent. The lower unit gets VERY hot, and this coffee maker brews the best coffee I have ever had. The chrome is very good condition, and we are careful on how we take care of it.