The Japanese Kalita coffee dripper is a less well-known coffee maker. It is comparable to the classic V60 but the shape of its filter base is different. The filter base is a horizontal, flat filter bed with a cross-section measuring 5 cm, and it has three holes. The flat base ensures very even extraction. The special filter paper supplied with it is corrugated. The corrugation or ‘waves’ ensure that the filter bed does not create any vacuum.
How to make the coffee
Step 1: preparation
Take 22 grams of beans and grind them medium. Boil some water. Put the Kalita filter on the coffee jug and insert the corrugated Kalita filter paper in it. Pour hot water into the centre of the filter bed so that the filter fills with water. This cleans the paper and ensures that it is saturated. Always avoid pouring on the edges. You will see that the corrugations (waves) remain intact, so the filter will not create a vacuum. Pour the rinsing water out of the coffee jug – it is now preheated and the filter is rinsed.
Step 2: the bloom
Set the scale to 0. Pour 22 grams of ground coffee into the filter. Use hot water between 85 and 92 °C. Pour the hot water in the centre of the filter so that all the ground coffee is moistened. The coffee will swell and de-gas (the bloom phase).
Step 3: continue pouring
After 20 to 30 seconds, pour on more hot water until the scale shows 150 grams. Let the water flow through until 80% is gone and then continue pouring until the weight is 250 grams. Let 80% of the water flow through again, and then pour until you reach 300 grams.
Step 4: pouring the coffee for drinking
Pour the coffee into a large, wide cup or mug, which will help the temperature to decrease more easily and allow you to experience the different aromas at their best.
The flavour: result and conclusion
Coffee made with this filter will have a very full and deep flavour. The Kalita’s flat bottom also makes it particularly suitable for brewing larger quantities of coffee, because the flat bottom ensures nice even extraction.
