Here's an interesting gadget I found in the back of a closet when we moved several years ago. It's a Japanese Hario brand Coffee Maker. My wife bought it at a Sushi restaurant in downtown Manhattan at least 20 years ago. This is the small, 2-cup version. The instructions were all in Japanese; I could figure out how to assemble it, but not really how to work it without fear of starting a fire. I was able to find a you-tube video on using it, and I've been using it now for several years. Usually on the weekends when I'm in no hurry. It's not just a gimmick; It really makes an incredible cup of coffee. I think it is because of the steam it generates and the syphoning timing.
It works on syphoning.
This pic of it unassembled shows the sphere - where you put the water (using filtered or spring water is best), the cylindrical shape with the stem is where you put the coffee grounds. There's a cloth filter around a round, metal plate that has holes in it. The filter goes at the bottom of the cylinder and there's a spring like metal "string" that clips on the bottom of the cylinder's stem. The fuel used is denatured alcohol and it goes in the round base object, which has an adjustable wick. And the setup is clamped at the top of the sphere on the base.
Below is a pic of what it looks like assembled. Once you light the heat source, the water slowly heats up and generates steam. The steam permeates through the filter and makes the coffee grounds damp. After about 7-10 min., the water "miraculously" is drawn up through the stem and into the cylinder. You then gently stir the water and grounds a few times and let it brew for as long as you like. I usually brew for about 3-5 min., depending on the coffee I'm using. Then you remove the flame, and the brewed coffee drops back down to the sphere. You then take off the cylinder and use the base set-up as the pourer.
