Slow Pour brew guide
How to brew Kalita Wave coffee
Use 20 g of coffee ground medium and 320 g of water at 93°C (1:16). Bloom with 50 g, then pour to 150 g, 240 g and 320 g, and let it drain by about 3:30.
What you need
- A flat-bottom dripper (Kalita Wave or similar) and its wavy filters
- A mug or jug
- A kettle with a gooseneck spout, a scale and a timer
- A burr grinder
The recipe
A flat bed and three small holes slow the water down evenly, so it’s more forgiving of an uneven pour than a cone. These numbers make one big mug.
- Coffee: 20 g
- Water: 320 g
- Ratio: 1:16
- Grind: medium (about 600 to 800 microns, like sand)
- Water temperature: 93°C (199°F)
- Total time: about 3:30
- Makes: about 280 ml
Step by step
Zero the scale with the coffee in, then follow along. The times are from your first pour.
- Heat the water to 93°C
- Rinse the wavy filter gently: pour into the middle so the folds keep their shape
- Grind 20 g, medium
- Coffee in, level, zero the scale
- 0:00 Bloom. Pour to 50 grams.
- 0:40 Pour to 150 grams. Small circles in the middle. The flat bottom spreads it for you.
- 1:10 Pour to 240 grams.
- 1:40 Pour to 320 grams.
- 2:10 Let it drain. Aim to finish round three and a half minutes.
- 3:30 Done. Enjoy.
Looking after the filter
The wavy paper only touches the dripper at its folds, which keeps the coffee warm and the flow even. Rinse it by pouring into the middle, not down the sides, so the folds keep their shape.
If it doesn’t taste right
Sour or thin means the water didn’t take enough from the coffee: grind a step finer next time. Bitter or harsh means it took too much: grind a step coarser. Weak means you need a little more coffee for the same water; too strong, a little more water. Change one thing at a time so you learn what each one does.
Questions
Kalita Wave or V60?
The flat bottom is more forgiving and gives a rounder, even cup. A cone is faster and brighter, and rewards a careful pour.
What ratio for Kalita Wave?
This recipe uses 1:16. Anywhere from 1:15 to 1:17 works.