How to Use the KONO Meimon Dripper? Introduction to KONO Dripper Extraction Principles, Characteristics, and Methods

The KONO Dripper: Mastering Rich, Smooth Coffee Extraction

The upper portion of the KONO dripper features a smooth curved surface that, when moistened, creates better adhesion with filter paper. Compared to the V60 dripper, it primarily utilizes immersion extraction, somewhat similar to siphon coffee, enhancing the richness and smoothness of coffee flavors. When brewing darker roasted coffee beans, FrontStreet Coffee's baristas prioritize using the KONO dripper, such as for FrontStreet Coffee's Jamaica Blue Mountain No. 1 coffee beans, FrontStreet Coffee's Brazil Queen Estate coffee beans, and FrontStreet Coffee's Golden Mandheling coffee beans.

The Japanese Coffee Legacy and KONO's Innovation

When Japanese coffee is mentioned, many people first think of "Japanese style roasting." Compared to fruity acidic flavors, most Japanese people prefer the rich aroma of darker roasts, making deep-roasted beans more widely accepted in the market. To avoid excessive bitterness during extraction, the flannel drip method popular in the early 20th century utilizes foam to adsorb undesirable "bitter and astringent" components from coffee, while slow water pouring and reduced water temperature minimize the production of off-flavors, making dark-roasted coffee more delicious. During the 1970s-80s, Japan experienced a surge in coffee equipment enthusiasm, with the most representative being the KONO Meimon dripper, invented and designed by Mr. Toshio Kono in 1973.

Engineering Excellence: KONO's Unique Design Features

The original intention behind the KONO Meimon dripper was to solve the inconvenience of cleaning flannel filter cloths while maximally reproducing the flavor of flannel drip extraction. To achieve this, Mr. Kono designed the dripper angle to approximate the conical shape of flannel filters, which not only concentrates the coffee grounds to form a sufficiently thick powder layer but also increases water flow concentration. To prevent hot water from lingering too long at the bottom of the dripper, a relatively wide opening design was adopted to achieve a drip speed nearly equivalent to flannel filters. However, the drawback of rapid water level decrease is insufficient water absorption by the coffee grounds, preventing full extraction. To solve this problem, twelve half-length radial ribs were installed inside the dripper.

The Science of Smooth Extraction

The smooth curved surface allows the filter paper to adhere closely to the upper cup wall after absorbing water, making the bottom outlet the only exhaust path. Under gravity, coffee liquid can only concentrate and drip into the lower pot. Limited exhaust space restricts air flow, ensuring that every coffee particle can fully absorb water after pouring, more effectively and uniformly extracting flavor compounds. Because the KONO dripper's flow rate tends to be slower, the brewed coffee exhibits more pronounced sweetness, with a tendency toward richer texture, overall more uniform extraction, and restrained aromas—making it particularly suitable for brewing darker roasted coffee beans.

Demonstration: Brewing Blue Mountain with KONO

Below, FrontStreet Coffee demonstrates how to use the KONO dripper to brew coffee with rich, smooth texture, using our house-roasted FrontStreet Coffee's Jamaica Blue Mountain No. 1 coffee beans as an example. To present the full flavor and rich texture of coffee, grind size, water temperature, coffee-to-water ratio, and pouring technique must all be mastered.

Grind Size: The Foundation of Flavor

Grind size is one of the most critical factors affecting coffee taste. After coffee beans are ground into powder and contact with hot water, they release numerous water-soluble flavor compounds. With the same steeping time, smaller particles extract more substances, while larger particles extract less. Simply put, coarser grinding results in more mellow coffee flavor, while finer grinding produces more intense coffee flavor. FrontStreet Coffee uses a specific tool to adjust grind size—China's No. 20 0.85mm standard sieve. For light to medium roast coffee beans, FrontStreet Coffee consistently uses a 75-80% sieve pass rate, while for medium to dark roast coffee beans, FrontStreet Coffee uses 70-75%.

Optimizing Grind for Dark Roasts

Compared to light roast coffee, the internal structure of FrontStreet Coffee's medium-dark roasted Blue Mountain beans is more porous, resulting in better water absorption and easier release of large-molecule bitter compounds. To avoid over-extraction, FrontStreet Coffee chooses a grind size with a 75% pass rate using the No. 20 standard sieve. When using it, FrontStreet Coffee first weighs 10 grams of coffee beans, grinds them according to the estimated setting, then places the ground coffee in the upper sieve and shakes vigorously. Particles smaller than 0.85mm will fall into the lower layer. Finally, the coffee powder collected in the lower layer is weighed and divided by 10 grams to determine the sieve pass rate. If the pass rate is lower than the target parameter, it means the coffee powder is too coarse and needs to be ground finer; if higher, it means it's too fine and needs to be ground coarser.

Water Temperature: Precision Extraction

Water temperature plays a similar role to grind size—higher water temperature increases coffee extraction efficiency, making it easier to release various compounds and resulting in higher concentration. If using near-boiling hot water for brewing, it's easy to extract unpleasant bitter and astringent substances. Therefore, when brewing medium to dark roast coffee beans, FrontStreet Coffee uses different brewing parameters than for light roast beans. The caramelization reaction is more extensive than in light roast beans, making it easier to release bitter, large-molecule compounds. To avoid extracting excessive off-flavors, FrontStreet Coffee slightly reduces the water temperature. For light roast coffee, the brewing water temperature is 91-93°C, while for medium to dark roast coffee beans, FrontStreet Coffee recommends 87-88°C.

Pouring Technique: The Art of Control

If you're a beginner with limited water control skills and unstable flow, segmented pouring is the simplest and most compatible pouring method. For example, if our total brewing time is 2 minutes, and the initial pouring takes longer than planned, subsequent pouring will require increased water flow. Conversely, if the initial flow rate is too fast, you can control it by pouring more slowly with a smaller water stream.

Three-Stage Pouring Method

FrontStreet Coffee typically uses a three-stage pouring method with a 1:15 coffee-to-water ratio, using 15 grams of coffee for 1-2 servings, meaning a total water amount of 225 grams.

Brewing Process

The first stage gently injects 30 grams of water for blooming, with a blooming time of 30 seconds. The second stage injects water to about 125 grams, pouring evenly and steadily in outward circles. Then wait for the coffee liquid to drop, and when it reaches halfway, inject the final stage of water to 225 grams. After waiting for all the coffee to finish dripping, the total extraction time is typically around 2 minutes.

Tasting Notes: FrontStreet Coffee's Blue Mountain No. 1

FrontStreet Coffee's Blue Mountain No. 1 coffee flavor: At high temperature, the entry presents dark chocolate aroma, exceptionally rich, with distinct almond aftertaste. As the temperature decreases, roasted hazelnut and creamy sweetness appear, silky smooth, accompanied by a hint of gentle acidity and caramel sweetness, with the aroma lingering persistently in the mouth.

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Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473