I have been using the medium-sized Karlsbad device made by Walkuere for many years now. For the most part, it is not only my favorite drip device but also the only one that I will touch. I love the rich extraction the cake filter above the porcelain grid gives, situation the beverage somewhere in between a Chemex and a French press. This might sound somewhat absurd but the resultant beverage to me has features of both methods: the rich body you get from the French press coupled with the delicate overtones and nuances the Chemex provides. All of that with minimal fines at the bottom of the cup.

The Karlsbad profits from a high-quality unimodal grinder for drip, obviously, and its acceptance of grind size is rather finicky. However, it's not only such a unique design but also shines in its material qualities: No disposable filter medium and no unwanted flavors imparted due to the 100% glazed porcelain construction and the complete absence of any paper or metal parts.

To me, it is the BEST brewer possible. The only downside is that it is not well known in the U.S. Any other fans on here? If so, tell me about your favorite recipes.

I have two sizes of the Karlsbad (380 ml modern style and 850 ml traditional style) but use most commonly the 380 ml brewer with 25 gr of coffee. Recently, after an upgrade to 64 mm SSP brew burrs in my Mazzer SJ, I've found myself being able to grind finer without increasing fines or choking the flow rate, thus driving up the extraction rate. Pure deliciousness in the cup!

Here's a link to the (to my knowledge) only U.S. based distributor/seller:
https://prima-coffee.com/equipment/walk ... e-karlsbad

I was fascinated by it when I first heard about it, but it's price put me off. Plus, I really don't need another manual coffee brewer apparatus. I don't doubt that it makes delicious coffee though!

Tom, it's not cheap as German labor costs are high. The quality and density of the procelain are both excellent, though. I have some Walkuere cups as well. They have excellent heat retention due to the density of the material. Given that you never need to buy a filter, this is not at all a bad deal if you use it daily for years as I have.

This is just my personal taste preference, but I cannot find another method that comes close to the flavor extraction of the Karlsbad. I've been to one coffee shop in Vienna once where they even offered it as a method. Most shops that are familiar with it don't offer it, though, because it takes longer to make coffee and thus diminishes profits (as one barista in Salzburg once confessed to me).

And no, Tom, you're wrong. You do need another apparatus.

This post is timely, in a sad sort of way. Walkure has filed for bankruptcy and from what we've heard so far it sounds like the coffee brewers may be on the chopping block. https://www.infranken.de/regional/bayre ... 13,4374052

Oh no, this is terrible news. Their products are top-notch. I really hope they'll survive and will continue making those brewers. From my understanding, this is not something you can just copy without the proper knowledge on how to make those porcelain filter grids.

Got to agree . They are simply the best brewers out there. I scored 3 of them from ebay for $100 total including shipping from Dresden in Germany. All 3 are different sizes , but I find myself using the medium sized one a lot. It makes the Best cup in 5 minutes. I also have the old American Portlier style ceramic drip dripolator and it makes good coffee also. I have never touched paper filters since I started using these . This is very similar to the Vietnamese phin filters and I have one of them in ceramic also...Pure coffee brewing experience at its finest.

Hey Dan! So happy to see that I am not all alone with my love for the Karlsbad. We fellow Karlsbaders are like a minority group within a minority group of quality coffee lovers, it seems.

These look really cool, too bad you can't buy them in Canada

You could check and see if Prima Coffee ships to Canada. They might. Also, the factory in Germany will ship internationally but that'll be very expensive.

I've been loving the cups I am getting out of the Bayreuth .35L, but I was wondering what targets people are setting for Brew time overall, and how they do the pours. Do you bloom, no bloom, keep water level high or keep it low?

I'm currently getting around 4 minutes while keeping the water level rather high most of the time (overflowing into the sieve), with a bloom. Very amazing cups!