Hario's WILD new pour over coffee maker - Hiroia Hikaru v60 | First Look

Hikaru V60 Smart Brewer - geni.us/GBCB
The crazy new automatic pour over coffee maker from Hario's high tech division, Hiroia, is definitely a knockout - but can it deliver those iconic v60 brews?
I will be following up this video with a full review once I get a unit to test at length at home - in the mean time if you have questions, please drop them below!
Thanks to the Hiroia team for flying me out - super fun to see what you have been working on!
My travel expenses to come see this brewer at Hiroia’s HQ were covered by Hiroia but I was not otherwise compensated during or as a result of the creation of this video.

[@benchernif]

Very helpful. Way more information that the previous videos and I like It a lot more. Thanks for showing it to the world!

[@DaddyGotCoffee]

Thank you Ben!

[@domo_dominik]

It's so ironic how you flew to the Hario Hiroia HQ with a Chemex T-shirt on

[@DaddyGotCoffee]

If I hadve had a v60 shirt I woulda worn it 🤣

[@cichlisuite2]

I thought this too. Walking in with a competitor product on the tee was pretty in your face. I'm sure they were polite enough to not say anything but I'll bet someone wasn't super impressed. I can tell you from first hand experience that big companies can be very sensitive about that kind of thing.

[@appojuiice]

Thanks for working with Hario and getting your hands on this machine. I signed up for the early buy but was unsure because I wasn't sure how the water behaved and saturation works. So thank you for going over that a bit. I still have questions about it's performance and functions so hopefully Hario can shed some more light into the product on their Kickstarter campaign and faq when it begins.

[@DaddyGotCoffee]

I should hopefully have a unit at home as well before they are too far into the kickstarter campaign as well, so check back

[@guidog3068]

What? A company as big as Hario need a kickstarter like a complete new start business to release a new product to market? Why? Makes you wonder whether they don’t have a lot of faith in it! Otherwise why wouldn’t they have a proper product r&d to market budget!

[@cameronbatko]

I just stumbled across your channel, with this video. You have excellent videography and very informative. I backed this on Kickstarter after watching this video. I didn’t know this existed until seeing it here.

[@CaveyMoth]

Wow, finally, a proper pour-over machine! And it's programmable, too! One thing that would bring it to the next level is if it could somehow interface with the Hario Switch, allowing you to "switch" between percolation or immersion- Or even to combine them and do immercolation brews.

[@DaddyGotCoffee]

I actually had this idea tok while I was testing it. You can program your own recipes with the app and then port them onto the “P” recipe program on the top. This would be a good use case for the switch, excepting that you need manual intervention to trigger the hario switch

[@LAMBERTONES]

Great video! I’d love to have one of these for my shop.

[@DaddyGotCoffee]

If you're talking shop as in "cafe", you should def check out the Samantha brewer by the same company. If it's just for a break room or less demanding use, this would work great

[@LAMBERTONES]

We build electronics for guitars, so it's a manufacturing shop for our employees. No public cafe portion yet! But the Samantha looks like that would be the one for that scenario.@@DaddyGotCoffee

[@lizrosenblum6167]

thanks for sharing the "first look". I'm still not clear on the size options. Can you explain the different brew sizes?

[@BruceWalkerPhotography]

Very cool! I like the idea and the tech. I would be interested in one if it could support brewing a batch for four people. But besides that I am perfectly happy with my Hario Switch for very consistent and tasty results, so this device would be overkill for me, I think.

[@bar10ml44]

I have just bought my first pour over. The Melita Epour. Excellent. This looks fantastic but you did not mention price which may follow yet cost is crucial. There was no discussion about cleaning the water tank. Thanks and regards from London

[@NicholasLeicht]

I understand it’s not the cheapest brewer, but I love how it looks and the ease of use and time saving, is worth it to me. One I get more space in the kitchen I might consider this 👀

[@lizrosenblum1971]

Love the review! I just unboxed mine but can’t figure out the custom recipe settings. How do I input the time between pours? And… do you have a QR code for your recipes that you can share?

[@flyerbluedog]

I know nothing of these machines but, how would you compare this Hikaru V60 to the Chemex Ottomatic? At first glance, the Hikaru seems way more sophisticated and way more programmable. Great presentation!

[@sashakkkkk]

Great video, thanks 😊

[@DaddyGotCoffee]

Happy to help!

[@timmarshall4881]

I’ve always wanted a consistent cup and I use a standard V60 pour over now. Looks are not the most important factor but results are.

[@DaddyGotCoffee]

Fortunately this one combines both.

[@ggusta1]

​@@DaddyGotCoffeehope springs eternal but the market decides

[@johnhall366]

What about the heating plate ? Usually, that is the first subcomponent to go (gradually) with automatic coffee makers of any kind. That in turn ends up affecting a machines ability to accurately heat the coffee.

[@seymour5000000]

It’s pretty! But my coffee bar is full and I’ll keep to manual 4:6.

[@majs2009]

Does it preheat the water when you turn it on and select recipe? or you have to wair for it to heat up once you push the start button?

[@DaddyGotCoffee]

I’ll double check this when I get a production unit and include in my review but unfortunately this unit did not preheat. My understanding was this was due to safety regulations of some kind

[@FranciscoGarcia-ij2ks]

Mucha suerte con el lanzamiento del Hikaru V60 Smart, deseando probar cafe. Tengo dudas si será de un solo color o habrá opciones de colores para elegir y en la aplicación que estará disponible en el teléfono móvil, ¿estará disponible en español? Esperando atentamente tus respuestas Francisco. Gracias.

[@DaddyGotCoffee]

To begin with it will only be one colour - and I’m assuming that the app will be available in Spanish!

[@davidgalbreath3477]

Ok, I have a Moccasmaster which basically does something similar though you cannot change temp. You can also not change the brew rate. But the key thing is that it suffers from something here which is to say pouring straight down the battle. So with the Mocca have to agitate at the beginning and then again towards in. This looks like it will be the same, a bit interventionist.

[@davidgalbreath3477]

Also I am not sure we are seeing a constant stream and what James H has taught us is that drops don't penetrate like streams do.

[@davidgalbreath3477]

And thanks for acknowledging that this is not a replacement for hand pour over.

[@DaddyGotCoffee]

The one difference that I really missed from watching videos of this thing is how entirely different the water behaves compared to the drip action of a moccamaster or even a kettle. The water is ejected from the shower head with FORCE unlike the falling action of those other methods. If you can imagine using a small hand held medication syringe and shooting the water out as quickly as you can you are approaching a similar action. It is really hard to capture on video and penetrates a lot deeper into the coffee bed than you would see traditionally. For this reason, the normal analogies of stream breakup and height correlated to turbulence don’t really apply in the same way. At higher flow rates, the “jets” create a kind of convection current right down to the bottom of the slurry. You can also do little/no agitation (if you want) at lower flow rates. In my limited use I was able to repeatable get both full saturation of the bed and 18-22% extractions without intervention. It’s certainly unusual in the way that it works.

[@tadda6282]

I backed it on kickstarter. For around $400 its not a bad deal. When you consider the price of a nice kettle (Fellow Stag EKG Pro $200), scale (Acaia Pearl $150) and V60 with carafe ($50) it's at about the same price point. But with no automation and you're relying on yourself to keep a consistent pour. At the retail price it's probably a little over priced for most people (my opinion)

[@DaddyGotCoffee]

Absolutely a fair deal on the kickstarter price. We’ll see how it does at Msrp!

[@enginucar1135]

But you miss the joy of brewing experience :) I did not like the design but it look like a good alternative to manual brewing.

[@gro967]

This looks really great and the price is more than reasonable. 1 day left on the kickstarter 😉

[@Thunderbird1337]

If the results are good and consistent, I would definitely buy it.

[@pfll9755]

I just saw this review while i was looking to buy a stainless steel v60 dripper, right off the bat i thought great i do not have to stand around waiting for hot water to start pouring my coffee, instantly i thought i would love to have this in my kitchen, i wanted to order one but the price tag was a little Hefty, i will wait maybe some time there will be discount 😮😅

[@justinbouchard]

this appears to sporadically dump out water in the middle no differently than a Braun coffee maker from Canadian tire

[@justinbouchard]

not to mention that you can't even independently review this, nor has anyone. also you never say anything seriously negative or negative at all about the things in your reviews but you certainly can't sitting inside of a hario studio making a video

[@zoltanorosz506]

I’ve got a question: during your stay when you were testing Hikaru, did you compare it to Samantha? It’s quite famous for its consistency, but it’s highly expensive. Do you think it would crave a similar space in the home brewer market as Samantha did in the commercial one? Thanks! (Great vid, but it felt more like a first impression video rather than a proper review - no hard feelings)

[@DaddyGotCoffee]

I did compare to Samantha and while there are some differences, it is largely the same technology, which is pretty whole considering Samantha’s price. There are some differences, the case is not as robust, although totally fine for joke, the max flow rate differs by about 3ml/sec. Samantha tops out at 15ml/s where’s Hikaru is 12 (not sure if this will change to the production models), there is no “plumb in/out” like there is on Samantha, and the IOT functionality of being able to group machines, push recipes, or add to a global database has been removed. Everything else is very similar - and those missing features are really only useful in commercial anyway! I’m actually trying to get a Samantha and a Hikaru to compare over a longer term at home! No hard feelings taken! I literally put “first look” in the title and said a couple times I was gonna follow this up with a proper review once I got a unit at home! Definitely a first look video 🤙

[@zoltanorosz506]

@@DaddyGotCoffee Thank you very much for the quick answer! I totally forgot about these “subtle hints” of this being a first look rather then a review… 😅 I watched it on the day you released the video and in my memory things shifted off a bit. I started rewatching this video just to freshen it up. Thanks for the quick comparison (Samantha v Hikaru), truly appreciated! I’m one of the early backers, but I’m contemplating whether it is a good option for me or not. I’m an espresso person but I started doing aeropress since it’s so convenient and easy to travel with. But at home and during work I use it 2 times almost every day. It’s a lot of time and doubtful gazes form family and colleagues… so I thought a pour over machine might do the trick as Hikaru popped up on IG (I think). My biggest complaint is its price (with +90$ just for shipping plus the added taxes), it’s looking like an expensive option at the price point of a XBloom (not an option for me), which looks more advanced and feature packed. I don’t have any local coffee nerds to check with, what can they achieve with cheap pour over machine (sub 200$) so I want to justify paying such hefty amount on this… so any help is appreciated 😅 Great video, as always, highly appreciated! 😊

[@tylerhagan6102]

I had low-key hoped you'd be wearing the Hario V60 shirt from Pull&Pour for this video! 🙂

[@DaddyGotCoffee]

Ha! I don’t have it!

[@tylerhagan6102]

@@DaddyGotCoffee I figured that had to be the case. Great video! This looks like a fantastic brewing machine, and I can't wait to see it one day in action.

[@user-sj5ih1tj4o]

Is it possible to put 200ml just?!! I use v60 ice 1person recipe . So just 200ml pour and about 60g ice.

[@DaddyGotCoffee]

Yes you can program your own recipes using the app. As long as there is enough water in the reservoir to run the recipe you’re good

[@jowil9279]

"Variable turbolence extraction" or also called Over-extraction in the middle and under-extraction on the side. Poursteady and Melitta Epour with circular movements have understood it !

[@LimitedWard]

My question is, what happens if Hario stops supporting this machine with their smart app? Of course, you can always brew manually, but at over $600 I'd want to be certain that this machine will continue to be usable with all of its features long into the future. IMO the dream would be for them to release the firmware as open source so that owners can continue to support it even if Hario abandons the product later.

[@DaddyGotCoffee]

It’s certainly a risk with any of these app connected brewers (doesn’t it seem like that all have apps these days?!). I think in this case, there is slightly less risk because it’s Hario, not a startup who’s only product is the kickstarter product they are about to launch. Also, they have 5 years track record with Samantha, which uses the same architecture. One thing I liked about this brewer is the 9 baked in recipes that are not app dependent, so you don’t actually need to use the app unless you want to deep dive. I’ve used other machines that feel like you are really missing out when you don’t use the app and it drives me crazy.

[@gro967]

Nothing happens. The app is there, if they go bankrupt, the app will still exist and work. There will be no firmware upgrades etc. but everything else will continue to work.

[@qpMiSHARYqp]

is there any chance to still get it by 400$?

[@KanielD]

Wish I seen this before I pre-ordered the Ratio 4

[@nmraidernation.6092]

How big is the pot,how many oz does it make?

[@DaddyGotCoffee]

It uses the 02 server which is 600ml. How big of a brew depends on what you program. The reservoir is 700ml 👍

[@nmraidernation.6092]

@@DaddyGotCoffee thanks!!

[@yazanzaydaneen688]

Is it for commercial use or just home use?

[@DaddyGotCoffee]

This one is for home use. There is a commercial unit with the same tech from Hiroia called “Samantha”. It looks a little different though

[@Anita-gu5rw]

I wonder how this compares in taste to a manual V60

[@DaddyGotCoffee]

I didn’t AB blind but I will be doing this for my full review. The taste was definitely signature v60 though!

[@braxtonjens7839]

I’m an XBloom backer, but I do think this can be more versatile since it can be used with whatever brewed you want.

[@Snidel]

tritan container killed it for me... i wish it was glass... also at 9.59 it show extraction at 18.75% that does seem too good...

[@tjnicholas]

It looks like it takes up quite a lot of bench space. It seems unnecessarily large. Not unattractive, but my kitchen wouldn’t have room for it.

[@DaddyGotCoffee]

It’s definitely a statement piece, in addition to a coffee maker

[@alexmontanus]

Can it play the bongcloud?

[@DaddyGotCoffee]

Well played ♟️

[@t0nyxgq]

The design will turn heads for sure but for me, it feels like it would take too much counter space. On cleared counter, it looks fine but on a real world counter, it might look out of place.

[@rlitz99]

Looks like a Melitta Gevalia made in the 1980s for about $20.

[@mactan_sc]

wow, they brute forced themselves into reinventing the drip coffee maker

[@ericbaluya361]

I would have loved it more if it did not take up space but otherwise, take my money

[@TheAleKapa]

…and the price is…?

[@DaddyGotCoffee]

Kickstarter price comes in at 400!

[@ggusta1]

Needs to go head to head with the tone and then an experienced barista with a v60 and then your average home pourover coffee person with a v60.

[@DaddyGotCoffee]

Maybe I should see if I can get a TONE - they are at a whole other price point though and with a commercial focus. Still, would be a fun comparison

[@ggusta1]

@@DaddyGotCoffee I think there's some other pourover "robots" on the market but I think the tone is a good comparison. I had one at Joe Van Gogh in Durham (tone) I was pretty disappointed.

[@sdrawkcabvag]

How much does it cost?

[@DaddyGotCoffee]

I think they are still finalizing pricing tiers for their kickstarter, but their early buy in should be somewhere around 400 bucks

[@user-vq3rv1sz7j]

400$

[@zoltanorosz506]

It will start from 399$

[@tcalf]

not sure why my comment got deleted... was just saying it is a kickstarter project and gave the link.

[@DaddyGotCoffee]

@@tcalf hey there - so sorry, not sure what happened there. I didn’t delete any comment but maybe KZbin filtered it out because of the link???

[@glib4233]

The "complex technology" buzzwords seem out of place. Apparently it's shooting out hot water, has a scale and a microprocessor? That's not exactly high-tech these days. Doesn't make the technology bad, just a weird way of overselling it.

[@fillflashdetailer8838]

I absolutely love the idea of this machine, but I just can't get past the aesthetics. It just looks weird.

[@DaddyGotCoffee]

I think it’s a love it or hate it thing. I like it

[@fillflashdetailer8838]

@@DaddyGotCoffee That's fair. It would probably grow on me over time -- kind of like the Cybertruck did 🙂. I just wish they had a black version.

[@garyroman3196]

over $600? no thanks.

[@GatorAidMedical]

Please note that kickstarter's terms of service explicitly state you are only making a donation and there's no guarantee you'll receive a product. $450 ain't cheap!

[@DANIELMABUSE]

12 minute commercial with no content.

[@bobatfett8836]

Lost me at calling it Hae-rio. Learn to pronounce the name of the company you are stumping for. I'm amazed they didn't boot you out immediately

[@77Brainfreeze]

How does someone with only 9k subs get flown to japan? I don't think I can trust this channel to be anything more than a commercial money grab.

[@adamg.manning6088]

He’s got an absolutely massive following on Instagram because of zany shorts or reels.

[@cichlisuite2]

It was Taiwan, but still...