Beginner's Guide to Home Coffee Brewing Equipment: Dripper Recommendations for Household Coffee Brewing

Recently, FrontStreet Coffee received a WeChat message: "I just want to buy a simple V60 dripper... why are there so many different materials!! The prices vary so much, do they really make different coffee??"

What are the differences between drippers of various materials?

Currently, the most common V60 dripper materials on the market are resin, glass, and ceramic. The main differences between these three materials lie in their heat retention and flow properties. (Of course, there are also portable aluminum and expensive brass options, but these two materials are not mainstream products, so we won't provide more introduction or comparison~)

In this article, FrontStreet Coffee will use Ethiopian Yirgacheffe Gedeb washed coffee beans for brewing comparison between different drippers. The brewing parameters are: 15g coffee dose, 91°C water temperature, medium-fine grind (sugar crystal size), 1:15 coffee-to-water ratio, with water poured in two stages.

Heat Retention Performance Comparison

First, FrontStreet Coffee tested the coffee bed temperature when the dripper was not preheated & fully preheated, during blooming, during pouring, and after extraction was complete.

Unpreheated Dripper Comparison

Evenly Preheated Dripper Comparison

From these two sets of comparison data, we can clearly observe that ceramic has the best heat retention during brewing, but only if the ceramic dripper is evenly preheated! Although its heat retention is excellent, due to the material's heat absorption speed and thickness, ceramic drippers require more hot water to achieve consistent temperature throughout the entire dripper.

Whether preheated or not, glass material maintains relatively better temperature stability than resin, keeping coffee temperature balanced throughout the extraction process, without the slow temperature increase of ceramic or the rapid temperature changes of resin.

In terms of heat retention, resin material ranks last among the three materials, and it "does its own thing" - whether you preheat it or not, the coffee bed temperature doesn't change significantly during extraction. So with ceramic's excellent heat retention, the coffee it brews must taste better, right? Not necessarily!

Coffee Flavor Comparison

Resin Dripper Brewing

Floral notes, lemon acidity, sugar-like sweetness, green tea, almond

Glass Dripper Brewing

Jasmine, lemon acidity, honey-like sweetness, green tea, almond

Ceramic Dripper Brewing

White floral notes, grapefruit, grapefruit peel, oolong tea

From the flavor comparison, FrontStreet Coffee believes that coffee brewed with resin and glass drippers will have more complexity and layering, while coffee brewed with ceramic material will be fuller-bodied but with a slightly astringent aftertaste.

Different flavor compounds in coffee are released at different temperatures. Resin and glass have better heat dissipation, allowing the coffee bed temperature to rise during pouring and decrease when pouring stops, creating a wave-like temperature pattern during brewing. Ceramic material has lower temperature fluctuations, keeping coffee consistently at high temperatures during extraction. Additionally, ceramic drippers have slower flow rates than resin and glass drippers, resulting in fuller flavors and sometimes slight over-extraction.

Flow Performance Comparison

Although all dripper walls use curved spiral rib structures extending from the rim to the outlet hole to maximize coffee degassing, FrontStreet Coffee observed through visual and tactile comparison that the ribs on resin and glass drippers are more pronounced than those on ceramic drippers. After wetting, they create larger gaps between the filter paper and cup wall, increasing flow rate, making both suitable for brewing coffee beans with complex flavor profiles.

The ribs on ceramic drippers feel more rounded to the touch. When filter paper is placed in the dripper and wetted, it more easily adheres to the cup wall, narrowing degassing channels. Therefore, extraction speed is slightly slower than resin and glass drippers, making it more suitable for brewing coffee beans that require fuller body/mouthfeel.

Which Material Coffee Dripper Should You Choose?

In terms of cost-effectiveness, resin material is definitely the highest - it's durable and drop-resistant, sufficient for beginners. Glass and ceramic materials are more fragile and priced higher, especially glass material. If you enjoy daily deep-roasted coffee beans or coffee with fuller body, consider getting a ceramic dripper. If you want something aesthetically pleasing, you might opt for a glass dripper.

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473