I broke my v60 this morning! Now all I'm left is a french press and a clever. I like the coffee from the clever more than FP, but I would like a pour over option. I'm debating between Chemex or the Kalita wave, or just get another v60. I don't mind learning a new dripper, but what wondering what brewers are good for which coffees.

I'm still exploring a lot of varieties/origins at the moment, but so far I've most enjoyed the Yirgacheffe, central American beans that highlight more of the nutty/chocolate notes and beans from Papua New Guinea. I'm really up for anything though... gotta try them to know whether or not I like it.

I like using a Bonavita immersion dripper. It's a combination of FP and pour over. Prefer the ceramic Bonavita over the plastic clever. Bonavita makes a straight pour over device as well made from bone china

I've been using this...

http://www.amazon.com/RSVP-Collapsible- ... 004KAQH6M/

I't makes a great cup of coffee, It's collapsible, makes 1-6 cups, won't break and is dishwasher safe! I use Melitta bamboo filters and I get no paper taste. I decided to stick with this one over the Hario's because the Bamboo filters can be found anywhere for much less than the V60 filters. Here locally V60 filters cost $10 for 100.. I can get 80 Melitta Bamboo's for $4. Sure it's a bit big but I have the option to serve myself of a full carafe. I can use it at home, work or camping without having to worry about damage.

Get plastic or stainless steel drippers instead!

Hario offers the v60 in plastic or stainless steel alongside glass and ceramic, and Kalita has the wave dripper in stainless steel.

Get a Kalita Wave in stainless steel. The brewing process will be very familiar for you. But brewing with the Kalita Wave is easier/more forgiving than brewing with a V60. (You're less likely to over-extract the bed of grounds using a flat-bottomed brewer.) Plus, you won't have to worry about breakage with stainless steel. While I was initially hesitant to use stainless steel instead of glass or porcelain, it's fine in practice.

FWIW: I've had better luck keeping glass brewers intact than porcelain brewers. The glass brewers tend to have a plastic skirt. And that skirt is usually the first thing I break on a porcelain brewer.

I've tried most of the pour-over methods under the sun, but I keep coming back to the plastic v60 in the end. With proper technique you can get wonderful clarity and balance out of your coffees. It is durable, machine washable, and it absorbs the minimum of heat from the slurry during brewing.

I am going to +1 everything David (eastsideloco) says about the Kalita Wave stainless steel brewer. I find it to be very easy to use, resulting in a wonderful cup.

My only beef is that the filters aren't sold by too many retailers and you have to plan on ordering more before you run out. In fact, I am out of filters now!

Pete

[creative nickname] wrote:I've tried most of the pour-over methods under the sun, but I keep coming back to the plastic v60 in the end. With proper technique you can get wonderful clarity and balance out of your coffees. It is durable, machine washable, and it absorbs the minimum of heat from the slurry during brewing.

+1

V60#1: $6. Buy several.

http://www.theartofcoffeedojo.com/pages ... ow_to.html

Great back up using a carafe and brew basket. It is also good for beginners to learn how to brew manually before buying expensive overwhelming equipment.

I'm going to be the contrarian here and suggest a Chemex. I'm also a big fan of the Hario Nel, but the Chemex continues to be my baseline for the brew device that lets me learn what a given bean is going to offer.