Ice Pupil Dripper Review: Which is Better - Ice Pupil or V60 Dripper? What Coffee Beans Are Suitable for the Ice Pupil Dripper?

Introduction

Dripper has always been the most important vessel for pour-over coffee, as different styles of drippers provide different coffee experiences. This has given rise to many distinctive coffee drippers! In this issue, let's take a look at the experience of the Ice Pupil Dripper!

Ice Pupil Dripper

The Ice Pupil Dripper and V60 both belong to the category of conical single-hole drippers, with their structure composed of three parts. When viewed from the side, the height is divided into three equal parts. The uppermost layer has no rib structure, featuring a smooth wall similar to the Kono dripper. The middle and lower layers no longer use raised ribs to support the filter paper but instead feature large concave structures. When filter paper is attached, it appears to consist of 12 long ribs and 12 short ribs (actually, these 'ribs' are on the same plane as the upper layer), distributed in straight lines downward. The 'short ribs' are distributed in the middle layer, while the 'long ribs' span across the middle and lower layers.

Brewing Test

Similarly, we invited the industry benchmark for conical drippers, the Hario V60, for comparison. The coffee chosen for brewing is the Bach coffee beans from FrontStreet Coffee's Musician Series.

In terms of parameters, FrontStreet Coffee used 15g of coffee grounds, with a powder-to-water ratio of 1:15, a fine grind size with 80% pass-through rate on a 0.85mm sieve, and water temperature of 91°C.

The brewing method employed FrontStreet Coffee's three-stage pouring approach: first, inject 30g of water for a 30-second bloom. Second, pour in concentric circles to 125g, wait until the coffee level drops to the halfway point before beginning the third stage, continue pouring in concentric circles to 225g, and end extraction once all coffee liquid has flowed into the lower pot.

Feedback on the brewing process between the Ice Pupil Dripper and V60: In terms of filter paper adhesion, the Ice Pupil Dripper has better adhesion than the V60. Due to its dripper wall being on the same plane (no raised ribs, only concave patterns), it adheres more easily compared to the V60, truly a blessing for those with perfectionist tendencies.

In terms of water flow rate, the Ice Pupil Dripper is faster. During the initial water injection, the drainage speeds of the Ice Pupil and V60 were comparable, with the final stage of injection happening almost simultaneously (1 minute 10 seconds). However, when extraction was complete, the Ice Pupil took 1 minute 45 seconds, while the V60 took 1 minute 57 seconds.

Flavor Comparison

Ice Pupil: Clear fermented wine aroma, sweet berries and raisins, with a refreshing and smooth texture.

V60: Rich fermented wine aroma, berry-like acidity, sweetness of raisins, with a hint of tea sensation in the finish. The aftertaste features orange fragrance and a subtle sucrose sweetness.

From these two comparisons, the advantage of the Ice Pupil lies in highlighting the coffee's sweetness and cleanliness. Additionally, the texture tends to be fuller. The V60 better enriches the coffee's layered complexity, giving a sense of fullness.

Due to the complete sealing between the upper part of the Ice Pupil Dripper and the filter paper, if too much water is poured too quickly during brewing, or if the water temperature is too high and submerges the flow channel, the lack of ventilation space will slow down the rate at which the water level drops. This can create an immersion effect similar to the KONO dripper, avoiding under-extraction. Meanwhile, the grooves in the middle and lower layers can quickly guide water flow downward, preventing blockages. Therefore, coffee brewed with the Ice Pupil Dripper delivers a good mouthfeel.

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473