What's the Difference Between Anqing-style Dripper and V60? Will Wooden Drippers Impart Wood Flavors? How to Brew Dark Roast Coffee Beans?

While tidying a quiet corner of the shop, FrontStreet Coffee stumbled upon a special but decidedly niche pour-over cone. It may sound obscure - but it really happened!

The Yasukichi-Style Pour-Over Cone

The cone is called the "Yasukichi-style pour-over cone," made by the renowned Yamanaka Lacquerware Wood Factory in Kaga, Japan. Today FrontStreet Coffee will share what makes this niche cone so special!

What Makes the Yasukichi-Style Pour-Over Cone Special?

First, the material! Where most cones come in ceramic, resin, metal, or glass - whether conical, flat-bottom, or fan-shaped - this one is made entirely of pure wood. And despite being wood, it is anything but rough: the feel is silky and rounded, and it is extremely light, clear evidence of excellent craftsmanship!

Second, look at the walls: the wood grain runs longitudinally, meaning the woodworker cut the wood along its length rather than across it.

Conventional wooden wares use horizontally cut wood, which yields more pieces from one trunk, allows larger vessels, and is faster since the fibers are simply cut through. The drawback: it cannot produce deep vessels. Longitudinal cutting, by contrast, makes the grain more beautiful and the vessel less prone to deformation, extending its life. The obvious cost: it wastes more material, the harder wood makes the work harder - and the price higher.

Finally, the ribs! Rib designs come in two broad types: flow-guiding and water-retaining. Flow-guiding ribs carve clear channels for hot water, giving it more flow paths and preventing clogging during extraction (their behavior also depends on the size and number of holes). Water-retaining ribs slow the descent of hot water and keep the water level level. The ring patterns on the Yasukichi-style cone let hot water at higher positions flow along the rings to other areas, evening out the extraction!

Here is the special part: the Yasukichi-style is a conical cone - and conical cones with water-retaining ribs are very rare, since they almost always use flow-guiding ribs. As a result it drains very slowly, which makes it better suited to dark-roasted coffee. Besides the all-wood version, Yamanaka Lacquerware also makes a lacquered Yasukichi-style cone - at twice the price! So FrontStreet Coffee brewed a pot of dark roast to see what this cone can do!

Brewing Experiment

Such a special cone deserves a special kettle - the drop-by-drop pour master, the crane-spout kettle! (Though we still used the three-stage pouring method.) The beans: Jamaica Blue Mountain No. 1, brewed with these parameters:

Coffee amount: 20g
Grind setting: EK43's 11 grind setting, with 70% passing through a #20 sieve
Coffee-to-water ratio: 1:15 (300ml)
Water temperature: 88°C

First, inject 40ml of hot water - twice the coffee's weight - for a 30-second bloom!

After the bloom, inject 140ml of hot water in small circles with large movements, then wait for the water level to drop!

When the falling water reveals the coffee bed at the bottom, inject the remaining 120ml in large circles with small movements, and let the extraction finish!

The extraction ended after 2 minutes and 15 seconds. We removed the cone, gave it a little shake, and it was ready to pour!

The Blue Mountain brewed in the Yasukichi-style cone was exceptionally rich and mellow: chocolate and nut flavors well expressed, high sweet aftertaste, and round, gentle acidity - a very pleasant cup. Worth noting: no woody taste transferred from the cone to the coffee, though that may be because it had been stored a long time and any scent had dissipated.

But during use, FrontStreet Coffee found one drawback: the paper fit is imperfect - either the upper cone doesn't seat the filter paper properly, or the bottom hole doesn't align. Some part never quite fits! It doesn't meaningfully affect the brew, though, so this handmade quirk can be overlooked entirely.

Wooden ware demands care. The official manual warns: never put the cone in a dishwasher, dryer, microwave, or refrigerator, and never in direct sunlight - in short, avoid extreme temperatures. When cleaning, don't use abrasives like steel wool that scratch the wood; a sponge cloth is the best choice. And finally, the manufacturer's most prominent line: "If you treat it with care, it will serve you for a lifetime." How thoughtful!

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

Dark roasts that shine in a slow-draining cone, from FrontStreet Coffee:

• FrontStreet Jamaica Blue Mountain No.1 - neither sharply fruity like African coffees nor heavily bitter like dark roasts, but beautifully balanced among sweet, sour, bitter, and aroma: cream, caramel, chocolate, nuts, honey, and a light fruit note, with a smooth, rounded entry and a clean, long finish.
• FrontStreet PWN Indonesia Golden Mandheling - low acidity and a thick, lasting body, full of herbal and dark-chocolate aroma with a faint earthy touch; made for slow extraction.
• FrontStreet Brazil Queen Estate - low acid, well balanced, with rich nut and cocoa aromas plus clear caramel sweetness; smooth and mellow whether brewed pour-over, espresso, or moka pot - the everyday classic among non-acidic coffees.