Introduction of Saint Anthony Industries Phoenix 70

Unique 70 degree angle

Most of the commonly seen cone shaped drippers in market have a 60 degree brew column, for example, Hario V60. Phoenix 70 from Saint Anthony Industries has a unique 70 degree angle, but wait, the 70 degree here is not the angle of brew column (inside of “V”), it is the angle of dripper wall and surface (two side of “V”). That means the brew column angle of Phoenix 70 is 40 degree.

So what are the differences? For the same amount of coffee, the coffee bed in Phoenix 70 will be higher than regular cone shaped drippers, which means water will have a longer path from top to bottom and increase the contact time of water and coffee ground. The final result is higher extraction yield.

“Break the wall”

As we can see, Phoenix 70 is a frame that support the filter instead of a traditional “cup-liked” dripper. So it has no rib and no dripper wall which gives it a very good air flow condition but less capability to maintain heat. Will the benefit from “no wall” design and dripper angle, the overall flow rate of Phoenix 70 is a bit slower but stable.

Double wall filter

Similar to Chemex filter, the special filter for Phoenix 70 has total 4 layers, the different point is Chemex filter is one side 3 layers and another side 1 layer, Phoenix 70 filter is 2 layers for both sides. From personal experience, the filter does help to provide a clear flavour but also reduce the body of coffee. This filter also provides a stable flow rate.

Personal tips

In my understanding, the design concept of this dripper is to rise the extraction rate by increasing the water path and get more contact time instead of letting water immerse the coffee ground. This actually helps to get a clear and layered flavour cup. To further enhance the performance, we can use coarser grind size and pause multiple times in pouring (for the principle please see this post).  But due to the higher coffee bed, I will recommend to agitate the coffee more when using this dripper to keep the extraction consistent. And maybe use higher temperature water to start brewing cause the temperature will drop fast.