# Has anyone tried brewing with a Wave 185 + drip/coffee basket filter?



## James45 (Aug 24, 2021)

I know it won't be optimal, but if it *works* and the resulting coffee is decent, then it'll likely convince me to get the 185. I'd like the option to use standard basket filters Like these that found in most grocery and convenience stores and not have to rely on the increasingly expensive proprietary Kalita filters.

Thanks!

p.s. If not, then my criteria are as follows for my (ideal) first pour-over purchase:

1. Ideally metal. Porcelain second, but no plastic.

2. Can brew for 1-2 people.

3. Can work with cone or basket filters (eg, anything from Melitta)


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## MWJB (Feb 28, 2012)

Those Melitta basket filters won't work in a Kalita Wave.

Kalita 185, Melita 102, Bartleet 102, Hario V60 02 can all brew for 2 people.

If making most often for 1 and occasional brews for 2, it's simpler to have 2 brewers and make 2 cups.

Melitta, Filtropa, Rombouts #2 & #4 filters are the most easily available and stowable.


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## GrahamSPhillips (Jan 29, 2021)

Have you considered the STAGG dripper??


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## James45 (Aug 24, 2021)

@MWJB, would folding the filter a little , pushing it down, and then wetting it not work ? I know it won't be ideal, but I don't buy expensive coffee and I'm not a perfectionist when it comes to taste.


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## James45 (Aug 24, 2021)

@GrahamSPhillips I've heard some mixed reviews? Namely the price:build quality.


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## GrahamSPhillips (Jan 29, 2021)

You might find this interesting

https://coffeeadastra.com/2020/12/09/brewing-with-the-fellow-stagg-x-dripper/

And Lance Hedrick also seems to like them albeit highly modified. Mine is standard. Build quality is excellent but whether it bests the alternatives is a moot point..


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## MWJB (Feb 28, 2012)

James45 said:


> @MWJB, would folding the filter a little , pushing it down, and then wetting it not work ? I know it won't be ideal, but I don't buy expensive coffee and I'm not a perfectionist when it comes to taste.


 It just doesn't fit. If you're not a perfectionist (I don't know what that is by the way), why not buy something that at least works...why buy something obscure & try and wangle it? You'll probably end up with something that is more prone to stalling

All the manual drip brewers essentially make the same drink when dialled in, it doesn't matter which one you buy, just buy the one that makes sourcing papers easiest if that's your concern.

Drip brewing is not difficult, it doesn't take much work to make really tasty, consistent cups, as long as you are just as careful as with any other coffee brewer.


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## James45 (Aug 24, 2021)

@MWJB, @GrahamSPhillipsSomehow, I only just discovered this.

Metal Hario V60 02

Looks like I can use Melitta Cone filters, it brews for 1-4 cups, and it's metal.


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## MWJB (Feb 28, 2012)

James45 said:


> @MWJB, @GrahamSPhillipsSomehow, I only just discovered this.
> 
> Metal Hario V60 02
> 
> Looks like I can use Melitta Cone filters, it brews for 1-4 cups, and it's metal.


 I wouldn't try to make 4 cups with any manual drip brewer.

At the risk of sounding patronising (really not my intent), why not just use V60 paper in the V60?

If you want to use Melitta style filters & you can't find a ceramic Melitta, there's always the Bartleet.


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## James45 (Aug 24, 2021)

@MWJBAh, I just noticed that the Hario filters end in a point and the Melittas don't.

My concerns boil down to (1) wanting something unbreakable and not plastic and (2) being able to use filters found at the grocery store. But seeing that I can get 200 v60 filters for $18CAD, maybe it isn't the end of the world. Kalita Wave seem to be anywhere from $30-$50 for 200 filters.

I may spring for the metal V60, though some reviews are telling me that V60s are not fuss-free like the Wave which is very forgiving. That's another thing I'm looking for : ease of use, and less chance of running into issues where the coffee just won't drip, or comes out cockeyed.


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## MWJB (Feb 28, 2012)

James45 said:


> I may spring for the metal V60, though some reviews are telling me that V60s are not fuss-free like the Wave which is very forgiving. That's another thing I'm looking for : ease of use, and less chance of running into issues where the coffee just won't drip, or comes out cockeyed.


 The reviews you have read are wrong. They are all just as hard/easy as each other. Melitta & Kalita Wave 185 are more feasible to brew with using a regular spout kettle, rather than a goose neck kettle. But if you're making a lot of pour over coffee, getting a gooseneck isn't a big deal.

I use all the brewers I have mentioned regularly, none are magically forgiving. If 8/10 coffees come out OK when you do the same thing over & over (this is the most important factor), then 1 or 2 coffees come out cock-eyed, I'd be looking at the coffee, not the brewer.


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## James45 (Aug 24, 2021)

Did a rough calculation for 400 filters. (at least one year of daily use)

Melitta 04: 400 for $28 CAD (+$20 ceramic device)

Hario 02: 400 for $36 CAD (+$40 metal device)

Kalita 185: 400 for $56 CAD (+40 metal device)

So it looks like the price variable for filters is pretty moot. It comes down to whether I want to spend $8 a year more for a V60, or $28 a year more for the Kalita.


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## GrahamSPhillips (Jan 29, 2021)

Or buy one of these?? LoL

https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/gevi-2-in-1-coffee-grinder-pour-over-machine#/


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## bcoffee (Jul 16, 2021)

For what it's worth I think you can "get away with" using most filters with different brewers. Sure it won't be perfect but you can get a passable cup out of it.

In reality they tend to fall into two types: large hole, smaller holes

Large central hole ones, e.g. V60 or Torch Mountain, I find need more control over grind size and better control of pouring as@MWJB stated. Using the wrong filters in these tends to give bad results.

Small multi-hole ones, e.g. Kalita Wave or Bee House (I think it's the same for the original Melitta and endless others) go some way to controlling the flow so you can be a bit more cavalier with your pouring technique. I also find these are a lot better if you're needing to use pre-ground.

I've used standard Melitta#1 in the 155 Wave before when I ran out of the Kalita ones and was able to get something drinkable.

I know you've said no plastic, but really the most indestructable ones I have are the plastic V60-01 & 02, and the most forgiving is easily the Clever Dripper - it's the one I pick for pre-ground. (not trying to change your mind)


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## James45 (Aug 24, 2021)

@bcoffee Thanks! This is the type of "biased" advice I was looking for. Maybe I didn't explain myself well enough to the others.

When I said I wasn't a "perfectionist", it meant that all I was looking for was an affordable solution to brewing a decent cup. My instinct told me that the Wave 185 would produce the best coffee and that it would be forgiving with regular basket filters. The thought of having to source more expensive filters online doesn't appeal to me.

So in my mind, since the "most forgiving device" was the 185, and the "cheapest" filters are the Melittas, and I was hoping they would somehow work decently well together.

Would you rather use a Melitta Pour-Over with Melitta cone filters, or a Wave 185 with basket filters, if you had to pick?


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