Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

This is my third coffee dripper, and by far the best. For years, I used a plastic Melita one with a flattened bottom, and a single small hole in the bottom, but the coffee it made was nothing special. I also didn't like the plastic flavor that it imparted. I also tend to avoid using plastic with hot beverages. Then I replaced it with another dripper with a flattened bottom, with three small holes in the bottom, this time made of ceramic. No plastic flavor anymore, but also no improvement in quality. Then I got the Hario. I NEVER would have thought that the shape of the funnel/filter and the size of the hole in the bottom could make such a difference. It allows a faster extraction, and the ridges help prevent a vacuum from forming (which slows the speed of the water draining through). You DO need to use special filters that are designed for true cone (not cut off across the bottom). This shapes helps keeps the grounds in the right place for the water. You do need to learn how to properly brew coffee to get good coffee out of it. There are lots of videos online, and at Intelligentsiacoffee.com. First off, start with whole beans, and grind them to the proper fineness/coarseness (this takes some trial and error until you get it right for your tastes). In general, the grind should be medium to medium-fine. Edit: For those that prefer a slower extraction - you can always grind the beans more finely - that will slow the extraction, as finer grounds "clog" the filter. But, as always, any adjustment to temperature, speed, grind will result in a different flavor. 1.Rinse your filter to remove paper residues, and put the grounds into the filter/dripper. 2. Once the water is boiling remove it from heat and swirl/stir it to get the heat even. 3. Pour just enough to saturate the grounds, and wait 45-60 seconds to let it bloom (it lets the C02 escape) 4. Pour SLOWLY a circular motion near the edges (but not ON the filter) to wash the grounds down into the brew. Try to pour slowly enough to not have to stop until you've run out of water, but without overflowing. Otherwise, the grounds will wash up onto the filter and you'll have to wash them back down when you start pouring again. 5. Wait for the water to drain through. Some people prefer to stop the process when the flow changes from a stream to drippy, but ground fineness will also change this speed, so you'll have to experiment. I just let it all drain through myself. I have been following this process with my other ceramic dripper, and it resulted in merely decent coffee. This same process with the Hario resulted in actually GOOD coffee.