We love the Kalita Wave Drippers because they are engineered with a flat bottom to provide even extraction from your grind. The iconic wave shape is designed to keep the filter off of the walls, keeping the flow rate and temperature consistent. Offered in ceramic, steel, or glass, the testament to how well this design works is in the flavor of the coffee Kalita equipment brews. Below is our step-by-step guide on how to get the most out of your Kalita Wave dripper. In this recipe, we used the Kalita Wave 185 Stainless Steel Dripper, Kalita Kettle, Kalita 185 Filters and Kalita Server.

Brewing With Kalita Wave

Step 1

Start by heating up water in your kettle. A gooseneck is recommended as it allows you to have much more control over your pours which is essential to a perfect brew. We recommend heating up to 195-205 degrees, any hotter or colder can result in inconsistencies. If your kettle doesn’t have a built-in thermometer, you can use a simple beverage thermometer to monitor your temperature.

Step 2

Place the filter in the dripper and rinse it with hot water. This helps to remove any paper taste the coffee may pick up and gets your dripper and server warm for brewing. Discard hot water.

Step 3

Grind your coffee to a medium setting. It should have a little grit, but it shouldn’t be visibly chunky. An ideal grind will resemble the texture of sea salt. We recommend following the SCA Gold Cup Standard of a 1:16 coffee-to-water ratio. For this recipe, we used 20 grams of coffee to 320 grams of water.

Step 4

Add coffee to the dripper, and give it a little shake to evenly distribute the coffee. Make sure there are no drastic bumps or holes in the bed of coffee.

Step 5

Place your dripper and server on the scale, tare it to zero, and you’re ready to brew!

Step 6

“Bloom” the coffee by saturating the grounds with 80 grams of water. This allows the CO2 gasses to release, resulting in a degassed bed of coffee that's ready for brewing. Wait about  30 seconds for the bloom to do its thing before resuming the brewing process.

Step 7

Now that your coffee has bloomed, add the remaining 240 grams of water in 80-gram increments. Slowly pour in a circular motion, taking about 20 seconds for each pour. 

Step 8

Let the coffee continue to drain into your mug or decanter. Your total brew time should be between 2-3 minutes. If it’s outside of that range, you may need to adjust your pour or grind size to get to that desired time.

Step 9

Discard the used grounds and filter. We encourage composting as it can add nitrogen to your compost piles and doesn’t contribute to landfills. 

Pour and enjoy!

Wrapping Up

We know that choosing equipment can be a daunting task, so let us help you make the best decision for your business. Questions about brewing, gear, or something else? Contact us today. Kalita USA has the industry know-how to make your job easier—and your customers happier, too.