Nav: Home > Coffee >

Coffee Dripper Recommendations for Beginners and Usage Methods - V60 Dripper Brewing Characteristics

Published: 2026-01-27 Author: FrontStreet Coffee

Last Updated: 2026/01/27, Several Common Filter Cups 1. Melitta Cup (Melitta) Single-Hole Filter Cup When recommending pour-over filter cups, we must start with this one. It was first invented and patented by German lady Melitta in 1908, making it the originator and most classic. Features: Slow flow rate, suitable for medium to dark roasted coffee, light roasted coffee easily clogs the filter holes. When brewing with a Melitta cup, advance calculation is needed

Professional Coffee Knowledge Exchange

For more coffee bean information, please follow Coffee Workshop (WeChat public account: cafe_style)

Introduction

As more people fall in love with pour-over coffee, the market has become flooded with various coffee filter cup designs, making it overwhelming for newcomers. For coffee beginners, choosing the right filter cup has become the most challenging problem. In this article, FrontStreet Coffee uses different filter cups with the same parameters to brew the same coffee beans, helping us understand the brewing characteristics of common conical V60 filter cups, fan-shaped Kalita filter cups, and Kalita Wave cake filter cups on the market.

V60 Filter Cup Features

The V60 filter cup gets its name from its 60-degree conical design, which guides water flow to the center, extending the contact time between water and coffee. The large-diameter filter hole at the bottom allows users to control the coffee flavor extraction time by adjusting the pour rate. The spiral ribs (exhaust channels) allow air to escape upward from all sides, maximizing the coffee grounds' degassing process.

Kalita Filter Cup Features

The Kalita filter cup's fan-shaped (trapezoidal) design, wider at the top and narrower at the bottom, creates an elliptical shape at the upper part, providing a wider area for even coffee ground distribution and reducing ground stacking. The narrowing bottom helps concentrate water flow. The smaller filter holes slow down water flow, creating a steeping effect. The fan-shaped filter cup has numerous ribs (exhaust channels), which increase air release and promote coffee liquid flow.

Kalita Wave Filter Cup Features

The Kalita Wave filter cup's flat-bottom design creates an evenly distributed flat coffee bed structure. With the same amount of coffee grounds, the flat-bottom bed is thinner, allowing water to flow through the coffee grounds in less time while also ensuring more even extraction. The filter cup's three small filter holes create a slower filtration speed, making the cake filter cup more inclined toward immersion-style extraction after pouring. The cake filter cup itself lacks ribs (exhaust channels) for air release, relying on the creases of the cake filter paper to replace the flow-guiding ribs.

Brewing Experiment Comparison

FrontStreet Coffee used Mozart coffee beans from the Canet Estate in Costa Rica for this brewing experiment. The brewing parameters were: 15g coffee beans, medium-fine grind (78% passing rate through China standard #20 sieve), 1:15 coffee-to-water ratio, 90°C water temperature, and circular three-stage pouring.

FrontStreet Coffee's Brewing Method

First pour 30g of water, then bloom for 30 seconds. Continue pouring to 125g, then pause. When the water level drops and is about to expose the coffee bed, continue pouring to 225g and stop. When the water level drops and is about to expose the coffee bed again, remove the filter cup.

V60 Filter Cup: Timing starts from the bloom, total extraction time is 1'53". Brewing flavor: Raisin, berry-like sweet and sour, orange blossom aroma, pineapple-like sweet and sour aftertaste, prominent aroma, smooth mouthfeel, overall balance.

Kalita Filter Cup: Timing starts from the bloom, total extraction time is 2'00". Brewing flavor: Obvious fruit fermentation sensation, orange blossom fragrance, pineapple, high body.

Kalita Wave Filter Cup: Timing starts from the bloom, total extraction time is 2'01". Brewing flavor: Raisin-like sweetness, orange blossom aroma, full tropical fruit sweet and sour, prominent sweetness, smooth and full mouthfeel.

From the perspective of brewing flavor expression, V60-brewed coffee shows richer layers, Kalita-brewed coffee has higher body, and Kalita Wave-brewed coffee is smoother and fuller.

FrontStreet Coffee believes the reason lies in the V60's spiral grooves not only extending the contact time between coffee grounds and water but also allowing water to flow along the spiral grooves toward the filter cup's center point. The gravitational force of the water flow creates pressure on the coffee grounds, forming higher complexity. The Kalita's fan-shaped design concentrates water flow with slower speed, creating a steeping process that enhances body. The Kalita Wave filter cup's flat bottom ensures even distribution of the coffee grounds, with similar surface areas for the upper and lower beds, making the extraction process more uniform and resulting in smoother, fuller coffee overall.