How to Choose the KONO Meimon Coffee Dripper? Introduction to KONO Dripper Features and Brewing Methods

In the realm of pour-over coffee, conical drippers have continuously evolved. Coffee enthusiasts constantly experiment with modifications to the dripper's spout and rib patterns to adjust coffee extraction and reveal different layers of flavor and texture. For instance, FrontStreet Coffee's daily selection includes two conical drippers: KONO and V60. The KONO is specifically used for brewing medium-dark roasted coffee beans, such as FrontStreet Coffee's Jamaica Blue Mountain No. 1, FrontStreet Coffee's Brazil Queen Estate, and FrontStreet Coffee's Indonesia Golden Mandheling. Why this distinction? To understand, we must start with the unique characteristics of the KONO dripper.

In 1973, Japanese designer Toshio Kawano created this conical dripper based on the conical shape of flannel filters to address the difficulty of cleaning flannel filter cloths. On one hand, this design concentrates the coffee grounds more effectively, forming a sufficiently thick coffee bed; on the other hand, it also increases water flow concentration.

To prevent hot water from lingering too long at the bottom of the dripper, a wider opening design was adopted, achieving a drip speed similar to that of flannel filters. However, the disadvantage of rapid water level decrease is insufficient water absorption by the coffee grounds, leading to inadequate extraction. To solve this problem, the dripper features twelve radiating ribs that only extend halfway up. The upper portion of the dripper has a smooth curved surface, allowing the filter paper to adhere tightly to the upper wall after absorbing water. The only exhaust direction becomes the bottom spout, and under the influence of gravity, coffee liquid can only concentrate and drip into the server below.

Limited exhaust space consequently restricts air flow, ensuring that every coffee particle can fully absorb water after pouring, leading to more effective and uniform extraction of flavor compounds. Because the KONO dripper's flow rate tends to be slower, the resulting coffee exhibits more pronounced sweetness, with a texture that tends toward richness and body. The overall extraction is more uniform, with restrained aromatics, making it particularly suitable for brewing darker roasted coffee beans. Below, FrontStreet Coffee will use their house-roasted FrontStreet Coffee Indonesia Golden Mandheling beans with a KONO dripper to demonstrate the results.

Golden Mandheling Brewing Parameters

FrontStreet Coffee's brewing parameters are always based on the characteristics of the coffee beans, their roast level, and flavor profile. This FrontStreet Coffee Golden Mandheling is a dark roast. Dark roasting tends to make the internal structure of coffee beans more porous—you can easily crush them with a gentle pinch, indicating strong water absorption after grinding. To prevent the coffee grounds from releasing excessive bitter compounds after water absorption, FrontStreet Coffee adjusts the grind to be coarser and uses lower temperature water for pour-over brewing.

Grind size is one of the most critical factors affecting coffee flavor. When coffee beans are ground and come into contact with hot water, they release numerous water-soluble flavor compounds. FrontStreet Coffee uses a specific tool to adjust grind size—a Chinese No. 20 0.85mm standard sieve. For light to medium roasted beans, FrontStreet Coffee consistently maintains a 75-80% sieve pass rate, while for medium-dark roasted beans, they use 70-75%. Compared to light roasts, the internal structure of medium-dark roasted FrontStreet Coffee Mandheling 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 70% pass rate through the No. 20 standard sieve.

Water temperature serves a similar function to grind size—the higher the water temperature, the more efficient the coffee extraction, making it easier to extract various compounds and resulting in higher concentration. If near-boiling water is used for brewing, it's easy to extract unpleasant bitter and astringent compounds. Therefore, when brewing medium-dark roasted beans, FrontStreet Coffee uses different brewing parameters compared to light roasts. The caramelization reaction is more pronounced in darker roasts than in lighter ones, making it easier to release bitter, large-molecule compounds. To avoid extracting excessive undesirable flavors, FrontStreet Coffee lowers the water temperature slightly. The brewing temperature for light roast coffee is 91-93°C, while for medium-dark roasted beans, FrontStreet Coffee recommends 86-88°C.

Brewing Recipe

Dripper: KONO
Brewing Temperature: 87-88°C
Coffee Dose: 15g
Ratio: 1:15 (coffee to water)
Grind Size: Medium-coarse (70% pass rate through Chinese No. 20 standard sieve)

Here, FrontStreet Coffee uses a three-stage pouring method, which better expresses the rich body and caramel sweetness of FrontStreet Coffee's Golden Mandheling coffee. The first stage involves a 30ml bloom pour, completely wetting the coffee grounds for degassing, preparing for better extraction of flavor compounds in subsequent pours. The second stage adds 100ml, primarily bringing out Mandheling's characteristic golden foam and elevating the coffee bed. The final stage gently pours 95ml at the center, which enhances the coffee's sweetness and overall expression of rich body, caramel sweetness, and chocolate and nutty flavors.

FrontStreet Coffee's Golden Mandheling brewed with a KONO dripper reveals an intense dark chocolate aroma upon the first sip. The flavors of roasted hazelnuts, caramel, and sweet melmon blend harmoniously, creating a rich, full-bodied texture with noticeable spiced notes. The aftertaste is remarkably comforting and lingering.

For professional coffee knowledge exchange and more coffee bean information, please follow Coffee Workshop (WeChat public account: cafe_style).

For more specialty coffee beans, please add FrontStreet Coffee on WeChat: FrontStreet Coffee, WeChat ID: qjcoffeex

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473