Earlier this year, we hosted Neil Gouws, one of South Africa’s most accomplished baristas, at Cape Coffee Beans HQ for a series of Kalita Wave brewing demonstrations. We were lucky enough to collaborate with our friends at Rosetta Roastery and have a couple of their newest releases to brew, including a very special limited release anaerobic lot from Frinsa Estate in Indonesia.

The customers who popped by all thoroughly enjoyed both the demonstrations and the delicious pour-over brews, so we asked Neil to share his recommendations on how to brew with the Kalita Wave. Below you’ll find his very detailed response to that very question. It’s all the guidance you need to get great results with your Kalita Wave pour-over dripper!

Neil's Kalita Wave brew guide

The Kalita Wave is the ideal brewer for those looking for an easy to use and incredibly consistent pour-over coffee maker. The Kalita’s flat bottom and unique filter design allow for a more even extraction and reduced channelling. The flow rate is slower than most pour-over drippers which allows for longer contact time between coffee and water, resulting in a brew that is brimming in body, sweetness and clarity.

What you will need

• Kalita Wave brewer
• Kalita Wave filter papers (the size that matches your brewer)
• Pour-over kettle
• Coffee scale and timer
• Jug large enough to hold 400ml (A 500ml Kalita Pour-Over Server will work perfectly)
• Coffee grinder
• Optional: a thermometer (or temperature adjustable kettle)

Kalita Wave recipe basic parameters

• Brew ratio 1:16 (1 part coffee to 16 parts water)
• 25 grams of medium-coarse ground coffee (similar to a V60 grind)
• 400g of 94ºC water
• Total brew time of 2 minutes 30 seconds

Kalita Wave brew recipe

1. Insert your filter paper into the Kalita brewer, rinse the paper filter thoroughly using your heated kettle and discard the rinse water.
2. Add the ground coffee into the dripper and give the dripper a little shake to level the grounds out.
3. Pour 60g of water, ensuring all the coffee gets wet, and allow the coffee to bloom for 30s.
4. At the 30s mark pour 100g of water in concentric circles moving your way from the centre of the dripper to the outside in 6 circles.
5. At 45s pour 60g of water in 3 concentric circles.
6. Repeat step 5 at 1m and 1m15s
7. At 1m45s take the total brew weight up to 400g with a final pour.
8. The dripper should be completely drained by around 2m30s; if not adjust your grind setting (coarser to make it faster; finer to make it slower).

Pouring summary:

About the author

Neil Gouws is one of South Africa's top competitive baristas. Like many of the country's most talented, Neil got his start at Origin Coffee Roasting where he started as a barista and eventually became lead barista and head trainer. He has an impressive competitive record both at the Western Cape regional barista competition and the South African Barista Championship competitions where he has placed 2nd, 3rd & 4th over a period of three years.

Neil now works with a number of coffee equipment brands in the commercial and domestic space, comprising both espresso equipment and manual brewing equipment like Kalita. We count ourselves lucky to work closely with him, and also to have him help us out with customer training. You can follow Neil and his coffee exploits on Instagram.