Pour Over...Which One and Why?

Pompeyexile

Since starting my real coffee journey, I suppose I can say I have been slightly obsessed. Like many ‘hobbies’ once you stand on the edge of the rabbit hole, one invariably can’t help but in leaning a bit too far over to look, end up falling down into it. This has been the case with me. Once I saw there was espresso, then of course came pour over, cold brew, Cafetiere, Moka Pot, Technivorm style and… and…and. Well, I think you get the gist.

So, over the few years I have been chasing the dream I have accumulated several different brew methods but the pour over seems to have not so much variations, but opinions on and it is these I am curious as to what you use and why.

In the pour over category, I now have in my arsenal a V60 1 Cup and V60 2 Cup, a Hario Switch, A Clever Dripper and A Chemex and I am now considering a metal Kalita Wave and or a Fellow Stagg XL… why? Just for the hell of it.

So, over to you.

MWJB

Pompeyexile You already have all the manual, pour over brewers that you will ever need.

I do have a Kalita 185 Wave, it works just as well as the others, it just has the complication that the papers are specific and occasionally unavailable.

Whichever you have, you’re still trying to make the same drink with any of them. You just adjust the grind & pour rate to suit.

Switch gets the most use, as it is the easiest to properly pre heat, Chemex gets the least use as it is the hardest to preheat.

LMSC

Except Hario Switch, everything is gathering dust. I use Hario as a Hybrid V60. The new acquisition, The Aromaboy, is nice and being experimented.

InfamousTuba

MWJB I do have a Kalita 185 Wave, it works just as well as the others, it just has the complication that the papers are specific and occasionally unavailable.

I can recommend the orea filters as a slightly more expensive alternative, they are very similar but I have found them to be a little bit faster: https://shop.orea.uk/products/orea-wave-filter-paper

HarveyMushman

I have a Kalita Wave which I have a love/hate relationship with. I like that it’s metal and can chuck in a bag without worry if traveling on the motorbike, but I find the filter papers a pain to use for some reason and much prefer the V60 ones.

My daily driver is just a ceramic V60 which is ideal. I’ve been meaning to check out the Hario Switch at some point.

Zephyp

I’ve used Kalita, Chemex and V60. The V60 won and has been a daily driver for years. I recently bought the Switch so I don’t need a pan to preheat, and the glass is nicer than plastic. As long as I don’t break it. The Hario Drip Assist has also become a permanent gadget since I find it’s more consistent.

The V60 can be frustrating at times, but when it’s good, it’s very good. Not a fan of how Hario has changed their papers several times the last years.

Cuprajake

Was going to say in my very limited pour over the switch is what i use

Systemic

Like others, my pour over kit is gathering dust since getting the Hario Switch. Having infusion and percolation in one brewer has been a game changer.

Jony

I have, all thee above kalita I have both size .

Pompeyexile

Isn’t the Clever Dripper just a Hario Switch or vice-versa, just that one uses a switch (clue is in the name) and ball bearing to stop the flow, and the other uses the weight of the brew, a push up base and a silicone seal?

My first pour over was a Clever Dripper as it was perfect for work sitting on my desk. Funny how everyone would comment on it, see me using it and say what a faff compared to putting some freeze dried sh**e in a cup and dousing in boiling water… but then comment on how bloody lovely it smelt. I then also tried the Aeropress which I know is not a pour over, but again was nice and compact but the Clever won out in the end, especially as I often got distracted by phone calls and not being able to get to my brew immediately.

All the others have been bought out of curiosity and whilst they might all do the same job, those espousing them would have me believe there was a noticeable difference. All I have found is my palate cannot discern any difference, but I like using and swapping which one I use every now and then, just because I can. If I want to steep a bit then it is the Clever or Hario. If not, I tend to lean toward the V60 like many here. Got to admit though, I do like the look of the Chemex with the wooden and leather collar sitting on the side. Makes good coffee too.

So, if I did go for the Kalita or Stagg, it would be because they are flat bottomed and again I can’t help but wonder if I could taste the difference… probably not.

Won’t stop me from keeping an eye out on Ebay and such for a cheeky bargain though.

MWJB

Pompeyexile Isn’t the Clever Dripper just a Hario Switch or vice-versa, just that one uses a switch (clue is in the name) and ball bearing to stop the flow, and the other uses the weight of the brew, a push up base and a silicone seal?

Both work, but the Switch has less dead space under the filter and the glass Switch holds heat a little better when preheated. What the former point means is that the Switch is a little more efficient in shorter steeps (say 5-6min, but I would be more like 6-10min), whereas the Clever will extract a little less (noticeable) unless you pour a couple of small pulses at the start of the steep to give the extraction a little boost at the start.

The original Clever Dripper also had less dead space under the filter, I never understood the redesign.

Pompeyexile So, if I did go for the Kalita or Stagg, it would be because they are flat bottomed and again I can’t help but wonder if I could taste the difference… probably not.

Here’s the deal…you can make the same coffee taste different by doing different pour speeds & grinding differently with the same brewer. If you normalise brews and get the best cups you can from each, you won’t have an epiphany with a flat bottomed brewer. I have done many, many runs of test brews with all the brewers I have, for pour over - I haven’t seen any stand out difference between Clever, Switch, V60 (with good filter papers), Bartleet, Kalita Wave, Melitta 102.

Subtle differences and potential for certain malfunctions? Sure, but no major difference in overall liking.