Nine options allow you to pour barista-level cups at home.

By: Kim Westman | Published 12:13 PM, December 13, 2021

Specialty coffee continues to win new advocates every year, but during the COVID-19 pandemic, people have been focusing on brewing at home. The easiest method is indeed the manual pouring method; once you realize how easy it is to make a morning cup in your jam, it is difficult to go back. This technique involves pouring temperature-controlled water on precisely ground coffee beans. Depending on the brewing style and the pouring coffee machine (also called dripper), both water and coffee powder are measured in a specific ratio.

Choosing the best manual coffee maker for your home depends on several factors: the degree of roast you prefer, your patience with measurement and timing, and the importance of design and aesthetics to you. Do you like the fourth wave, light roasted, tea-like coffee. Isn't its deliciousness very forgiving in the brewing department? Or do you prefer strong, strong coffee, or even add a little milk or dairy substitutes? For the former, longer brewing time is essential because the extraction speed of these flavor compounds is slower. For the latter, a faster flow rate is ideal for reducing bitterness.

No matter what kind of coffee you like, you need some equipment: a temperature-controlled gooseneck kettle, a small scale, a good grinder (preferably a grinder) and a timer (your phone is fine). After fixing these tools, it's time to pick a pour-over dripper. The most important specifications to consider are ease of use, the level of control over the extraction, the preferred brewing style, and the shape it cuts on the counter or shelf.

Size: Various | Volume/Size: Multiple | Filter: Yes BPA-free: Yes Material: Glass Shape: Cone

Why we chose it: Hario v60, made in Japan, is an attractive, reasonably priced, and tried-and-tested option with full control over extraction.

As one of the earliest drippers in the pouring landscape, Hario v60 can carry out the most creative control of extraction, which is an important function for brewing coffee of various grinding sizes. Many drippers have multiple holes or very narrow openings at the bottom, both of which restrict flow and often "suffocate" or block. The single hole at the bottom of the v60 allows you to pour it in quickly or slowly according to the grinding size, with the same success.

The thickness of the required proprietary filter is just right to prevent sediment from entering your cup while allowing all compounds that ensure sensory complexity to flow through. Hario was established more than 100 years ago as a heat-resistant glass manufacturer, and now produces a variety of high-quality coffee equipment for home and commercial use. Hario v60 is available in a variety of sizes and materials; we recommend that you choose the size glass version.

Dimensions: 5.12 x 5.08 x 3.82 inches | Volume/Size: Not Applicable | Filter: No BPA: Yes Material: Stainless Steel Shape: Cone

Why we chose it: The low-key JavaPresse is an excellent choice for economical benefits, and its one-piece structure does not require a filter.

If you are looking for cheap workhorse equipment and do not need precise control of your brewing, consider JavaPresse. This dripper has a double-walled 28-micron stainless steel cone, which provides a good function and can make a cup or two with the same ease. Because there is no filter, some sediment will always enter your cup, but this is also common in the French press method, so it will not bother many coffee drinkers. This dripper is more suitable for medium or dark roasted coffee because the extraction speed is faster; adjust the grind size and/or water temperature for higher precision.

Size: Various | Volume/Size: Multiple | Filter: Yes BPA-Free: Yes Material: Stainless Steel Shape: Cylindrical

Why we choose it: Fellow Stagg's minimal matte black aesthetics and matching temperature-controlled gooseneck water bottle make it a hot spot for beauty awards.

Fellow is a relatively new company in the specialty coffee space, but it broke ground from the start with its gorgeous gooseneck kettle, and it looks like it might have been designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. Their Stagg drippers are available in two sizes, made of sturdy and elegant matte black stainless steel, and use beautiful accordion filters. It has steep side walls and small holes, both of which are suitable for relatively slow brewing times, making this device ideal for preparing lighter roasted coffee and impressing visitors with your design dexterity.

Size: Various | Volume/Size: Multiple | Filter: Yes BPA-free: Yes Material: Various shapes: Flat-bottomed cone

The reason we chose it: Kalita Wave is designed to provide tolerance for novice winemakers, and its design itself can control the flow rate.

Kalita Wave may be Hario v60's biggest competition between the third and fourth wave of coffee style drinkers-it is designed in the opposite way. The Wave dripper has a flat bottom with three holes at the bottom and wavy horizontal ridges on both sides. This theoretically ensures that a slower flow rate will result in a complicated cup. It is true. It will also make the cup stronger, because the coffee will be a bit "steep" while waiting to drip. If you are a hardcore light roast drinker, this might be the perfect choice for you.

Size: Various | Volume/Size: Multiple | Filter: Yes BPA-free: Yes Material: Porcelain Shape: Accordion

Why we choose it: Origami dripper has a colorful but contemplative functional prosperity, it is an equal part of art installations and technical precision tools.

The timeless design of Origami Dripper seems to be like home in any kitchen of any era or style. There are a variety of colors to choose from. It evokes Japanese origami art with aesthetic and technical impulses. The brand unceremoniously uses the 20 accordion folds it calls "drainage ditch" to create air passages that prevent suffocation/clogging. But the most eye-catching feature of this dripper is that you can use a flat-bottomed Kalita Wave filter or a conical Hario v60 filter. This choice will result in a very different cup. Taking into account the variables of the degree of baking and the size of the grind, it takes some practice to reset the correct brewing time to zero, but once you do this, this is a very versatile tool.

Size: Multiple | Volume/Size: Various | Filter: Yes BPA-free: Yes Material: Glass, Wood, Leather Shape: Decanter shape

Why we choose it: Chemex is a modern and classic manual brewing machine that integrates a dripper and a server. If you are after functional elegance, it is expensive but worth it.

Chemex and its necessary double-bonded paper filter combination is a different kind of hand-brewed animal, because it is a closed system, you either love it or hate it. We like its clear, expressive cups and beautiful ritual. The filter can filter out more coffee oil, so compared to the same type of coffee brewed with Hario v60 or Kalita Wave, the coffee pot of the coffee pot will be thinner, but if you prefer the tea-like taste, it will be A good effect.

Size: 5 inches x 4.5 inches x 4 inches | Volume/Size: 1 cup | Filter: Yes BPA-free: Yes Material: Plastic Shape: Cone

Why we chose it: The BPA-free plastic Melitta HIC dripper is ultra-light, very cheap, and uses the normal cone filters found in most grocery stores.

Although all the drippers on this list are fairly portable, with the exception of Chemex, you will want something lighter (and almost impossible to break) for camping. Enter Melitta HIC, this is a dripper as simple as them. It can be hidden anywhere and is made of durable BPA-free plastic. It does not make the most detailed coffee in the world, but when you get out of the tent into the cold air, it will make your eyes sore at sunrise.

Size: Multiple | Volume/Size: Various | Filter: Yes BPA-free: Yes Material: Plastic Shape: Cone

The reason we chose it: Although technically speaking, the Clever Dripper is not a dumping device, its function is to achieve a single pour through a simple stopper mechanism, and then pour the brewed coffee into the cup. It does not require care during the brewing process.

The Clever Dripper is actually an immersion brewing machine (for example, a French filter press), but its use is similar to a dump dripper. After moistening the coffee powder with water at the temperature of your choice, let the coffee powder "flower": just pour the remaining amount of water into the coffee powder at one time (no need for a gooseneck kettle), and set a timer for your goal Brewing time, and then continue your work until you open the cork and let the coffee flow into your cup. This device is best for dark baking with lighter flavors in the fruity range, and the cups it produces are more like French filter presses than any other device on this list. If you are making two cups, you can even stop and start the process.

Size: Various | Volume/Size: 6 cups | Filter: Yes BPA-free: Yes Material: Glass, Wood, Silicone Shape: Cone

The reason for choosing it: Hario v60 with stand offers everything the classic v60 does. It allows you to brew and pour coffee with a larger capacity, up to six cups of coffee.

The Hario v60 with stand is a simple and visually appealing way to amplify your pouring coffee. It's just a large version of Hario v60 (listed as the best overall above) that can fit into a wooden stand; below is a double-walled glass service pitcher with a silicone top (for further insulation).

Each dripper is tested in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions for best performance. Tester and author Kim Westerman is a licensed Q grader and has been a coffee sensory analyst for seven years. When deciding which products to recommend, the most important considerations are ease of use, the level of control over extraction and its relationship to the buyer’s preferred brewing style, and the aesthetic appearance of the equipment.

Preferred roasting level: The most important factor in determining which manual dripper is best for you is your preferred coffee style. If you always brew lighter roasted coffee, then Fellow Stagg or Kalita Wave will be your best choice. If you like darker roasted coffee, Clever Dripper or JavaPresse may give you more satisfactory results. Hario v60 and Origami are the most flexible in terms of control extraction, so if you like to mix them, one of them might be right for you.

Material structure: Durability is always important, but sometimes it is worthwhile to make trade-offs for lighter weight and/or affordability. All the products recommended here are quite durable, but the Clever Dripper is the least durable because of its lightweight plastic construction. Melitta HIC is a great choice for camping, it is almost indestructible, but it is made of unattractive plastic.

Aesthetics and design: Coffee addicts often have more than one brewing method. On the first date, people may come up with Chemex or Hario v60 for high-end brunch, or the beautiful Origami or the minimalist Fellow Stagg. Again, the look and feel of the device may not be as important as efficiency, in which case the smart dripper may be just a ticket.

The pouring method can control your brewing to the greatest extent because it controls variables such as water temperature, flow rate and total brewing time in your hands. Done well, this can make the taste of the cup as complex and multi-layered as the potential value of coffee.

Contrary to popular belief, the perception of acidity (different from the actual acidity level) has a wide range in dumping methods because there are many variables that need to be controlled. In other words, if you are looking for a coffee with a lower acidity, you can achieve this by first selecting the roasting level, and then adjusting the grind and flow rate.

The best way to maintain the pouring temperature is to brew directly into a cup or water jar with an insulated wall. But many people have discovered that coffee emits new aromas and flavors when it is cooled, just as wine evolves when exposed to oxygen.

Many dumping drippers can be easily used for a lifetime or even longer, depending on the construction and maintenance.

Absolutely any coffee is a candidate for the pour method. If you control variables such as grind size, temperature, and flow rate, lighter roasts tend to glow in this form, while darker roasts will work well.

There are many manual pouring coffee machines to choose from on the market, from user-friendly to advanced design. We think Hario v60 is the best choice overall because of its control over extraction, its aesthetic appeal and its value, although our other choices are good choices, depending on each user’s lifestyle and coffee preference .

Each product is independently selected and reviewed by the editor. What you buy through our links may earn us a commission.

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