Review: Hario Drip Assist

[@jiffjiffernson7292]

Modest guy here who deserves more than 323 Thumbs Up at 9.3K views. No affilation. He won't ask - unlike others who do before you see their video but let's see if we can't put his vids before a few more coffee lovers. Comprehesive, concise, and good vibe. No affilation Continent afar

[@deafno]

3:52 That has absolutely been my experience also. Hoffman recipes recommend boiling water and medium-fine grind, but when I do that, the cups always taste bitter. I've tried most light roasts that are available where I live and the result is same. When I dial grind coarser and water temperature closer to 90 deg C, then the coffee becomes delicious.

[@lucasentinekekramer647]

same here!

[@raphaelhrastel1485]

That depends on your Grinder profile. If It generates much fines, grinding finer will only make things worse.

[@ChrisEbbrsen]

I did not know bed sbould not look muddy! Ill look for the drip assist looks like good product. Many thanks. I know Ill enjoy coffee even more now! Thank you.

[@brentroman]

Thanks for making this video. I’ve been using my Hario drip assist pretty much daily for the past 3 months. I’ve been in specialty coffee for about 8 years now, and have great gear and great water, etc. But, this little guy gives me consistency. Have I made better brews without it? Yes. But I’ve made many bad cups also. This guy has never really given me a bad cup. I typically use it with Kalita185, Hario V60-2, and Origami Air. I’ve been very happy with this drip assist.

[@coffeechronicler]

Great to hear! Pretty much sums up my experience

[@hog_hedge]

What’s your go-to method with the drip assist?

[@brentroman]

@@hog_hedge I will usually do a 20g or 25g dose. But, use the same method for both. (I just adjust the ratios). I grind. (hard to tell you what size as beans and grinders will all be different). I pre-rinse filter. Then, I WDT the bed. Then I place the Hario DA on top. Tare. I do usually about a 30g pour inside/outside of DA to saturate the bed. Then I wait 1 min. Then I do about a 50g pour and then swirl. Then I wait 30 seconds. Then I do long slow pours on the outside of the DA. What I'm going for is a bed at the bottom remaining relatively undisturbed, and a nice layer of water on top. The idea is it should look like a lake, where the water is clear, and you can see down to the bottom. I generally keep the layer of clear water about 1-2 inches above the bed. If it starts getting higher, I pause for a bit and then return. I stop pouring when I've hit my ratio. I personally, usually go for a 1:17 ratio. But, that's just what I tend to like. Including the 1min bloom (and mini 30 sec second bloom), my brews tend to finish between 4-4:30. That's what works for me. Hope that helps. -Brent

[@joetilman7227]

Oxo sells a "Pour-Over Coffee Maker with Water Tank" which uses the Melitta style cone. To the point of this video, the "water tank" acts as a dripper. The intent is just fill the tank and let it drain, but I've found it is helpful to lift and move the water tank around to provide even coverage of the coffee grounds. I also like doing three pours, rather than one. The distribution of different size holes is weird, and I experimented with blocking some of the holes with toothpicks, but that didn't seem to make a big difference. With one exception: blocking the three larger holes makes it a perfect dripper to use with an Aeropress to improvise a zero-bypass brewer.

[@coffeechronicler]

I've been curious about Oxo's version. But yes, it seems like the turbulence and coverage could need a bit of a redesign.

[@deo.strengthspan.project]

As always, excellent video! The assisted Osmotic Flow was genius! With such a particularly slow pour, this gadget looks to be perfect for that method

[@Crake71]

I do not have a Drip Assist, but I used my Stagg X, on top of a V60 today to try to emulate it. It worked well, and made very clean coffee. Perhaps I will buy a Hario Drip Assist, but first I would like to try to create less turbulence with just my pours to get low turbulence from just pouring? Is that possible, to get minimal turbulence, from pouring closer and slower? Or would it not be possible to get such low turbulence without using something like this tool? If it is possible, would you offer some tips how to get such a low turbulence pour? In case it matter: I use a Stagg EKG kettle.

[@mprz8188]

According Matt Winton and his (Kasuya's?) 5 pour recipe, there's no need to grind much finer to get awesome results using the drip assist. But from my personal experience, the low agitation demands a finer grind setting to match the brewing times. Otherwise you'll land on under extraction fields... Medium fine grounds and the drip assist. This is what works for me. And please don't forget the water PPM plays a huge role on all this. Lower ppm and draw down times are vastly reduced, and the opposite is true. Happy brewing!

[@adamk1311]

I’ve been making v60 free pour for a few years now. I have the Vario steel burr grinder (hyper aligned and modified with a Forte grind chamber) and your light roast recipe improved my coffee flavor significantly. Thanks!

[@CherylTheWaysideStitcher]

Thanks for this video. I just purchased one of these, and some of my grounds had remained high on the sides. After watching your technique, I will do a side rinse to solve this issue, and end up with a flat bed.

[@timmarshall4881]

I always enjoy your constructive and meaningful videos. Thank you. Love and peace. Tim

[@owRekssjfjxjxuurrpqpqss]

For me this is perfect. I prefer my Fellow Corvo kettle to a gooseneck kettle, I make more tea than coffee and I use kettles for other things as well so the flow restriction is a bit annoying at times. I used to have a Stagg but I sold it to a friend in favor of the Corvo but I knew that for when I do pour overs, I’d miss the ability to pour as lightly as with the Stagg, this is a little 20 dollar solution that lets me use my Corvo kettle and still make great pour overs on occasion

[@thebirofunk]

What water temp are you using for both methods? I hear you should go a couple of degrees high than you normally would to make up for heat loss

[@mprz8188]

Gotta say I own both, the master B and the Hario. To me the Hario is the better built out of these two devices. The holes are perfect and the flow is distributed uniformly. On the master B I had to use a fine needle to punch thru some holes and make them all equal (which requires handcraft experience and right tools) The Hario is a really nice device and it's design is backed by a guy that knows a lot about coffee. So the thing about agitation is absolutely true. But don't get me wrong, the Gabi is great if you manage to make it work as it should. Just remember that the Hario is a better quality tool.

[@Star_Gazing_Coffee_Lover]

Glad I found this channel..

[@johngiatropoulos3848]

For the light roast recipe: after the 1st pour of 80ml how long do you let it bloom?

[@MinimalUnbox]

I have Gabi Master B. Is there any advantage to get Hario Drip Assist over Gabi? I use light roast with SSP MP. Currently do two kettle pour and 2 melodrip or Gabi pours with V60.

[@vagnsteen5130]

Thank you for the Drip Assist tip. I was not aware of this helpful device

[@gianpaologliori3604]

Only concern on this is temperature - if you need to brew at a high temperature for light roasts, would this allow the water to cool too much?

[@bennyboy613]

Thanks so much for this video and for all of your content! You've had a huge impact on me choosing my daily drivers of a Eureka Mignon Crono and using a drip assist with my v60. Does it fit nicely on both sizes of Kalita Wave?

[@coffeechronicler]

Thanks, that's great to hear. The DA only has a good fit on Wave 185.

[@paulmillerick4092]

Great video - as always. Thank you! I have been using this drip assist with a Kalita Wave brewer. It works really well. Any suggestions or insights for using with Wave? ( Or any other drippers? There are so many now). By the way, I am using the metal Kalita Wave dripper with a Flair shower screen - thanks to you! It brews very well - with or without the Drip assist...

[@coffeechronicler]

Thanks! For the Wave, I'd probably use it for soft percolation during the last phase as in my old Wave recipe video

[@fredkawabata2306]

The Drip-Assist can be used with the 1-cup Hario with a simple adapter. Take two large Mason Jar rings and tape them with the bottoms touching each other. Use this between the Drip-Assist and the 1-cup Dripper. Simple.

[@ekosugitowidjajaseputro1175]

Kindly inform,the outer diameter &inner diameter of the mason jar rings,as the adaptor between DripAssist and 1-cup dripper. Thank you.

[@fredkawabata2306]

Outer diameter is 8.7 cm, inner is 7.7 cm, thickness is 3 cm. @@ekosugitowidjajaseputro1175

[@jayraja4684]

Hi. I love your information and your channel. You recommended grinding coarser if you don't have a high end grinder. Do you consider a Fellow Ode Gen. 2 to be a grinder that would require coarser grinding, or is that a grinder that's capable of handling finer grrinds with your recipe?

[@coffeechronicler]

It's a great grinder, so you can grind fine if you want. However, even with grinders like this one, it's worth experimenting with coarse grounds for certain beans.

[@jayraja4684]

@@coffeechronicler Thanks. I am always game for some experimentation. Coffee gurus like you and others have definitely encouraged the "mad scientist" in me.

[@lagunovmike]

Really wish you can make a video with your thoughts about lilydrip for v60. Such an undervalued tool for those who wants to use conical filters, but have a flat bottom brewer

[@coffeechronicler]

Actually haven't tried it, but maybe in the future!

[@nevermind7253]

I have a larger pot Militia 8 cups, #6 cone filter... Is there something I can use as this is small I think? I have an electric water kettle and I heat to just start of boiling. I heavy pour to start/bloom the grind (Dark roast) then I pour very slowly around the sides of the cone as I turn it to get all the grounds that are sticking to the sides back down. I waite letting it finish dripping and do it again. We've been enjoying our coffee this way. Can you tell.... I'm new to this 😁 lol I'm also using tap water I'm in Illinois. Any suggestions appreciated.

[@coffeechronicler]

I'm unsure whether it would fit that big of a dripper. However, although a slightly different concept, the Melodrip would be great for this.

[@Waisonian]

Great video! Would you change any of your Gabi Master B recipes to make it comparable to the Hario Assist? Or what makes it not as good as the Hario? (I may have missed or just forgot what you said haha).

[@coffeechronicler]

If you already have it, it's still great. I'm talking more about new users who have to decide which one to get. Assuming Gabi will be more expensive, harder to find and might have QC issues. Flow wise the biggest difference between them is that you can't really create agitation with Gabi so you need to introduce kettle streams or shaking for that. With Drip Assist you can get sufficient turbulence with the center stream. I planned to mention this in the video but forgot :)

[@Waisonian]

@@coffeechronicler got it with manual agitation. Would you recommend grinding finer than with Hario Assist? And a different brewing recipe?

[@coffeechronicler]

@@Waisonian The way I usually use it, is with kettle pour(s) for the first 30-50% total volume and maybe some stirring/shaking. In that scenario, you don't need to grind especially fine. But if you exclusively use Gabi for all the water, you'd need a quite fine grind size to get proper extraction. This can taste outstanding with the right coffee, by the way!

[@Waisonian]

@@coffeechronicler great tip! Would love to see a comparison video of the two brewing the same coffee!

[@miccocruz]

Always happy to see your videos! This is really nitpicky of me, but I don't think I can get past the looks. I'd still have to go with the melodrip at least for aesthetic reasons. However, it would be great to have a blind taste test using all three tools with coffee made my someone who isn't experienced with making coffee. It would should which among the three could be most consistent and intuitive

[@coffeechronicler]

Thanks, Micco. That's an interesting idea, actually! I think I would put my bet on this one.

[@davidlogan2682]

The looks? It is a coffee tool that you put away in the cabinet or a drawer after using. It is not a display piece. Same goes for melodrip.

[@Mike-vb6qw]

I plan on using your Kalita Wave method. Would you only use the outer drip of the Hario Drip Assist for the latter 50% of the pour?

[@coffeechronicler]

Mainly, but probably a good idea to sprinkle a bit in the center as well.

[@fpcawolff]

What's the bloom time for your light roast recipe?

[@contemporaryartist6542]

Thank you! Does it fit origami?

[@coffeechronicler]

Yes, the bigger one, not sure about 1-cup

[@Jahloveipraise]

Great video as always. Did you have to adjust your normal grind sizes for those methods/doses in order for the drip assist to work better or just same as if you'd do a normal pour?

[@coffeechronicler]

I usually find myself grinding "a couple of clicks" finer, but it also depends on the overall turbulence introduced via the center pours

[@T.H.Kim94]

this compliments my df64 with ssp LS quite well. compare to LS pourover, with Drip Assist I get more clarity of notes and flavor but less body. And surprisingly low acidity on the tongue(don't know why's that) i think Drip Assist is a great way to peek over different taste profile without spending +$400. Thanks for the video and recipe! The light roast recipe is really great(doing 350 microns for pour over and 300 micron for Drip Assist). Gonna try osmotic flow on medium roasts.

[@mprz8188]

Grind size for medium roast please.

[@T.H.Kim94]

try 500+ microns with assisted osmotic recipe.

[@mprz8188]

@@T.H.Kim94 thanks

[@kristoforusranandiasuliset3736]

Can hario drip assist used on hario switch 03? (Even though it's perfect for 02)

[@coffeechronicler]

It will rest an inch inside the cone. Not perfect, but it can definitely work

[@JimL666]

In USA on az, it is out of stock, today, Oct. 6.

[@mprz8188]

I got mine shipped from Japan

[@JPC326]

Would it fit the Orea V3 ?

[@coffeechronicler]

Don't have one, but my guess is no

[@LilyWillow22]

I like to use my fellow stagg xl as drip assist 😊

[@Fent89]

Does it fit the filter basket of a Moccamaster?

[@coffeechronicler]

Due to the fins, it has an awkward fit on drippers that aren't round. However, you can easily swap Moccamaster's basket for a V60 and use it with that one. I have done that before :)

[@ASTHECROWFLIESHIKING]

Excellent pour over! Love that gadget. New follower here. Crow✌️

[@StaticCamperVan]

Very cool. Thanks for this video.

[@darkmann12]

2:25 Wouldn't you say the Hario Air pouring kettle negates that entry bar somewhat?

[@coffeechronicler]

Sure, there are a couple of cheaper kettle alternatives. I think I meant that this also takes away some of the learning curve and get you to a decent place right away.

[@darkmann12]

@@coffeechronicler That, it certainly looks like it does, I can't deny that :)

[@thomasrobinson4401]

Thanks for the information 👍

[@icyfire207]

Does it fit size 1 plastic dripper ?

[@coffeechronicler]

Not the ones I tested; Kono, Hario, Kalita...

[@beaver6d9]

Very interesting!

[@butopiatoo]

Ahhhhh... the Lazy Cup of coffee. That sounds like my kinda plan....

[@marcinf6324]

Has anyone used AeroPress as a drip assist?

[@Rekmeyata]

So basically this drip assist turned the Hario V60 into an OXO Good Grips pour-over maker. And the OXO cost less than the drip assist, and a lot less when you have to add in the cost of the V60.

[@coffeechronicler]

Don't think you can get the Oxo device outside the US. And of course, there's also a difference in shape: cone vs trapez.

[@christofdhondt3374]

Keep up the videos 👍

[@Igor-q3f]

looks like you're having water bypass when lifting the drip assist and pouring on the paper.

[@Llaammiill]

Does anyone know if this kind of product exist in a non plastic version? Metal or glass for example, I really love the idea.

[@coffeechronicler]

There is the Karlsbad coffee maker in ceramic. And also a newer one in glass, that I don't remember the name of.

[@Llaammiill]

@@coffeechronicler Thank you for the response. I did not know about the Karlsbad, they look very exciting. Maybe the other brewer you are thinking of is the "Pure over"?

[@danielpincus221]

Techno-vibe musi music❤

[@wild-radio7373]

👍