For many years, the Hario V60 Coffee Dripper was the unrivalled leader of the surging interest in specialty coffee across the world. Many pour-over coffee makers have challenged it, but the only dripper to successfully level the playing field is the Kalita Wave. Although the family-owned Japanese business has been making coffee brewing equipment since the 1950s, it wasn't until they started making appearances on World Coffee Events' stages that they really hit their stride. Today, With many National Brewers Cup titles and World Brewers Cup titles under their belt, Kalita has established itself as a world leader in pour-over coffee equipment.

What really sets the Kalita Wave apart is the dripper's flat bottom design. Most pour-over drippers have a single (large) hole, with a conical paper filter that allows water to flow freely. The Kalita on the other hand has a flat bottom design with three small holes that limit the flow rate of the brew. This design achieves two things: firstly, the flat bottom allows the coffee grounds to settle in a flat-bed, promoting a more even extraction and ultimately, a better-tasting cup of coffee; secondly, by slowing down the flow rate of the brew and limiting the brew's ability to flow freely, you effectively reduce channelling.

Thermal stability is often a challenge when it comes to pour-over brewing - the more contact your brew has with the brewer, the more likely it is that the brewer will draw heat out of the brew. The Wave design refers to the waved edges of the coffee filters; they are designed this way to prevent the filter from sticking to the walls of the brewer. This results in minimal contact between your brew and the dripper and therefore, better temperature stability.

When it comes to consistently even extraction, the Kalita Wave really is at the top of the pour-over game. If you're new to manual brewing and want a brewer that will allow all the variable control of a pour-over brewer but is relatively easy to get delicious brews from, then the Kalita Wave is the brewer for you.

Get your Kalita Wave now. It is available in two sizes and comes in a ceramic, glass or stainless steel style.

Kalita Wave features & specification

Flat bottom allows for an even bed
Small holes at the bottom facilitate a slower flow rate that effectively works to mitigate channelling
Ridged Wave filters keep the brew from making contact with the brewer resulting in better heat retention
Sits comfortably on most cups, mugs, milk frothing pitchers or servers
Easy to clean
Available in ceramic, glass and stainless steel
Available in two sizes:

155 (1-2 cup)
185 (2-4 cup)

Style guide: ceramic, glass & stainless steel

When it comes to conical-shaped brewers, one of the biggest considerations with regards to the materials they are made from is heat retention. Unlike conical-shaped brewers, the Kalita's wave-shaped filters mean that the brew has minimal contact with the brewer and the problem of heat loss caused by the body of the brewer drawing heat out of your brew is mostly eliminated.

Having said that, there are some subtle differences between the ceramic, glass and stainless steel drippers that are definitely worth mentioning, the most important being the size of the holes at the bottom. Due to the constraints of working with ceramic, the holes on the ceramic dripper are a little larger, making the flow rate a little faster. Moreover, the glass dripper has an even faster flow rate than the ceramic, though only by a few extra seconds. This means that if you're using a ceramic or glass dripper, you'll need a finer grind to get a similar extraction. Although one of these drippers isn't inherently better than the others, it's good to be aware of their subtle differences.

We would recommend choosing your Kalita based on the quality of your grinder. The particle distribution of a grinder is amplified significantly as you grind coarser. If you are using an entry-level grinder, the ceramic and glass Kalita Waves will allow a better extraction at a finer grind setting. Having said that, those coarse ground, slow brews are what's going to really make your pour-over shine, and if you have a premium grinder, the Stainless Steel Kalita Wave could be your new favourite brewer!

Need filters?

Please note that normally the Kalita Wave does not come with filters included and they are needed to brew coffee. You can buy more paper filters here.