Blog Home

Affordable & Effective... When Dialed In

Pour over drippers are a great way to get that coffee-shop quality cup at home. We have used our fair share in our endless pursuit of the perfect cup, and we've found that each has its own quirks. Read on for our picks for the best in pour-over drippers along with recipes and insights on their best use.

Hario V60

Why we love it: The Hario drip papers are the best. In fact, you don’t really need to rinse them pre-brew. Also, if you get the brew right, with a coffee with delicious acidity, this brewer is tough to beat.

Dose range: 12-25 grams (if you brew more you need to use a bypass technique)

Brew times: 1:45 to 3:00

Grind: Fine, closer to table salt than kosher salt

Watch out for: Coarse grinds and low doses will produce sour cups with a V60 due to the low contact time between coffee and water. Conversely, large doses will almost always produce bitter cups because of the big bed depth

Full dork: The V-60 is a classic. With a steep sides, grooved channels and a large opening, the V-60 is a unique brewer. The geometry of the brewer means that you are going to get fast flow rates and also very deep brew beds with larger doses. This means that the V-60 is going to be best for single cup brewing with relatively fine grinds. This also means that a V-60 cup, by nature of the finer grind and fast flow rate is going to have a more acid forward flavor profile than other brew methods. Some associate the V-60 with the flavors of 3rd wave coffee because of this unique combination acid extraction and flavor clarity that comes with fast brew times and finer grinds. Many world brewers cup champions have used the V-60 to brew incredible cups.

Pro tips: Bypass techniques, where you brew at a 12:1 or even 10:1 ratio and then add water to the brew work well for combating bitter cups or trying to brew larger doses. Also get the #2 size, the geometry is the same for both cones so you get more versatility with the larger cone without sacrificing any quality.

We made a video all with instructions and a recipe for a perfect V60 concoction, every time. Check it!

Beehouse Dripper

Why we love it: The classic dripper, it’s cheap, filters are easily available and the two hole design makes it a decent choice if want to make coffee for two people (more on that below). It's a beautiful dripper that comes in awesome colors. #4 filters from most grocery stores work great on this brewer.

Dose range: 20 to 40 grams (coffee for 2 is possible)

Brew times: 2:00 to 4:30

Grind: Kosher salt (a little finer for smaller doses, a little coarser for larger brews)

Pro tips: You have to adjust the fineness of your grind depending on how much coffee you want to brew. Aim to have most of your brews end around 3:30 and adjust your grind finer or coarser for larger brews. Also, never use brown paper filters, they will always impart negative flavors. Use a #4 Melitta filter for best results.

Full dork: We think that brewer geometry is key for getting a great cup. This brewer gives you a balance between V-60 and a Kalita wave. It still has a cone shape, meaning that 40 grams is about all you want to use for your brew. Because the flow rate is a bit slower than the V-60, you can use a finer grind.

Why choose it over the V-60: You probably won’t hit the same crisp acidity on a light roasted coffee, however, because you can slow your brew down more, you are going to draw out a more balanced taste profile. If you like medium roasts or central American coffees, go with this one.

Our ranking: # 2 (tied)

Kalita Wave 185

Why we love it: Geometry and filters. This brewer is designed to have an even flow rate (because of its flat bottom and 3 hole pattern). The filters are awesome. The ridges allow the water to always flow, meaning no stuck brews. The kalita is balanced, versatile and produces the most consistent cup across a variety of recipes.

Dose range: 20 to 60 grams (coffee for 2 or 3 is possible)

Brew times: 2:30 to 4:30

Grind: Kosher salt (a little finer for smaller doses, a little coarser for larger brews)

Pro tip: Make sure you are using at least 20 grams so that your bed depth is deep enough to ensure an even flow rate. A gooseneck pouring kettle is nice for even grounds bed saturation. It's possible to do it with a traditional kettle, just a bit harder because of all the funny ridges in the filter. Also, make sure you keep track of your filters. Kalita filters are not available at your local store.

Full dork: There is a reason that all commercial batch brewers have a flat bottom. V-shapes are not ideal for certain dose sizes because your bed depth starts to slow down your flow rate, producing bitter, over-extracted type of flavors and slow brew times. The kalita wave, with its small shape and flat bottom make it a balanced place between creating resistance for a single cup and allowing for faster flow with larger cups. If you want to brew for a group, a coarse grind and large dose will still produce a sweet, balanced cup.

Ranking: #1