Kalita Wave and flat-bottom brewers
A Kalita Wave recipe (20 g coffee, 320 g water, pulse pours, about three and a half minutes) that also works for other flat-bed drippers, with how to adjust it.
What it does well
The Kalita Wave has a flat bottom with three small holes and a fluted "wave" filter that barely touches the sides. The coffee sits in an even layer, so water passes through all of it at about the same rate. The result is a sweet, balanced cup with a little more body than a V60, and it's much less sensitive to how you pour.
Other flat-bottom drippers, like the April Brewer, the Orea and Fellow's Stagg dripper, work the same way, and this recipe is a good place to start with any of them. Sizes differ: the Kalita 155 suits one small cup, the 185 one or two mugs.
Starting recipe
- Coffee
- 20 g, ground medium, a touch coarser than for a V60.
- Water
- 320 g at 93 to 96 °C, plus extra for rinsing the filter.
- Ratio
- 1:16.
- Time
- About 3:00 to 3:30 from first pour to the last drip.
Step by step
- 1. Rinse
- Set the filter in the brewer and rinse it with hot water, pouring into the middle so the ridges don't flatten against the walls. Pour that water away.
- 2. Bloom
- Add the coffee, shake it level, start a timer and pour 50 g of water to wet all the grounds. Wait 30 to 40 seconds.
- 3. Pulse pours
- Pour in small circles in the middle of the bed, in pulses: to 150 g at 0:45, to 250 g at 1:30, to 320 g at 2:10. Keep the water level steady rather than filling to the top.
- 4. Draw down
- Give it a gentle swirl after the last pour so the bed settles flat. It should finish draining around 3:00 to 3:30.
Adjusting
If it drains well before 3:00 and tastes sour or thin, grind finer. If it runs past 4:00 and tastes bitter or dry, grind coarser. Because the bed is even, the Kalita responds cleanly to grind changes, which makes it a good brewer for learning. More in Ratio, grind and time.
Compare it with the other brewers in Pour-over brewers. It's a natural match for washed coffees and sweet, balanced naturals alike.