Hario Launches a Flurry of Pourover Products with Barista Collaborations

World Barista Collection

Has anyone seen, heard, played with, or read much about these? Lots of new things coming to experiment with; W60, drip assist, Mugen dripper, double stainless dripper. I see some upcoming posts 'brewing' in the Brewing forum!

If you like more clarity and therefore use paper filters, do you think there would be any advantage for the W60 flat bottom mesh brewing chamber in combination with V60 paper (this is one of the options they promote) versus just using a Kalita Wave flat bottom dripper (or similar)?

Indeed, this is where I suspect there will be some interesting posts to discern what is marketing versus true improvement. For example, at first glance the W60 and drip assist appears to be a bit of a pour-over reincarnation of a Mr. Coffee. Whether it adds anything versus the venerable V60 and other drippers is TBD.

A couple months ago, Pete Licata discussed his items in a few videos on the Hario Official YouTube channel. Kasuya Tetsu is on there too, but sometimes he speaks Japanese. (Most of the videos in the channel are in Japanese.)

http://www.youtube.com/user/harionjp

I wasn't moved to want to buy anything, but I already have too many brewing devices.

bobR wrote:If you like more clarity and therefore use paper filters, do you think there would be any advantage for the W60 flat bottom mesh brewing chamber in combination with V60 paper (this is one of the options they promote) versus just using a Kalita Wave flat bottom dripper (or similar)?

there may be some slight differences. in a Kalita wave everything indiscriminately is filtered the same way. with this W60 fines will travel from the flat bottom chamber through the mesh and then be filtered again. the fines will continue to be extracted during this process while the larger pieces will remain in the flat bottom chamber. so the differences may be based on how many fines your grinder produces. it feels like to me a sort of way to introduce a flat bottom without declaring defeat to their old system. Although it is no more wasteful than the V60 it feels more wasteful using two filters this way like the bottom filter really isn't getting used, almost like pouring a french press through a V60.

I have both version of Mugen, hario drip assist, and w60.
I love the Mugen, a bit tricky when folding the paper filter to fit in (you have to fold the edge deeper or fold a diagonal line) but the brews so far is great, more body and sweetness when compare to normal v60 (same recipes). And if I do single pour (no bloom pour but a single long pour from 0 to finish), brews are easier to replicate, end time, tds doesnt get too difference.
The Hario assist feel kinda finicky, it has two circles of small holes and the flow rate of each is different (inside is fast while outside is slow).
W60 i dont like the plastic filter, the cone only has 12 ribs, and water seems to flow slower than normal v60. I mean if you get the water to go on sides (i.e side channeling) it doesnt go in straight line down through the hole but go in a cursive line.