CAFEC Flower Dripper vs. Hario V60

"What’s the difference between the two cone-shaped drippers?"

I guess V60 is already very well known, so I am skipping the introduction of V60, and I’d like to share how I met Flower Dripper.

The Flower Dripper

It was a year ago when I first encountered Flower Dripper. 

The five pastel colours: hydrangea blue, sakura pink, chrysanthemum yellow, wasabi green and magnolia white, are all elegant and attractive. It seems to me that I am standing in a floral sea in Chiba, Japan, admiring the blossoming tulips! I was having difficulty in picking one of them!

I eventually picked the hydrangea blue Flower Dripper because the blue colour reminds me of nature, freedom, vitality, blue sky and white clouds... The Flower Dripper also reminds me of the spring blooming tulips here in Holland.

When I first tried brewing my coffee with Flower Dripper, it tasted so different from the coffee I used to brew with V60! The taste was not only fruity and acidic, but also full of sweetness and moderate bitterness. It is not exaggerating to say that it is a cup of coffee full of personality.

No wonder it was also called the dripper "full of sweetness".

The Scientific Theory Behind

I started to study the theory behind Flower Dripper, and discovered that the petal ribs were not just designed for aesthetic reasons. 

What is compelling is the distribution of petal ribs on the inner wall of the Flower Dripper. They allow the coffee powder to expand perfectly and to create space between filter paper and dripper. The structure of sparse ribs in the upper part and dense ribs in the lower part also contributes to the effect of variable speed of water flow: when water level reaches 60-70% of the dripper, the flow rate will be lowered.

In this way, amazingly, a richer taste of coffee can be extracted.

Flower Dripper vs. V60

To compare the two cone-shaped drippers, I chose Ugandan Kapchorwa honey processed coffee beans. 

Since the Flower Dripper was designed with a variable speed of the water flow, its water flow rate is not as fast as V60. While V60 brews a cup of coffee with direct and strong acidity, Flower Dripper brews one with relatively comfortable and delicate aroma. In addition to the mild fruity acidic taste, it also fully extracts the sweetness and moderate bitterness. The taste is full of rich and complex layers and carries a strong aftertaste.

Although I am using the Flower Dripper quite often now, the first impression of its coffee is still fresh and impressive to me.

Below is a comparison by Kawa Coffee:

Sanyo Sangyo CAFEC

Later, I discovered that the company that invented Flower Dripper, Sanyo Sangyo Co., Ltd., is from the Oita Kyushu region and is an old brand since 1973. It has already been 47 years till now. They are the pioneers in the development of cone-shaped filter paper, and the Flower Dripper is their first cone-shaped dripper. The drippers are produced, glazed, and fired in the Saga area of Arita, a major town in the Japanese ceramic industry. The materials are superior and the texture is smooth and delicate. Just by looking at the glazed color alone, you can tell the difference from other ceramic drippers. (Read more: What is Arita Ware?)

It is not only appealing, but also outstanding.

It is a blooming tulip under the sun.