I heard about this dripper from Youtube reviews first. After watching pro barista James Hoffman explain how he uses it, I ordered one to see if I could improve upon my Hario V60 process. And now after a few months of constant use I can confidently say that it makes the best coffee I have ever made, hands down.
I have settled on the "coffee first, then water" technique, and I grind a little finer than for the V60. I also use a gram of extra beans compared to the V60. It uses the very same #2 V60 filters so no change there.
With medium or medium-dark roast I set my kettle for 92 degrees C, then rinse the filter with 100g of kettle water with the switch closed so the water sits and heats the glass. Then I drain the cone out and put it on top of my coffee cup, and put the cup on the scale. With the switch closed again, I add 18 grams of ground coffee into the cone, then pour 240 grams of water from the kettle over that. I let that sit for about two minutes, do a light stir, then open the switch and let it drain into the coffee cup. 8 ounces of awesome coffee!
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What I especially like:
It requires much less fussing about than with the original V60. I don't have to keep watching the time to perform pours at specific intervals. This fits in much better with kitchen workflow especially at breakfast where I'm also assisting my partner (scrambling eggs, rinsing utensils, etc.).
The process is forgiving. I can get distracted and miss the two minutes point, or let it sit for a few minutes after the drain out, and the coffee flavour hardly suffers at all.
Consistency. Much less chance for random variability. If you use the same ingredient amounts and the same timing, you get identical delicious cups of coffee each time. It's not affected much by pour rates or techniques so you can use any old kettle and you'll be good.
The resulting brew. Best. Coffee. Ever.
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What I don't like:
It has no handle so I have to be careful carrying it to and from the sink to avoid burning my finger tips.
The little steel ball that is the heart of the Switch's valve can sometimes stick open and needs to be dislodged by poking it with a finger or tapping the cone on the counter. I'm used to checking for that now so I don't get caught out during a pour over operation.
It requires a little more care when washing it than the V60 does. It's possible for the steel ball to pop right out of it if handled too roughly. It's trivial to pop back in, but it could possibly get lost or go down the drain in the worst case. Also the plastic lever -- the valve switch -- can become dislodged from its normal position and require some fiddling about to get it back into position. Be patient! It's easy once you figure it out the first time.
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But despite these little foibles I just love this coffee making tool because it makes such wonderful, rich coffee with excellent mouth feel and a clean cup.
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