Nav: Home > Coffee >

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

Published: 2026-01-27 Author: FrontStreet Coffee

Last Updated: 2026/01/27, Today while organizing a corner of the store, FrontStreet Coffee discovered a special yet niche dripper. Despite how obscure this might sound, it's absolutely true! This dripper is called the "Anqing-style dripper," crafted by the renowned Yamanaka lacquerware wood workshop from Kaga, Japan. Now FrontStreet Coffee will break down the differences between this unique brewer and more conventional options.

Today, while organizing the small corners of the shop, FrontStreet Coffee discovered a special but niche pour-over cone. Although this might sound quite niche, it's truly what happened!

The Yasukichi-Style Pour-Over Cone

The name of this pour-over cone is "Yasukichi-style pour-over cone," which is produced by the renowned Yamanaka Lacquerware Wood Factory in Kaga, Japan. So today, FrontStreet Coffee will share what makes this niche pour-over cone so special!

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

The first special point is its material! Unlike the common materials found in most pour-over cones, such as ceramic, resin, metal, or glass that we see in conical, flat-bottom, or fan-shaped cones, this cone is made entirely of pure wood. This is its first unique characteristic. Although made of pure wood, it's not rough as one might imagine – the feel is silky smooth and rounded, and it's extremely lightweight, which clearly demonstrates the excellent craftsmanship!

Secondly, we can see from the cone's walls that the wood grain presents a longitudinal pattern. This means that during its creation, the woodworker adopted the technique of taking wood longitudinally!

Conventional wooden wares typically use horizontally cut wood for production, as this allows a larger quantity of items to be made from a single piece of wood, and the vessels can be made larger. Additionally, since the wood fibers are directly cut, it's more time-efficient. However, the disadvantage is that it cannot produce deep vessels; whereas the longitudinal cutting technique not only makes the wood grain more beautiful but also makes the utensils less prone to deformation, giving them a longer lifespan! The disadvantage is also obvious – it uses more material because the wood is harder, making the craftsmanship more difficult. Because of this, its price is also higher.

Finally, let's talk about the rib design of the pour-over cone! Generally, the rib design of pour-over cones is mainly divided into two types: flow-guiding and water-retaining! Flow-guiding ribs serve to create clear channels for hot water, giving it more flow paths and preventing blockages during the extraction process (this is also related to the size and number of holes); while water-retaining ribs mainly serve to slow down the descent of hot water while maintaining the water level in a horizontal state! For example, the ring patterns on the Yasukichi-style pour-over cone allow hot water at higher positions to flow along the rings to other areas, thereby making the extraction more even!

The reason it's special is that the Yasukichi-style pour-over cone is a conical pour-over cone! Conical pour-over cones with water-retaining ribs are very rare, as they typically use flow-guiding ribs. This results in the Yasukichi-style pour-over cone draining very slowly, making it more suitable for brewing dark-roasted coffee. Besides the all-wooden pour-over cone, Yamanaka Lacquerware also produces lacquered Yasukichi-style pour-over cones, but they cost twice as much! So next, FrontStreet Coffee will brew a pot of dark roast coffee to see what kind of performance this Yasukichi-style pour-over cone will bring us!

Brewing Experiment

Since the Yasukichi-style pour-over cone is so special, the pour-over kettle used in this experiment should also be special – it's the drop-by-drop pouring master tool – the crane-spout kettle! Although we'll still be using the three-stage pouring method~ The coffee beans used are Jamaica Blue Mountain No. 1, with the following brewing 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, we'll inject 40ml of hot water, twice the amount of coffee grounds, for a 30-second bloom!

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

When the water level drops to reveal the bottom coffee bed, we'll inject the remaining 120ml of hot water in large circles with small movements, and wait for the extraction to finish!

The extraction ended after 2 minutes and 15 seconds. We remove the pour-over cone, give it a little shake, and it's ready to pour and drink!

The Blue Mountain brewed with the Yasukichi-style pour-over cone is exceptionally rich and mellow. Not only are flavors like chocolate and nuts well-expressed, but it also has a high aftertaste sweetness, with round and gentle acidity, making for a very pleasant experience. It's worth mentioning that there's no woody taste from the pour-over cone itself imparted to the coffee, although this could be because it has been stored for a long time and the smell has dissipated.

However, during use, FrontStreet Coffee discovered a drawback of the Yasukichi-style pour-over cone! That is, it doesn't fit well with the filter paper – either the upper part of the cone and the filter paper don't fit properly, or the bottom hole position doesn't fit with the filter paper. In short, there's always some part that doesn't fit properly! But this doesn't significantly affect the brewing process, so this handmade flaw can be completely overlooked!

After using the Yasukichi-style pour-over cone, we must take proper care of it. Since it's a wooden utensil, maintenance is very important! The official manual also specifically notes: Please do not place the pour-over cone in extreme environments such as dishwashers, dryers, microwaves, or refrigerators, and do not expose it to direct sunlight. In short, avoid exposure to extreme temperatures. Additionally, when cleaning, do not use abrasive cleaning tools like steel wool that can damage the wooden surface – a sponge cloth is the most suitable choice! Finally and most importantly, the manufacturer also provided a prominent line: If you treat it with care, it will serve you for a lifetime~ How thoughtful!

- END -