Kalita Wave Dripper – Review and Recipe

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Chris Clark

Chris Clark is the co-founder and chief content editor of BrewCoffeeHome.com. With a passion for all things java, Chris has been a coffee blogger for the past 3 years and shares his expertise in coffee brewing with the readers. He's a hands-on expert, loves testing coffee equipment, and has written most of the in-depth reviews featured on the site. When he's not whipping up delicious drinks or experimenting with the latest coffee gadgets, Chris is exploring the local cafe. You can reach him at [email protected].


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Kalita Wave is a pour-over coffee maker that becomes popular in the last few years. You can see the Brewers Cup champions use the Kalita Wave in the competitions. And it’s used by specialty coffee shops around the world.

kalita-wave-and-filters

Why is it popping up in the coffee world?

The Unique design:

Compared with other pour-over coffee makers, Kalita Wave has its unique design to ensure even extraction.

The flat bottom and 3 drip holes design eliminates the channeling of water in the brew bed. And due to the particular design of the filter, the paper filter has less contact with the dripper, so less coffee is allowed to pass through the walls and maintain the temperature during brewing.

flat-bottom

Ease of Use

Kalita Wave is a pour-over coffee maker that is suitable for entry-level coffee fans. It’s easier for the beginner to brew the coffee more evenly and have a more predictable extraction thanks to the flat bottom design and the flow control by the 3 small holes.

Unlike the other pour over dripper with a cone shape and big dripping hole, the small holes control the flow rate during brewing so you can get a more consistent taste. Follow the standard brewing guide you can get a cup of great-tasting coffee.

Portability

If you like to travel with your Kalita Wave, the stainless steel version is the best choice. It’s lightweight, and you can take it with you when you go camping, backpacking or traveling.

But in order to make the best of the paper filters, you’d better keep the shape and prevent the flutes from collapsing. Consider putting it in a box and not to press it with other stuff when traveling.

Kalita Wave Buying Guides

The Price?

Kalita wave is very affordable, just at a similar price level to the other pour-over drippers available in the market place.

How To Choose? Kalita Wave 185 or 155?

The Kalita dripper is available in three different materials: stainless steel, ceramic, or glass.

And there are two sizes: 155 and 185. The 155 is suitable for a single cup, while the 185 can make 2-4 cups of coffee at one time.

The overall feature is similar for different models, so you can just choose your preferred materials and capacity according to your need.

I prefer the stainless steel version since it looks nice and shining, and it’s super durable.

kalita-wave-packing

Choose the Kalita Wave Filter 

The Kalita Wave filter is beautiful yet functional. It looks like the cupcake cup with some vertical ridges. Besides aesthetic considerations, this design can reduce the contact between the filter and dripper wall to increase the stability of the water temperature.

wave-filters-185

Just like the wave series dripper, the paper filter has two sizes: 155 and 185. You need to purchase the proprietary Kalita Wave filter in the appropriate size.

Note: Kalita company also offers another Kalita dripper called 101 and 102, similar to the Melitta or Bee house style dripper. The coffee filter for 101/102 doesn’t fit the Kalita Wave series. So when you purchase the filters, don’t get the wrong version.

wave-vs-101

How to Brew Coffee With Kalita Wave?

This guide will show you how to make a cup of coffee using the Kalita wave. In this guide, I’ll brew one cup of coffee, using 20 grams of coffee dose to make 300 ml of coffee.

Things you need to use a Kalita Wave

Basic gear requirements

  • Kalita Wave dripper
  • Kalita Wave filter
  • Coffee
  • Filtered hot water
  • Kettle
  • A carafe or a mug

Optimal coffee gear for better performance

  • Gooseneck kettle
  • Fresh Coffee beans
  • Burr grinder
  • A timer
  • A spoon
  • Kitchen scale

Kalita Wave Pour Over Coffee Recipe

  • Coffee to Water Ratio: 20g coffee to 300g water (1:15 Ratio)
  • Grind size: Medium ground coffee (In this guide, I use Baratza Encore Grinder, 16/40 grind setting)
  • Water Temperature: 205°F (96°C)

Time needed: 3 minutes

  1. Rinse the Wave filter

    First things first, rinse your filter to remove the paper taste and heat up your carafe. Empty the water from your carafe when it is warmed.
    Tips: When you wet the wave filter, pour from the flat bottom, then go the way up gently. Don’t pour too aggressively to cause the filter flutes to collapse.
    rinse-filter-wave

  2. Weigh and grind the coffee beans

    Now measure your coffee using the scale. And set the grind size on your burr grinder to medium (Check out the coffee grind chart)
    (With Baratza Encore, using setting 15-17 is a good starting point)
    baratza-encore-17

  3. Get everything ready

    Place your Kalita wave and carafe back on the scale. Pour the coffee grounds into the dripper, shake it a little bit to level the coffee bed. Tare your scale back to zero.
    Now you are ready for the blooming.
    coffee-grounds-in-filters

  4. Bloom the coffee

    Start the timer, pour 40 grams of water in a spiral motion to bloom the coffee; try to get all the coffee wet within 10 seconds. You’ll see the wet coffee grounds lift in the filter. Use a spoon to give your coffee a gentle stir, ensuring that all grounds are wet and the more even extraction.

    bloom the coffee for 30 seconds

  5. First pour

    The blooming should be done in 30 seconds. Pour about 200 grams of water within a minute, spiraling from the inside to the outside.
    first-pour

  6. Keep pouring water intermittently

    After about 15 seconds, when the water level is going down, pour about 30 grams of water intermittently to bring the water level back to the top until you hit 300 grams.
    Finish pouring by 2:00 and let drain.
    pour-water-to-coffee-grounds

  7. Enjoy your coffee

    Let the water drain through the filter for a while. The total time of the brewing process is about 2 minutes 45 seconds to 3 minutes. If it takes longer, you probably need the coarser grind.
    Now you can remove your Kalita wave from the carafe and enjoy the fresh hot delicious coffee.

    (It looks a little bit wired using the Hario coffee server, maybe I should buy a Kalita carafe instead)coffee in the decanter

That’s how you brew a perfect cup using the Kalita Wave. There are lots of other great Kalita Wave brewing recipes you can find and test. There are some recipes out there for your reference.

Pour-over coffee makers are not expensive, they are much cheaper than other coffee machines. If you are a pour over coffee enthusiast, you can compare the Hario V60, Kalita Wave or Chemex. They are relatively easy for beginners to make high quality coffee at home.

FAQ:

What’s the difference between Kalita wave and Hario V60

This coffee dripper is designed and produced by Kalita, a Japanese company established in the 1950s. When it comes to the Japanese brands, you must think of the Hario V60. They are both the coffee drippers for pour over brewing, but have different shapes, drip holes design and coffee filters.
Kalita Wave requires less control. If you accidentally pour too much water, the small holes make it up for you. You are more likely to have more stable coffee and a more predictable flavor.
V60 requires more pouring technique and skill to get a consistent taste. Unlike the flat bottom dripper that limits the flow rate and provides an even extraction , you have full control when brewing with V60, and it allows you to do more experiments to get the taste you like.  
Both are very affordable and great in aesthetics, and they are good choices for home brewing.  
wave-vs-v60

Photo of author

Chris Clark

Chris Clark is the co-founder and chief content editor of BrewCoffeeHome.com. With a passion for all things java, Chris has been a coffee blogger for the past 3 years and shares his expertise in coffee brewing with the readers. He's a hands-on expert, loves testing coffee equipment, and has written most of the in-depth reviews featured on the site. When he's not whipping up delicious drinks or experimenting with the latest coffee gadgets, Chris is exploring the local cafe.