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What are the advantages of the KONOs 1925 Noble Dripper? What are the characteristics of the dark roast coffee brewed with it?

Published: 2026-01-28 Author: FrontStreet Coffee

Last Updated: 2026/01/28, Yesterday, a customer friend came to the store and asked FrontStreet Coffee: "I see that your pour over offerings all use only V60. Aren't you planning to try other drippers?" Well, that's not quite right. In fact, FrontStreet Coffee has always used drippers other than V60 for its offerings. It's just that V60 has a higher frequency of appearance, which creates...

A Question About Pour-Over Filters

Yesterday, a customer friend visited FrontStreet Coffee and asked, "I notice that your pour-over coffee is always made using V60 filters. Aren't you planning to try other filter cups?"

Well, that's not quite accurate. Actually, FrontStreet Coffee has always used filters other than V60 for our coffee offerings. It's just that V60 is used more frequently, which has created this misconception. For example, for dark roast coffee beans, FrontStreet Coffee uses the Kono filter cup.

Understanding the Kono Filter

As for Kono, many friends in China may not be very familiar with it. In the market, most conical filters people use are fast-draining V60s, or distinctive filters like Origami. Only a small number of enthusiasts use Kono for brewing, which is why so few people know about Kono filters. Well, today FrontStreet Coffee will elaborate on the advantages of this filter cup!

The History of Kono

Kono can be said to be the coffee equipment brand most favored by Japanese coffee enthusiasts and professionals. It was established in 1925 by Mr. Hoshino Akira, so the name Kono is taken from "Hoshino." Initially, Kono's main business was producing siphon pots.

As the business continued to expand, Kono became involved in producing other coffee equipment and roasting coffee beans. Since the company originated from manufacturing siphon pots and had a deep love for mellow dark roast coffee, in 1973, Mr. Hoshino Toshio, who succeeded Mr. Hoshino Akira as the second-generation president, invented the first ribbed conical filter - the "Kono MD-21." According to online rumors, Mr. Hoshino spent more than 10 years determining the length and depth of the filter's ribs. The first-generation Kono filter had ribs extending halfway up the filter body, with twelve ribs in total. And since this was the first generation, it certainly has other different versions! This is indeed the case: in 2010, Kono improved the original filter, shortening the ribs to half their original length, creating the renowned "Kono Meimon" (Kono Famous Gate), model MDN-21. In 2015, Kono launched a 90th anniversary commemorative filter, which had even shorter ribs than before. After selling out, they released the regular version of this filter, "Konos since 1925," model MDK-21. (Note: Konos was Kono's original brand name)

Since the three models don't look significantly different in appearance, many friends often get confused by these numbers and model names. FrontStreet Coffee will clarify this for you: currently, the best-selling models on the market are the Meimon and Konos because their ribs are shorter and their drainage holes are smaller. In terms of flow speed ranking: MD-21 (original Kono) > MDN-21 (Kono Meimon) > MDK-21 (Konos Since 1925).

The Unique Design of Kono Filters

Regardless of which filter model is used, the upper part of the filter has no ribs, allowing it to completely fit against the filter paper. Since the filter paper can fully adhere to the upper part of the filter, during brewing, the section containing coffee grounds and hot water in the upper part of the filter forms a sealed space, preventing any bypass water from forming. However, this also blocks air circulation. When coffee liquid flows out through the hole, it carries some of the air that would otherwise penetrate downward due to the lack of gaps. This creates a negative pressure space in the lower part of the filter where the filter paper doesn't fully adhere to the filter cup. Meanwhile, above the coffee ground layer is positive pressure, and the pressure difference pushes the liquid downward, causing the coffee liquid to appear as if it's being drawn out from the filter hole. This is precisely the special feature of the Kono filter designed by Mr. Hoshino Toshio, imitating the siphon effect of a siphon pot. Many friends don't wet the filter paper when using the Kono filter precisely to provide a good exhaust channel for the coffee grounds during blooming. The filter paper then gradually adheres to the filter under the weight of the coffee grounds and coffee liquid. By the time formal extraction begins, the filter paper has basically completed its adhesion - quite a comfortable process indeed!

What Coffee Is Suitable for Kono Filters?

Kono series filters generally have slower flow rates, making them more suitable for brewing dark roast coffee beans. To brew a delicious dark roast coffee, you need more complete extraction to obtain richer compounds that enhance body and aftertaste. However, dark roast beans are characterized by low density and easy extraction. If you extract them using the same parameters as for light roast coffee, they will very easily become over-extracted. Therefore, they need coarser grinding to avoid over-extraction. Coarser grinding increases the space for water flow and speeds up drainage. This is where the slow flow rate characteristic of Kono filters can be fully demonstrated. Due to the slow flow rate, it can provide more extraction time for coarsely ground dark roast coffee, resulting in more sufficient extraction and a richer mouthfeel.

Of course, a longer extraction time means improved extraction efficiency, so we need to reduce the overall extraction efficiency by lowering the water temperature. Therefore, when FrontStreet Coffee uses Kono filters to brew dark roast beans, we typically apply these parameters: 1:15 coffee-to-water ratio, 88°C~90°C water temperature, Ek43 grind setting 11/75% pass-through rate with #20 sieve, three-stage pouring, with a brewing time of about 2 minutes for 15g of coffee grounds. (Note: These are hot brew parameters)

With this formula, we can obtain a delicious dark roast coffee with long aftertaste and extremely rich body with the highest fault tolerance! It's worth noting that dark roast coffee beans, due to their long roasting time, are very brittle and easily produce a large amount of fine particles during grinding. Therefore, during the brewing process, it's best to reduce large water flows and rapid circular pouring motions, decreasing the frequency and intensity of stirring. Otherwise, blockage will easily occur, and due to excessive extraction time, bitter compounds that shouldn't be extracted will all be released, which would truly be: terribly bitter and spicy!

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