I'm looking for a method to manually brew 1L of filter coffee. Ideally, I'd like more, but I noticed when discussing pouring kettles that many kettles are 700-750ml at their largest, and it's somewhat harder to find larger ones. It seems manual brewing doesn't often go much beyond the 750ml (3-cup) limit. While I originally wanted about five or six cups when brewing for guests, I can accept four cups as a compromise, especially if I only have a 1L pouring kettle. However, 3 cups is an annoyingly small amount.

The choices most obvious to me are either an 8-, 10-, or 13-cup Chemex, or else a Kalita Wave 185. However, only the 3- and 6-cup Chemexes are available here, as far as I'm aware, and I don't want the hassle and expense of ordering internationally--especially glass. There was also some discussion that the Chemexes don't handle extremely large volumes well, but that may have been just a bad batch of paper filters. Also, the Kalita Wave 185, although claiming to be for four people, is apparently not convenient past that 700ml mark or so. Is that true?

My requirements are about 1L of paper-filtered coffee (sorry, no large French presses for this one). It has to be a manual brewing method because I don't want to buy a machine--both because of the cost and the dedicated space. Fire away, I'll do the searching to see if it's available locally.

I've done 1L brews in an 8 cup Chemex with good results. FWIW, the Bonavita PID kettles with a gooseneck are available in up to 1.7L sizes.

I've tried brewing large batches with a Kalita 185 and it's not ideal. The application you are describing is precisely why I have hung on to my large Chemex brewer. Otherwise it's just collecting dust or serving as a fancy decanter for tea chilling in the fridge.

George Howell's simple Chemex recipe seems pretty resistant to overly slow draw down times, in part because it skips the bloom phase in favor of three pours of equal volume. Here's a recipe for a 6-cup model that is easily scaled up for larger batches:

http://www.georgehowellcoffee.com/brew- ... p-for-two/

Your 1-liter capacity and larger pouring kettle options will likely be limited, especially since you ruled out electric options in your other post. (While the kettle itself isn't as nice as other options, I use a PID Bonavita just because it puts the heat where I want it, requires no transferring of water between vessels, and simplifies temperature control.)

For 1.5 Liter batches I use the RSVP Manual Drip Coffee Filter Cone for Carafes/Thermos (http://www.amazon.com/RSVP-Manual-Coffe ... or+thermos) along with the 51 oz Thermos (http://www.amazon.com/Thermos-Vacuum-In ... gy_k_img_z) and #6 Filtropa filters. I also use the Bonavita 1.7 L variable temp electronic kettle (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008YE ... UTF8&psc=1) to heat my water for my pouring kettle.

These work like a charm for making large batches of coffee and keeping them hot. And for the price points are not too bad.

I harassed several vendors on Twitter, and they all said one liter was a bit much for the Kalita 185. Kalita USA said 2/3 full was max (about 50g of ground coffee).

• 6-cup handled Chemex (has head space for 35 oz)
• KONE3
• Belakane 1.6L. I grabbed mine from Orphan Espresso when they cleared out some stock. Kalita has one on Amazon.
• If you want the Rolls Royce of kettles, grab a Takahiro, 1.5L. Best tip out there -- used one on a traveling road show. Would have gone for one but grabbed my Belakane for $20 from Doug and Barb on clearance. Wife will crown me if I buy a 4th kettle.

Use is daily to produce a quart/liter of coffee. Excellent tips on both those kettles. I like the volume which helps provide temp stability. Great cups.

BoldJava

I regularly hand brew a whole gallon at a time. To do this I use the filterholder from a Fetco. With the right equipment anything is possible.

Boldjava, does that mean the 6-cup Chemex with a collar won't work, or you don't have that one so don't know? Does the 6-cup only have room for 35oz with the KONE3, or will it have enough room with the paper filters, too?

SlowRain wrote:Boldjava, does that mean the 6-cup Chemex with a collar won't work, or you don't have that one so don't know?

Don't know. I crashed my collared 8-cup and was committed to not having that silly wood collar again. Bought a 6-cup glass handle as replacement since I don't make more than 35 oz.

Does the 6-cup only have room for 35oz with the KONE3, or will it have enough room with the paper filters, too?

Don't know -- haven't used Chemex filters in ages since migrating to Kones at gen 1.

If you're interested in Chemex, I also have the 10 cup glass handle and it works great for large volumes with the paper filters.

I have used the Holiday Kone with mine and find that to brew a full 50 ounces I need to brew two batches based on the volume of the Kone. I just get better results out of it that way. I have tried brewing all at once and I felt the quality in the cup was not there, whether because of user error or because it is harder with that volume of coffee in the Kone.