The Kalita Wave is a slow-drip coffee brewer designed to sit atop a glass kettle as the delicious beverage slowly fills it to the brim. With a flat bottom dripper, the fresh coffee drips through three holes instead of the usual one, and the filter fits so that the coffee doesn’t sit too long once brewed before pouring into your favorite mug.
The Kalita Wave has taken the coffee world by storm, and finding the right recipe for your morning brew has become more of an adventure.
Why Use a Kalita Wave?
As your morning has come to depend on the daily cup of great-tasting coffee, wouldn’t it be much simpler to brew a pot of coffee and run?
Of course, it would, but then you’d be missing out on the full-bodied flavor that comes with pour-over coffee that these brewing devices create.
The Kalita Wave has a stove-top-friendly glass kettle, so your water can always be at the perfect temperature.
The slow pour process of crafting a coffee drink allows the water to permeate the coffee bed and pull the boldness out without any bitterness.
This prolonged brewing process (2-4 minutes) provides a beautifully flavored delicious coffee that a coffee enthusiast can’t get from a Mr. Coffee automatic coffee pot.
How to Use a Kalita Wave
It can be difficult for a coffee novice to brew coffee with a consistent taste. If you follow a few simple rules, you can refine your brewing method, achieve improved extraction, and avoid that bitter taste you sometimes get.
Slow-drip coffee is best using freshly ground coffee. Choosing the correct fineness of the grind is essential because the size of the grounds affects the flavor of the coffee.
You want your coffee grind size to be coarse for the slow-drip method. This allows the bed of coffee grounds to hold the water longer before releasing it.
You’ll want your water temperature around 202-206 degrees Fahrenheit, so your favorite coffee doesn’t scald or fail to brew correctly.
Rinse the paper filter quickly, so the papery taste leaves the coffee filter and stays out of your coffee mug.
Then, you’ll want to measure your coffee. Approximately three tablespoons of coffee will be just right. Add the grounds to the filter and add water over them until the water level just covers the coffee, about 60 grams.
Let the water sit for about 45 seconds, stir to release the coffee bloom, then add another 100 grams of water.
Every 25 seconds or so, add another 50 grams of water until you’ve poured 375 grams of water into the coffee. Once you’ve brewed the delicious drip coffee, pour it into a 10-ounce mug.
More Than One Way to Brew Coffee
Kalita Wave coffee is versatile and has caught the eye of coffee connoisseurs who constantly invent something new.
The variety of measurements used in brewing perfect cups of coffee is as unique as the person drinking it. Check out these brewing recipes to help you get started.
In 2013, James McCarthy won the World Brewing Cup with his recipe using a Kalita Wave. His method has withstood repeated tests and remains one of the top recipes for the Kalita Wave.
James McCarthy’s Award-Winning Brew
Supplies:
- Kalita Wave
- Coffee Grinder
- Three Kettles (two flow restricted)
Ingredients:
- 24 grams of Esmeralda Lino Lot (roasted by Counter Culture Coffee)
- Coarse grind, fines sifted.
- 380 milliliters of water, just off the boil
Recipe:
- Use a high-flow kettle for the first half of brewing.
- 45-second bloom
- Use flow-restricted kettles two at a time, maintaining a stream of water above the grounds.
- The flow-restricted kettle “limits agitation in the brew bed because the column of water on top absorbs it; that way, it pulls out the sweetness of coffee and not the bitterness associated with over-extraction.”
Total brew time: 3:30
Another wildly popular recipe in the brewing game is one crafted by George Howell Coffee. George Howell was one of the first significant specialty coffee gurus in the United States in the 1970s.
His company continues to make an impression on coffee drinkers.
George Howell Coffee
Supplies:
- Kalita Wave
- 12-ounce cup
- Hot Water Kettle
- Digital scale
- Burr grinder
- Timer
Ingredients:
- 25-28 grams of ground coffee beans
- Coarse grind
- 390 grams of water
Recipe:
- Put a filter in the Kalita and place it on top of a mug.
- Fill the pouring kettle with hot water, rinse the filter until the outside of the Wave feels warm, and then throw away the rinse water.
- Weigh coffee to approximately 25-28 grams and grind.
- Place the Kalita Wave with the server on a kitchen scale.
- Add coffee, shake to level the coffee grounds, zero the scale, and fill the pouring kettle with hot water.
- Start the timer and your pour at the same time.
- Perform six separate 15-second pours of 65 grams of water each.
- Allow the coffee to drain for 15 seconds in between each pour.
- Start each pour in the center. Spiral your way out and then back to the center, saturating any dark spots of coffee on the surface.
Total Brew Time: 3:30
The Best Part of Your Morning
While the Kalita Wave coffee process appears to be time-consuming, it’s worth every minute for the perfect cup of coffee. No matter what type of coffee you brew, the Kalita Wave coffee dripper promises it will be delicious.
Happy Caffeinating!
