Wave 185 Drippers

I've gotten to fairly silly levels of obsession trying out various coffee brewing methods, with some of my recent favorites being the Chemex, AeroPress, and Hario V60 pour-over. The Kalita Wave 185 was the next one I "had to try" and I think it's a keeper. NOTE: I would start my review with the caveat that before you even bother obsessing over different brewing methods, look into your coffee grinder situation and upgrade that department first. Super fine, pulverized grinds (or poor consistency in grind size), as are virtually inevitable with the $15 blade grinders many of us used at one time or another, are going to frustrate your efforts at great coffee. It will result in over-extraction and bitterness, plus a very inconsistent brewing experience from one attempt to the next. I have a $100 Capresso Infinity that does a pretty good job at work. I have a lesser quality burr grinder at home and the difference is noticeable, but still a big improvement over a blade grinder. I'm a bit of skeptic when it comes to all the different shapes and filter types for pour-over methods, yet I seem to be trying them all anyway! I think that with a proper grind, fresh coffee, and correct water temperature, just about any method can be used for an acceptable cup of coffee. That being said, the Kalita Wave 185 does a nice job and is among my favorite options right now. PROS - The Wave 185 comes in a variety of materials, but I opted for the metal cone, which I believe is stainless steel. It's surprisingly lightweight and easy to clean. The metal helps with heat retention, also, as I have to think that the stainless dripper heats up more quickly than glass or ceramic (but may cool off afterwards, as well). The stainless model is also a nice option to have if you need to travel with the dripper, and I worry less about slamming it down on a cup or glass carafe. I should note I use the same pour-over carafe designed for my Hario V60 with the Wave 185 - it fits great. I've used the Melitta "size 2" pour-over drippers, and liked them less than either the Wave 185 or V60. One of the problems with some Melitta drippers is that they tend to clog up and not allow the water to sift through fast enough. I wondered if that would be an issue with the Wave 185 - which has 3 small holes in the bottom - but, actually, it worked just as I hoped with a medium/drip grind. I tend to prefer light-to-medium roasts and a lot of the African blends, and these tasted excellent with the Wave 185. It's also ideal for brewing about 300 to 450ml (1-2 cups) of coffee, though the 185 model will probably allow up to 700ml or probably even more. CONS - The primary complaint I would have about the Kalita Wave involves its signature feature, which are the wavy/rippled filters. I find them difficult to separate from each other in the package and then it can be tricky to get coffee into them without dumping grounds around the edges and into the cone itself (which obviously is no good). I've heard people recommend using the funnel that comes with an AeroPress to add grinds, and I suspect that will help. It should also be pointed out that the Kalita Wave filters are a little expensive and generally can only be found online or in specialty shops. This is also true of the Hario V60 filters, though perhaps to a lesser degree. Overall, I'd be hard pressed to say if the Wave 185 is better or worse than the Hario V60 - I like them both. But I do like the results I get with the Wave 185, and the stainless steel model, in particular, is a nice option to have for travel.

This Kalita Wave 185 has resulted in the best cup of coffee I've ever made myself. It requires a kitchen scale, a gooseneck water kettle, a burr grinder, and Kalita filters-- basically a ton of gear for a cup of coffee-- but it's worth it! My DIY coffee always sucked and was left frustrated until I got this pour-over device. The Kalita standardizes the flow rate, so you just vary the temperature of the water & grind size to get the taste of coffee you want. I use the settings below and it's so good I don't feel like experimenting anymore. No time for that. In my opinion, it surpasses the Aeropress, too, with a much easier cleanup, less complicated brew process, and better taste. My only gripe is that I can only make a cup/mug/travel mug of coffee at a time. I drink on average about 40-oz of black coffee each morning, and while I enjoy the slow brewing process, making 3 cups takes a while when I'm busy. My setup: Beans: Mayorga Organic Café Cubano Whole Bean Coffee (organic beans that are reliably available at Costco) Grinder: OXO Conical Burr Grinder (grind setting 8) Scale: American Weigh Scales Digital Precision Weight Scale (19g coffee for 12oz cup, 25g for a travel mug) Kettle: OXO Gooseneck Kettle (200° water)

Purchased the stainless-steel version of this dripper and it is perfect! Very nicely crafted and looks stunning. Will never break or chip like glass or ceramic, and not as heavy. Makes fantastic pour-over coffee. Flow rate is perfect once you have the proper grind set. Versatile fit for just about any carafe. Some reviewers have noted rusted handle rivets. I have not experienced this but am also well-aware almost all stainless will rust if not appropriately cleaned and dried. Even the box it comes in is charming. Made in Japan. Bought another for the office and my co-workers were impressed.

This filter basket sits perfectly atop a typical American mug, so it's absolutely perfect for a single 10-12 oz. serving. I use 10g of ground coffee for my serving, but I imagine it could also be used for a small carafe of 20 oz. capacity. This is a wonderfully designed basket, neatly ingenious in that clever Japanese way. I have only used it with the Kalita paper filters, which are top quality, too. I have a larger pot for more people, but for one person, this is a brilliant design.

For easily the past decade, I’ve been a stickler for my daily french-pressed coffee. Some called me a coffee ‘snob’. I’ve worked in the past as a coffee-slinging barista for nearly three years, so I do have some knowledge on the subject of brewing coffee. That being said, I only recently decided to switch to the pour-over method, mostly due to changing tastes and developing aversion to the often oily, gritty mouthfeel of the French-press method. There’s a few big names in the pour-over industry, such as Chemex and Hario. I didn’t want to purchase a system that required it’s own carafe, and I wasn’t particularly excited about anything glass with a toddler running around. I wanted something I could use my existing double-insulated stainless steel carafe with- and the Kalita Wave 185 fit that bill for me. It’s small and very easy to clean (quick rinse after use, occasional hand-washing). It’s not taking up much space in my cupboards or my counter, and, paired with the paper filters, it’s incredibly easy to use. It can be tricky getting your grind dialed in perfectly, but that’s all part of the process. When you’ve got your grind and proportions figured out, using this daily becomes kind of a daily meditation. It’s more involved than any other coffee brewing method I’ve used, but the reward is a great tasting cup of coffee that is smooth and clean. It’s the most enjoyable home coffee experience I’ve had for quite some time. The Kalita 185 size is enough to fit 45g of coffee grounds, through which I pour 750ml of water, making right around 25 ounces, which is just the right amount for the two mugs I use. It’s simple, smooth, clean coffee every time.

Pour over coffee is amazing if you've ever had a cup that was brewed correctly, i.e. a perfect Chemex pour. But that's not always practical for a single person, hence I ordered the Kalita Wave 155. This was a big hit with me at first, but over time, things got worse... and worse... and worse. What was going on? I finally figured it out today (took me long enough): the 155 is not appropriate for brewing anything more than about 8 oz., maybe 10, which to me is the absolute minimum I would ever want to brew for myself (let alone a couple of folks). Maybe in Japan they don't overindulge in coffee like I do, but the problem with pour over coffee is that (when done right) it is so delicious that it's hard to stop drinking it. Basically, the issue is that while you can technically brew larger volumes in the 155, the smaller cone shape causes the water to travel through a longer "column" of coffee and it over-extracts it once you go beyond the volumes I listed above. I routinely want to make 27 g into 350 ml of water, which is too much for this. The result is decent, but (in my best possible description) has a dark overtone like something acidic has been over-extracted. Maybe with the lesser surface area, more oils can get through. In a 185 dripper, the same recipe (27 g/350 ml) produces an amazing cup of coffee that makes me wonder why I'd ever pay someone else to make it. When I scale back to 20-22 g in this dripper (same water ratio), I get almost as good of a cup as that. Between 16-20 g, I'd guess, is where "perfect cups" may start happening. But I never want that tiny amount of coffee in one sitting. There's one more flaw... The filters for this format are much more prone to being deformed right out of the box than its big brother, and they are also more prone to collapse while pre-wetting (the cone is closer to a 90 degree angle, I suspect that is why). So annoying. I switched to the 185 and I'm getting great brews from between 20 and 40 g coffee, with my 27 g/350 ml recipe producing an incredible cup. The matching Kalita carafe for this is great if you don't want to brew straight into a mug. The short version: Unless you like tiny servings of coffee, do yourself a favor and run screaming to the 185. The 155 is not for you. (I'm still giving it 4 stars for the folks who like tiny portions, because there, this thing produces a very good cup.) Normal folks will spend years in the wilderness trying to perfect this format for a decent coffee serving.

Love it light and perfect

First off, this is a great coffee maker! We were using a Melitta plastic cone after drop-kicking Keurig (best choice ever!), then my wife bought a Kalita Wave 185 Drippers after seeing some favorable reviews/videos. We really love it, but I can't stand having to buy special filters, especially for $9 (yes, I'm cheap and would rather put my money into good coffee!!). No real complaints about the Melitta, BTW, but I do like the stainless vs plastic. So I found a simple way to use the plentiful, inexpensive filters for a standard flat-bottom 8-12 cup coffee maker BTW, the 4-cup size works OK, but are a little too short on the sides -- the 8-12 size works better. To use common filters flat-bottom filters, you have to use a slightly different method than usual. It's easy, give it a try -- you may prefer to buy the special filters in the end, but at the very least you can use this method in a pinch if you run out of the official filters. Here's the "trick": 1) Set the filter on the counter (facing up, of course) and scoop ground coffee into the filter *while it's still flat on the counter* 2) Pick up the filter with coffee in it and place lightly in the top of the Kalita Wave. 3) Add just enough water to wet the grounds thoroughly. Now the wet grounds/filter will sink to the bottom due to its own weight. You might need to hold the edge of the filter to keep it from tilting. 4) Now it's business as usual -- pour rest of water as you normally do, and voilà! Same great coffee as with the special filters. I defy anyone to tell the difference in a blind taste test! Of course you could use a cone-type filter too, but the 8-12 cup flat filter does give you *nearly* as many "waves" around the sides as you get from the official Kalita filters -- no idea how important the gaps (due to the waves in the paper filter) really are in the end, but it's something to mention.

La Kalita 155 es muy fácil de usar, ideal tanto para principiantes como para los más experimentados. Esta medida es perfecta para una taza de 300 ml y 28-30g de café. Sin duda he podido sacarle provecho a los sabores de los granos que he utilizado. Sugiero comprar los filtros especiales para este tamaño.

Parfait, je ne vois pas de système plus simple ni plus fiable pour faire un bon café filtre. Compact, il est facilement glissé dans la valise, avec quelques filtres.

Kalita for pour-over.

I like this size for a single cup of coffee. Small enough to fit almost anywhere (small house friendly). It’s very sturdy and has been fine in the dishwasher. Bonus: stainless also survives houses with kids. Ceramic or glass would be toast. The little waves in the filters really do hold onto some of the coffee. I’m glad I chose this one even if the filters are more money.

見た目もステンレスでオシャレですし、ガラスや陶器では無いので割れにくくとても使いやすいです。味も安定していて、技術による差があまり出ないような気がします。ハンドドリップ初心者の私にはとても良いドリッパーだと思います。