I love the Orange Cactus Coffee Podcast! Learned valuable information and enjoyed the entertaining delivery. Started listening to it this summer and was sad to learn that you guys parted. Wish I had ordered coffee from you back in the day. Hope all is well! 🌵🧡
Blue Bottle has free shipping during shutdown. This is a very good dripper. It’s those lines that run down the sides. They flare out around the flat bottom, surrounding that single, what looks like a counter sunk hole. What this does is offers excellent support for the wet filter. It’s that support that keeps the filter from blocking the hole, you get a consistent flow. This seems to be the problem with the Wave metal 185. That Y ish support over those three holes does not seem to offer enough support, the filter cloggers holes? No sure, but something stops the flow occasionally. I have yet to make a bad cup coffee with this thing, and I have tried, screwed up, my scales turned off, and had to wing it. I don’t use their insane ratios, I do a 1:16, I use cheap Walmart filters, I just sit them on top of a 1.5 inch diameter empty pill bottle, use a 1 inch diameter of PVC reshape the bottom, hot filter rinsing water run over it in the dripper, they fits fine. When you make 4 cups of coffee a day, filters add up. The Wave 185 filters work, just not available local. Really happy with this dripper.
Renato Trevisan hey! Unfortunately, I think Blue Bottles website and cafes are the only places you’ll find the dripper. bluebottlecoffee.com/store/blue-bottle-coffee-dripper
We've been getting better results from the Blue Bottle dripper by going a little finer than what you might use for a V60. On the Baratza Encore we set it to 14/15. The key is to get to a total brew time between 3-4 minutes, using a pulse pour, with at least three separate pours. If the brew is finishing too quick, go a little finer. If the brew is taking too long, go a little coarser. Good luck!
Sergey K That is weird because I visited the Blue Bottle cafe and saw them brew. Their grind was definitely finer than sea salt and if you order their packet of perfectly ground coffee for pour over, it’s finer too.
Got the Blue Bottle Dripper the day after release. I absolutely love it, however I never use a 2:1 bloom or a 11:1 coffee water ratio like they suggest. How do you guys feel about that? I enjoy the channel. Totally subbing.
ALphaLlama thanks for the question and the sub! We typically go at least 2:1 for the bloom to as much as 3:1 to ensure all the grounds are wet. As far as the 11:1 for the brew ratio, we find that a little strong. We usually brew around 15:1 and go up to 20:1 when introducing specialty coffee to people that have never tried it. We dive a little deeper into your question in an upcoming episode on the podcast. I think it will be episode #23, be sure to check it out.
Hey guys, enjoyed the video and your attentiveness to the comments here. I am a zealous black tea drinker (no milk/sugar) but my wife likes coffee. I have, on occasion, gotten her Blue Bottle whole bean single origin and blends and actually kind of enjoy them when I've sipped them from her cup. I like the smoother, more delicate flavor of a higher quality coffee which, for me, is very reminiscent of tea but more robust. I'm not looking to jump ship from drinking tea but I'm curious if you could make some recommendations for a tea drinker looking to explore coffee a little bit. Also, will different brewing methods give me a brew that is more like what I am searching for? For instance, the dripper you reviewed here vs a standard coffee maker. Cheers!
Hey Danny, Great question! We also enjoy tea and try to include it in our morning routine. To answer your question, yes! For someone like yourself, looking for a lighter, brighter, cleaner, more tea like coffee, we would recommend trying African coffees, especially Ethiopians and Kenyans. These coffees tend to be more floral and fruity and when brewed with a paper filtered pour-over, like the Blue Bottle Dripper or Hario V60, these qualities are accentuated. We would also recommend going a bit lighter on the brew strength. Start with a 20:1 ratio, 20 grams of water to 1 gram of coffee. For example, you could use 17.5 grams of coffee and pour 350 grams (we recommend pulse pouring, see videos) of water. To get a proper extraction you'll still want to shoot for a total brew time of 3-4 min. If the water drains too quickly, use a finer grind and if it stalls, go coarser. And lastly, if you have never tried a Geisha coffee, we highly recommend it. Blue Bottle will offer it on occasion but be warned, it can be pricey. However, when brewed correctly it makes for an outstanding cup of coffee, unlike anything you've tried before. Hope that helps, happy brewing.
I will definitely take a closer look at all of this. Thanks for the detailed reply. I placed an order for my wife just before I stumbled on your channel and ordered their Beta Blend for myself. Based on the description it MIGHT be something I'd like. Fingers crossed. Cheers!
Yokai_Customs How was your experience with the beta blend and what brew method did you settle on. I ask because I’m wondering similar things these days.
I keep getting a sour coffee finish with this thing. Like super sugary jolly ranchers or something. I'm using single origin coffee from blue bottle. Any ideas why this is happening?
Brian Perusek sourness can be an indicator of under extraction. I would first try using a finer grind. Are you getting around a 4 min brew? If it's finishing too quickly then it's most likely not extracting enough. Another consideration is the coffee itself. Even though you are using Blue Bottle, which is good, that particular bean could have natural flavors that may taste a bit sour, like green apples. I would recommend trying their Giant Steps blend and see if you still get the sourness. Good luck and let us know how it goes.
Hey Brian, currently we are sold out of our Saguaro roast, a smooth, medium body, sweet finishing coffee. However, we are working on its replacement and expect to have it available soon. Thanks for asking!
Brian, glad you like Giant Steps! One of our favorites. We haven't used the BB dripper for making two cups at once. However, we believe it would work, just be sure to go a little coarser on the grind and still shoot for the 3-5 min brew time. Depending on the cup sizes and brewing ratio you will be limited on how much ground coffee the dripper will reasonably hold. If you find a successful recipe, please let us know!
Great video...I've had this dripper for a bit, and I enjoy it, but definitely brew it quite differently from Blue Bottle's specs--at least a 15:1 brew ratio and, as you mentioned in the video, a bloom closer to 3:1. I have also used their filters with the Kalita Wave and gotten nearly identical results that way, and so am not sure how much is about the dripper and how much is about their really excellent bamboo filters. I sometimes use something close to their method (bloom plus 3 pours), but I often use George Howell's Kalita Wave recipe, which is between 23 and 25 grams of coffee, then six pours of 65 grams each, with each pour cycle lasting 30 seconds. Full recipe here: www.georgehowellcoffee.com/brew-guide/kalita-185/
![[HARIO]V60 Dripper Kasuya Model_how to brew[KDC-02-B]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/OFLaCs99lWY/mqdefault.jpg)
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I love the Orange Cactus Coffee Podcast! Learned valuable information and enjoyed the entertaining delivery. Started listening to it this summer and was sad to learn that you guys parted. Wish I had ordered coffee from you back in the day. Hope all is well! 🌵🧡
Thanks for listening. Maybe we’ll have coffee again some day. Cheers!
Blue Bottle has free shipping during shutdown.
This is a very good dripper. It’s those lines that run down the sides. They flare out around the flat bottom, surrounding that single, what looks like a counter sunk hole.
What this does is offers excellent support for the wet filter. It’s that support that keeps the filter from blocking the hole, you get a consistent flow.
This seems to be the problem with the Wave metal 185. That Y ish support over those three holes does not seem to offer enough support, the filter cloggers holes? No sure, but something stops the flow occasionally.
I have yet to make a bad cup coffee with this thing, and I have tried, screwed up, my scales turned off, and had to wing it.
I don’t use their insane ratios, I do a 1:16, I use cheap Walmart filters, I just sit them on top of a 1.5 inch diameter empty pill bottle, use a 1 inch diameter of PVC reshape the bottom, hot filter rinsing water run over it in the dripper, they fits fine.
When you make 4 cups of coffee a day, filters add up.
The Wave 185 filters work, just not available local.
Really happy with this dripper.
Happy to hear it! We absolutely love it.
Do you know where I can buy it from Brazil?
Renato Trevisan hey! Unfortunately, I think Blue Bottles website and cafes are the only places you’ll find the dripper.
bluebottlecoffee.com/store/blue-bottle-coffee-dripper
Orange Cactus Coffee unfortunately they don’t sell to Brazil.
Hey thanks for the vid, what grind size are you using for coffee ?
We've been getting better results from the Blue Bottle dripper by going a little finer than what you might use for a V60. On the Baratza Encore we set it to 14/15. The key is to get to a total brew time between 3-4 minutes, using a pulse pour, with at least three separate pours. If the brew is finishing too quick, go a little finer. If the brew is taking too long, go a little coarser. Good luck!
weird thing in instruction said to use coarse grind (like sea salt), i didnt even try thinner. Thanks for answer.
Sergey K That is weird because I visited the Blue Bottle cafe and saw them brew. Their grind was definitely finer than sea salt and if you order their packet of perfectly ground coffee for pour over, it’s finer too.
Got the Blue Bottle Dripper the day after release. I absolutely love it, however I never use a 2:1 bloom or a 11:1 coffee water ratio like they suggest. How do you guys feel about that? I enjoy the channel. Totally subbing.
ALphaLlama thanks for the question and the sub! We typically go at least 2:1 for the bloom to as much as 3:1 to ensure all the grounds are wet. As far as the 11:1 for the brew ratio, we find that a little strong. We usually brew around 15:1 and go up to 20:1 when introducing specialty coffee to people that have never tried it. We dive a little deeper into your question in an upcoming episode on the podcast. I think it will be episode #23, be sure to check it out.
Here's $10 to spend at Blue Bottle's webshop: bluebottlecoffee.com/u/5e0a084b
Hey guys, enjoyed the video and your attentiveness to the comments here. I am a zealous black tea drinker (no milk/sugar) but my wife likes coffee. I have, on occasion, gotten her Blue Bottle whole bean single origin and blends and actually kind of enjoy them when I've sipped them from her cup. I like the smoother, more delicate flavor of a higher quality coffee which, for me, is very reminiscent of tea but more robust.
I'm not looking to jump ship from drinking tea but I'm curious if you could make some recommendations for a tea drinker looking to explore coffee a little bit.
Also, will different brewing methods give me a brew that is more like what I am searching for? For instance, the dripper you reviewed here vs a standard coffee maker.
Cheers!
Hey Danny, Great question! We also enjoy tea and try to include it in our morning routine. To answer your question, yes!
For someone like yourself, looking for a lighter, brighter, cleaner, more tea like coffee, we would recommend trying African coffees, especially Ethiopians and Kenyans. These coffees tend to be more floral and fruity and when brewed with a paper filtered pour-over, like the Blue Bottle Dripper or Hario V60, these qualities are accentuated. We would also recommend going a bit lighter on the brew strength. Start with a 20:1 ratio, 20 grams of water to 1 gram of coffee. For example, you could use 17.5 grams of coffee and pour 350 grams (we recommend pulse pouring, see videos) of water. To get a proper extraction you'll still want to shoot for a total brew time of 3-4 min. If the water drains too quickly, use a finer grind and if it stalls, go coarser.
And lastly, if you have never tried a Geisha coffee, we highly recommend it. Blue Bottle will offer it on occasion but be warned, it can be pricey. However, when brewed correctly it makes for an outstanding cup of coffee, unlike anything you've tried before.
Hope that helps, happy brewing.
I will definitely take a closer look at all of this. Thanks for the detailed reply. I placed an order for my wife just before I stumbled on your channel and ordered their Beta Blend for myself. Based on the description it MIGHT be something I'd like. Fingers crossed. Cheers!
Yokai_Customs
How was your experience with the beta blend and what brew method did you settle on. I ask because I’m wondering similar things these days.
I keep getting a sour coffee finish with this thing. Like super sugary jolly ranchers or something. I'm using single origin coffee from blue bottle. Any ideas why this is happening?
Brian Perusek sourness can be an indicator of under extraction. I would first try using a finer grind. Are you getting around a 4 min brew? If it's finishing too quickly then it's most likely not extracting enough. Another consideration is the coffee itself. Even though you are using Blue Bottle, which is good, that particular bean could have natural flavors that may taste a bit sour, like green apples. I would recommend trying their Giant Steps blend and see if you still get the sourness. Good luck and let us know how it goes.
Thank you. Any of your own roasts that you would recommend?
Hey Brian, currently we are sold out of our Saguaro roast, a smooth, medium body, sweet finishing coffee. However, we are working on its replacement and expect to have it available soon. Thanks for asking!
Orange Cactus Coffee thanks guys. Giant steps is perfect!!! One more question. Any success with making two cups at a time with this dripper?
Brian, glad you like Giant Steps! One of our favorites. We haven't used the BB dripper for making two cups at once. However, we believe it would work, just be sure to go a little coarser on the grind and still shoot for the 3-5 min brew time. Depending on the cup sizes and brewing ratio you will be limited on how much ground coffee the dripper will reasonably hold. If you find a successful recipe, please let us know!
Great video...I've had this dripper for a bit, and I enjoy it, but definitely brew it quite differently from Blue Bottle's specs--at least a 15:1 brew ratio and, as you mentioned in the video, a bloom closer to 3:1. I have also used their filters with the Kalita Wave and gotten nearly identical results that way, and so am not sure how much is about the dripper and how much is about their really excellent bamboo filters. I sometimes use something close to their method (bloom plus 3 pours), but I often use George Howell's Kalita Wave recipe, which is between 23 and 25 grams of coffee, then six pours of 65 grams each, with each pour cycle lasting 30 seconds. Full recipe here: www.georgehowellcoffee.com/brew-guide/kalita-185/
George is a legend! Thank you for the recommendation, we'll certainly check it out.