Pour Over Coffee Makers Review

 Best Pour Over Coffee Makers 2021

It seems there’s a new pour over coffee maker released every week as they gain popularity and traction in and outside of the coffee shop.

1. The Hario V60 - Industry Favorite

Hario V60

Specifications:

Available in: Ceramic, Glass, Plastic, Copper

Sizes available: Single cup + 2, 4, 7 cup

Portability: 10

You’ll also need: Special Hario paper filters, gooseneck kettle

Skill required: Advanced

The Hario V60 is an iconic pour over method available; you’ll see it being used in cafes around the world. Made in Japan by a Hario (‘Hario’ translates to ‘King of glass’ in Japanese) means the glass or ceramic pour over coffee brewers are of the highest quality - however, they also come in a range of different materials. It requires a meticulous pour over coffee routine, complete with timers and kettles, but boy oh boy is the end result worth it (4).

To see just how worth it, check out our brew guide here or the video below:

With its conical spiral design and triangular paper filters, this pour over coffee maker produces a great cup of joe and is an amazing conversation starter in cafes. Read our full

2. The Kalita Wave - Most Forgiving

Kalita wave

Specifications:

Available in: Ceramic, glass, stainless steel

Sizes available: 2,4 cups

Portability: 10

You’ll also need: Kalita filter, gooseneck kettle

Skill required: Average

When you're looking for a pour over coffee maker but aren't interested in turning it into such an involved process with scales, manual grinders, and spouted kettles, then consider using the Kalita wave. Of course, we don't want to discredit this flat-bottom coffee dripper - it's kickass.

If you like slow coffee, but don't like the meticulous nature of the V60, go for the Wave.

The Kalita Wave was designed in response to the market demand for a pour over method that was uncomplicated, efficient, and addressed some of the extraction issues present in conical designs. Like other pour over coffee makers, you’ll achieve a very clean and beautiful tasting brew (when done right), just with less effort.

The design of the Kalita Wave pour over coffee maker is clever. With its flat bottom, as opposed to conical shaped, it brews with longer steep times and removes some of the margin of error. If that doesn’t make sense to you, it simply means you’ll consistently get a great brew, even with a half-assed ‘in-a-rush’ attempt.

3. Bee House Ceramic Dripper

Bee House Dripper

Specifications:

Available in: Ceramic only

Sizes available: 2,4 cups

Portability: 10

You’ll also need: Gooseneck kettle

Skill required: Low

The Bee House ceramic coffee dripper is yet another Japanese import with a lot to offer. It comes in two sizes, large and small, so If you're a home barista without a lot of room to spare in your kitchen the smaller size can be very handy. A huge plus of this coffee dripper (which the V60 and the Kalita Wave can’t offer) is the ability to use any old standard cone coffee filter with it. This is important because if (or rather: when) you run out of filters you can easily find them in a grocery.

It’s wedge-shaped, with vertical ridges along the bottom half of the dripper only and two drip holes at the bottom. The wedge means better heat retention and more consistent contact between the coffee grounds and the water. This means that making coffee with this ceramic coffee dripper, results in an evenly extracted brew with very minimal effort.

The main selling point, however, is ease of use. Forget fancy kettles, forget strict brew time rules - brewing coffee with this coffee dripper delivers a gorgeous brew without the hard work

4. Chemex Coffee Maker - Most Beautiful

Chemex

Specifications:

Available in: Glass only

Sizes available: 3,5,8,10 cups

Portability: 3

You’ll also need: Gooseneck kettle, Chemex filters

Skill required: High

A classic, all-in-one glass carafe coffee dripper that requires your time, a willingness to learn and some medium-coarse coffee grounds. Unlike some coffee drippers on this list, it’s not portable because of its size, but that’s also one of the highlights of this product since you can brew larger quantities of coffee in one go.

The Chemex classic filter is like no other filter you've seen before, and it all adds to the magic. The double-bonded paper makes this the thickest filter you'll come across, and it adds two benefits:

It will keep the bitter oils out of the coffee for a much smoother cup.

It prevents the water from flowing through the grounds too quickly - meaning you get the opportunity to taste the hidden flavors of the coffee (without the bitterness)

Fun fact about this brewer: It’s part of the permanent design collection at the Museum of Modern Art. So, having it on your kitchen counter is not only functional but a statement too. All in all you’ll get a very clean great tasting coffee that is balanced and full of body. Perfect for large households, offices, or art snobs.

5. Clever Dripper Coffee Maker

Clever Dripper

Specifications:

Available in: Plastic only

Sizes available: 1, 4 cup

Portability: 9

You’ll also need: Standard filters

Skill required: Easy

The Clever Dripper is the best choice if you're just getting started in the world of pour over coffee. This pour over brewer is user-friendly, even easier to clean and delivers time and time again, regardless of your skill. The main difference between the Clever Dripper and other pour over coffee makers on this list: a stopping mechanism that stops the coffee flowing until it has been placed on your cup. This allows you to customize your brew based on steeping time, rather than pouring skill. Its available in two sizes: single cup and 4-cup.

6. Melitta Ready Set Joe - Travel Friendly

Melitta Coffee Dripper

Specifications:

Available in: Plastic, glass, ceramic

Sizes available: 1 cup

Portability: 10

You’ll also need: Standard filters

Skill required: Easy

Looking for a quick, easy and cheap way to make fancy coffee? Look no further than the Melitta Ready Set Joe: the most newbie-friendly pour over coffee maker, and the most inexpensive option on this list of manual coffee drippers. The simple nature of the Ready Set Joe is its strong point - but it's a double-edged sword; there aren't any special features to get excited about. You simply put in a filter, put in your grounds and pour the water all in one go.

7. The Kone Filter (And Brewing System)

Kone Filter

Specifications:

Available in: Stainless steel

Sizes available: 6,8,10 cup

Portability: 10

You’ll also need: A brewer

Skill required: Medium

Important - this is just a cone, as you can see from the image above. You can use the Kone to make pour over as is, but I recommend you try the Kone Brewing system. Able Brewing had a goal to create a sustainable and reusable coffee filter - because don't we all feel guilty every time we throw out a paper filter? The answer was the Kone filter; a stainless steel filter that allows for more oils than a paper filter, resulting in a fuller-bodied cup of coffee for your dripper.

If you love the minimalistic way of thinking, you can just plonk your Kone filter directly into your cup, throw in your coffee and start brewing.

The Kone filter works with the Chemex and Hario v60. However, you do have the option to purchase it with the Kone brewing system - a super sexy-looking, functional pour over coffee maker inspired by Japanese mid-century design (5).

Because of its conical design, again it is important to stress a steady circular pour pattern. We thought we'd include this here because if you're going to use any type of manual drip coffee maker, you may as well get a reusable filter!

8. Walkure Pour Over Coffee Maker

Specifications:

Available in: Porcelain

Sizes available: 1 cup

Portability: 2

You’ll also need: Nothing

Skill required: Easy

The Walkure Brewer; it's the Cadillac of pour over coffee makers. It was designed by a German artist so it combines style with an easy way to brew.

Sure, it costs a bit more than your average manual coffee drippers, but you'll find the added price is worth it because it delivers a very high-quality brew and requires no accessories (not even filters). I love the Walkure because it's a true all-in-one system. Just add your coarse ground coffee and hot water; no carafe or filter needed.

The even saturation I mentioned earlier comes from the “dispersion plate” that allows the water to spread out and wet the grounds evenly - ingenious - those Germans really know what they're doing. First gummy bears, now the Walkure Pour Over Coffee Maker.

9. Hario Woodneck Drip Pot

Hario Woodneck Drip Pot

Specifications:

Available in: Glass

Sizes available: 2 cups

Portability: 5

Other things you'll need: Cloth filter, gooseneck kettle

Skill required: Advanced

The Woodneck is a glass pot system from Japan that creates small quantities of effing high-quality coffee. Apart from its very Japanese inspired design, what separates the woodneck from the pack is the fact that you use a cloth filter for it. This produces heavy coffee with a lot of depth of flavor - all from a medium-fine grind. It looks and sounds expensive and difficult to use. But it’s not.

The Woodneck represents great value for money, plus it's easy to use. It comes as a complete system with the mentioned cloth filter, the holder and the serving vessel - all in one.

When it comes time to brew, just add hot water and follow simple instructions.