How to Choose Pour-Over Coffee Drippers? Diamond Dripper Types and Features! Why Does V60 Dripper Flow So Fast?

Rediscovering the Diamond Dripper

Today, while FrontStreet Coffee was diligently cleaning, we discovered a dust-covered dripper in the corner of our storage room. After cleaning it, we found that this was the highly-regarded "Diamond Dripper." Although it was purchased a long time ago, FrontStreet Coffee doesn't seem to have provided a particularly detailed "analysis" (introduction) of this dripper.

So today, FrontStreet Coffee would like to share whether this gorgeous-looking "Diamond Dripper" is actually good to use!

The Company Behind the Diamond Dripper

Before introducing the dripper, FrontStreet Coffee would first like to share about the company that invented this dripper. Although the Diamond Dripper isn't very famous, the company that produces it has quite a reputation. The Diamond Dripper was designed and invented by Japan's Key Coffee. This company was established in 1920 and now has over 100 years of history, making it one of Japan's oldest coffee roasters. They not only own their own coffee plantations abroad but also operate stores in Japan. Moreover, because their stores are filled with traditional Japanese atmosphere, they are often regarded as one of the symbols of "Kissaten." (The term "Kissaten" in Japanese means traditional Japanese coffee shops, "one of" because they're not the only one)

Design Features

Getting back to the Diamond Dripper, like the V60, it adopts a conical design. However, the difference is that the Diamond Dripper doesn't have very prominent rib ridges. Instead, it features numerous diamond-cut-like facets. These "diamond" facets also support the filter paper, creating gaps that allow coffee grounds to fully exhaust.

However, the flow rate of the Diamond Dripper won't be as fast as the V60, because FrontStreet Coffee observed that its drainage hole is relatively smaller compared to the V60. This reduces the water flow channels and increases the contact time between water and coffee grounds. Combined with the narrow-bottom, wide-top conical structure, when using the same brewing method, the resulting coffee will have a richer body compared to the V60.

Material and Specifications

The Diamond Dripper is made of polycarbonate. Although it's a plastic material like resin, it has higher transparency and good impact resistance. This means this material gives the dripper a more transparent appearance while also being drop-resistant! On the packaging, the manufacturer indicates that the dripper is suitable for brewing 1-4 servings, meaning it can accommodate both 01 and 02 size filter papers, making it quite versatile. Alright, that's all the information about this dripper. Next, FrontStreet Coffee will test how the coffee brewed with this dripper performs!

Brewing Evaluation

The coffee beans used in this evaluation are light-roasted Geisha Village Red Label, from Ethiopia with very rich fruit flavors, making them very suitable for testing with fast-flowing drippers. The parameters are consistent with those normally used for V60 brewing: 15g coffee grounds, grind setting at 10 on Ek43 with 80% passing through a #20 sieve, fine sugar grind texture, coffee-to-water ratio of 1:15, water temperature of 92°C, and a standard three-pour brewing method.

First, we wet the filter paper to make it fit the dripper. Because FrontStreet Coffee used 15g of coffee grounds for a single serving, we naturally used a 01 size conical filter paper.

As you can see, the fit between the filter paper and dripper is quite good. Next, we pour in the coffee grounds and begin brewing. We start with twice the amount of water as the coffee grounds (30ml) for the bloom!

After blooming for 30 seconds, we use a large water flow in large circular motions to pour 130ml of hot water, raising the coffee bed.

When the water has fully permeated, we then use a small water flow in small circular motions (the size of the white foam in the picture below) to pour the remaining 65ml of hot water. Then we just need to wait for the drip filtration to complete, and the extraction will be finished!

Results and Conclusion

The extraction took 2 minutes and 5 seconds. Indeed, the flow rate of this dripper is slightly slower than the V60. And the coffee's flavor profile is just as FrontStreet Coffee speculated - it tends to be richer. The citrus and berry flavors are equally prominent, and through careful tasting, we can detect rose aroma. The acidity is relatively low, and the sweetness is very good.

In summary, we can understand this as a V60 dripper with a slightly slower flow rate. But the difference is that its appearance is more gorgeous and more attractive. In terms of price, they are roughly similar without much difference. So overall, this dripper offers quite good value for money and performance!

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473