Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

Can I give it a 3.5? I bought this to replace a Clever Dripper. Wirecutter did a great review of the product and the Kalita website has a couple of great videos about the best way to brew a cup using the Wave but in real life, for me - I am not sure the marginally better tasting cup of coffee is worth the effort. Before I continue with this review let me say, my review may not be useful to everyone. Coffee seems to be one of the last really personal consumption experiences in the US. As much as it has been commercialized and mass marketed - almost every drinker will take the time to tweak their cup. A little sugar, one or two pumps of flavor, more grounds or less, course grind or fine, water temp at 207F or not... So let me tell you how I like my coffee so you can understand my critique of the Wave. I drink my coffee black and I do not enjoy bitter coffee. I use a Chemex at home. The Chemex is my gold standard for brewing coffee. I use a manual grinder with a ceramic burr and monitor my water temperature when pouring to ensure it is between 205F and 200F. My beans are all from organic fair trade estates roasted by small roasters I trust. I do not buy starbucks or dunkin beans. I do not use pre-ground coffee. The Chemex is too much trouble to use at the office so, for about a year, I used a Clever Dripper. I bought a second grinder and kettle for work - this allowed me to brew one cup at a time while achieving a taste close to the Chemex. When Wirecutter reviewed the Wave, I was sold on their recommendation and ordered one for work. I ordered official Wave Filters as well. The sales pitch for the Wave is that, because of the three holes in its flat bottom, the coffee saturates better, extracting more flavor. The shape of the filter is also supposed to help the water retain heat better. Simply put, with the Wave, I can brew a cup of coffee that is better than a Clever Dripper and very close to the Chemex. I have not made direct measurements of the water temperature after brewing is complete but it is hotter than a cup brewed from the Clever Dripper. I have brewed over 50 cups with the Wave, here are my observations: 1) The Clever Dripper holds 16oz of water, the Wave 185 holds approx 8oz. I could pour an entire cup of heated water into the Dripper, with the Wave I have to do a continuous pour. 2) The Wave filters need to be pre-wet or the ribbed pattern will get deformed during the pour, causing grinds to clump in the new folds. 3) The Wave filters do not allow water through in a consistent manner. Let me explain, you place a filter in the Wave. You pre-wet the filter, add your grounds and, after the bloom, begin your pour. One filter will allow all of your water to reach the cup, another filter will stop with 1 or 2 oz of water still in the Wave. Maybe it is something that I am doing but I have experimented and the issue definitely seems to be the filter. One thing I have determined, if the filter retains water during the pre-wetting step, I am not going to get all of the water during the brew. Why is this an issue? because most of the flavor is passed into the cup towards the end of the Wave's brew. The drip slows as the water level in the Wave goes down. As the drip slows, more flavor is extracted from the grounds. If water is left in the Wave at the end, how much flavor are you loosing? 4) The Wave is extremely easy to clean, especially when compared to the Chemex or the Dripper 5) During the pour the grounds cling to the filter ribs. I make sure the pour washes the grounds off the ribs but when the pour is complete there are still grounds on the side. I have taken to gently shaking the Wave to keep the grounds out of the ribs, this works reasonably well. 6) Because of the inconsistent drip rate between filters, a single cup can take anywhere between 6 and 10 minutes 7) The Wave takes a little skill and experimentation to get a good cup of coffee. The Chemex and Dripper required experimentation with regards to grind and water temp but I never worried about the pour. With the Wave, I think the pour is almost as important as the grind and water temp. I think that covers everything, good brewing...