The Hario V60 vs Kalita Wave Coffee Dripper smackdown!
Hario V60 pour-over coffee dripper has been the Champion of pour-over coffee brewing among aficionados for decades. But now there is challenger in the ring going after the belt. We pit the Hario V60 vs Kalita Wave coffee dripper to find out which is better.
The Kalita Wave dripper, made in Japan, offers a different process of drip coffee brewing. Most noticable is the flat bottom basket, rather than cone-shaped like the Hario V60. The brewing process is a little more like a Vietnamese coffee in that the coffee steeps a little longer. The result is a longer extraction time than what you typically get with a Hario V60 coffee dripper, which has a large single hole, and lots of bam bam!
Coffee passes through the grounds faster in the Hario V60. The flat bottom and three tiny holes cause the water to pass through the Kalita Wave coffee dripper slower. Since the extraction is longer, more flavors and oils come out of the grounds.
Speed had Kalita Wave on the ropes at first, we were able to drink our cup sooner from the Hario V60. But Kalita came on strong in the later rounds and the fuller flavor won out.
Conclusion
Kalita Wave was a tough challenger against Hario V60, a solid defender, and after going head to head for over a year now, we give the edge to Kalita Wave for a richer, fuller flavor pour-over coffee. This is not to suggest that using the Hario V60 is bad, Hario threw it down and is still a great pour-over coffee dripper who is not ready to hang up the pour-over coffee gloves. We use the V60 frequently. In the final round the differences were subtle. And one brewer probably suits certain types of beans and roasts over the other. Keeping that in mind you’ll have be the judge.
The Kalita Wave comes in stainless steel, glass and ceramic. Since we’re prone to breaking drippers, we recommend the stainless. There a two sizes are available, #155 and the #185, the #155 is fairly small and can’t hold much more that 10-15 grams of coffee grounds. The #185 is similar to the Hario V60 in capacity and will perfect for normal everyday brewing.
To purchase the Kalita Wave #185 coffee dripper shop here
Check out our quick look at the Kalita Wave 185 Pour-over Coffee Dripper:
You know the situation; it’s a workday and you woke up late and now there’s not enough time to do a traditional pour over coffee, forget picking something up on the way to work, the lines are always too long! Wouldn’t it be nice to have an coffee brewer that made pour over coffee, and even better, automatically? Lo and behold! There are a few pour over coffee brewers available. They range in price from $180 to $570, and these brewers meet the SCAA Certified Home Brewer standards of the Specialty Coffee Association of America (SCAA). So you know you’re not wasting your money.
Why bother with a brewer that specializes in the pour over coffee method? Besides being the best way to brew coffee, pour over coffee brewers offer a simple hassle-free way to brew pour over coffee. Since they are automatic, you just set it at night and wake up to a fresh cup of pour over coffee. What could beat that? Other than a personal valet who makes pour over coffee for you, nothing obviously.
Metal Coffee Drippers offer something plastic/resin, glass and ceramic drippers can’t: being unbreakable. Granted, they can be bent, dented, scratched and squished, but if you knock a metal coffee dripper off the counter they will not break. As we painfully found out on the second day of brewing.
The Hario V60 is made from stainless steal so you can be assured that they are as flavorless as glass and ceramic. Hario recently introduced the V60 Metal Dripper, available in copper, silver and black. Copper and black have a clear coating on the surface, the silver which is not coated.
Hario V60 Metal Coffee Dripper
Recently acquired by POCW we tested the Hario V60 Metal coffee dripper and find the steal cone nicely manufactured as well as visually pleasing. The construction was a spun metal cone seated on a black rubber base. The V60 Metal Coffee Dripper comes in metal-copper, metal-silver and metal-black. Shop Here (Amazon)
Hario also makes a solid copper V60 Coffee Dripper, but it is at a considerable cost increase. Available Here (Amazon)
Choosing the right digital scale for pour-over coffee brewing. A great cup of Pour-over coffee requires technique and the proper equipment. A digital kitchen scale is an integral component for success. But what kind of scale? Not all kitchen scales work for pour-over coffee brewing. It’s not enough to be able to weigh the coffee grounds, you also need to weigh the water, and you need to time it all perfectly.
A digital scale that has auto-off might shut off before brewing is complete. Leaving you hanging. The scale must stay on for at least 5 min., most scales turn off after a few minutes. Stick to the digital scales you find on specialty coffee shops and suppliers. Going for the least expensive digital scale will result in bad pour-over. Spend a little more and you’ll be satisfied with your pour-over brewing results
Features to look for:
Metic or standard weighing to 01 gram or 1/10 of an ounce
Tare/Zero. Measures .1 gram increments. Brew timer. Buy Here
Good: ProScale XC-2000 Extreme Capacity Digital Scale – $33-35 Amazon, Prima Coffee 5 Stars
Tare/Zero. Measures 10th of oz, .1 gram increments. No timer. Small compact, good for travel. Buy Here
Good: Jennings CJ600 Scale – $40 Amazon 4 Stars
Tare/Zero. Weight displayed in .1 gram increments. Auto-off can be disabled. 20-year Warranty. No timer. Buy Here
If you know of other scales let us know: [contact-form subject=’Digital Scales’][contact-field label=’Name’ type=’name’ required=’1’/][contact-field label=’Email’ type=’email’ required=’1’/][contact-field label=’Comment’ type=’textarea’ required=’1’/][contact-field label=’I certify that am human’ type=’radio’ required=’1′ options=’Human,Bot’/][/contact-form]
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The Kalita Wave dripper, made in Japan, offers a different process of drip coffee brewing. Most noticable is the flat bottom basket, rather than cone-shaped like the Hario V60. The brewing process is a little more like a Vietnamese coffee in that the coffee steeps a little longer. The result is a longer extraction time than what you typically get with a Hario V60 coffee dripper, which has a large single hole, and lots of bam bam!
Coffee passes through the grounds faster in the Hario V60. The flat bottom and three tiny holes cause the water to pass through the Kalita Wave coffee dripper slower. Since the extraction is longer, more flavors and oils come out of the grounds.
Kalita Wave was a tough challenger against Hario V60, a solid defender, and after going head to head for over a year now, we give the edge to Kalita Wave for a richer, fuller flavor pour-over coffee. This is not to suggest that using the Hario V60 is bad, Hario threw it down and is still a great pour-over coffee dripper who is not ready to hang up the pour-over coffee gloves. We use the V60 frequently. In the final round the differences were subtle. And one brewer probably suits certain types of beans and roasts over the other. Keeping that in mind you’ll have be the judge.
Metal Coffee Drippers offer something plastic/resin, glass and ceramic drippers can’t: being unbreakable. Granted, they can be bent, dented, scratched and squished, but if you knock a metal coffee dripper off the counter they will not 
