How to Brew Coffee in a Chemex vs Hario V60 vs Kalita Wave (and Which One to Pick)
If you've decided to brew pour-over coffee and you're staring at three options, this post is for you. The Chemex, the Hario V60, and the Kalita Wave are the three most common pour-over brewers in specialty coffee. They look different, they cost different amounts, and they make different cups.
We brewed every side-by-side with our Costa Rica Single Origin — a bright washed bean that shows the difference between brewers clearly.
This post walks through what each one does well, what each one doesn't, and how to pick between them.
The 30-second summary
If you don't want to read the whole post:
- Chemex: best for groups, prettiest on the table, slowest brew, cleanest cup, biggest learning curve.
- Hario V60: fastest brew, most flavor clarity, biggest skill ceiling, easy to brew a thin cup if you're sloppy.
- Kalita Wave: most forgiving, easiest to brew well on day one, full-bodied cup, less clarity than the V60.
If you're choosing one brewer for daily use and you can spare 10 minutes a day for the ritual, get the V60. If you're brewing for 2+ people most days, get the Chemex. If you want the easiest path to a good cup, get the Kalita Wave.
The rest of this post is the longer version.
What makes a pour-over brewer a pour-over brewer
All three brewers work on the same principle. Hot water pours over coffee grounds in a paper filter. The water extracts soluble compounds from the coffee as it passes through. The brewed coffee drips into a vessel below.
The differences are in:
- Filter shape and thickness (paper weight, flow rate)
- Brew bed geometry (cone vs flat-bottom)
- Vessel (glass carafe vs single cup vs thermos-compatible)
- Heat retention (glass vs ceramic vs stainless)
- Capacity (1 cup vs 8 cups)
These small differences produce noticeably different cups.
The Chemex
The Chemex is a one-piece glass brewer with a paper filter that's about 20-30% thicker than standard pour-over filters. It was invented in 1941 by a German chemist named Peter Schlumbohm and is in the Museum of Modern Art's permanent collection.
What it does well:
- Brew for groups. The 6-cup Chemex makes 30-35 oz of brewed coffee. The 3-cup makes 15-18 oz. Both are sized for serving multiple people.
- Cleanest cup. The thick filter removes most of the coffee oils and fine particles. The cup is bright, clear, and tea-like.
- Looks good on the table. It's a design object. Most people keep it visible.
What it doesn't do well:
- Slow brew. A 6-cup Chemex takes 6-8 minutes to drain. The thick filter resists flow.
- Hard to brew well. The thick filter means small grind errors are amplified. Grind too coarse and the cup is thin. Grind too fine and it backs up and over-extracts.
- Glass is fragile. It's glass. It breaks.
The pour-over recipe for Chemex (6-cup):
- 50 g coffee, ground medium-coarse
- 700 g water at 200°F
- Bloom with 100 g water for 45 seconds
- Pour in 3 pulses (200 g, 200 g, 200 g), letting the bed go dry between pours
- Total brew time: 5:30-7:00
If you're already a Chemex brewer, our how to brew Chemex coffee post goes deeper on the technique.
The Hario V60
The V60 is a cone-shaped brewer (the "60" is the 60-degree angle of the cone). It comes in ceramic, glass, plastic, and metal. The paper filter is a standard pour-over thickness.
What it does well:
- Most flavor clarity. The fast flow rate and thin filter let more of the coffee's soluble compounds through. The cup has the most distinct flavor of the three brewers.
- Fastest brew. A 1-cup V60 brews in 2:15-2:45. A 2-cup brews in 2:45-3:30.
- Cheapest to start. A plastic V60 starter kit is under $25. A glass V60 is under $30.
What it doesn't do well:
- Biggest skill ceiling. The cup is sensitive to grind size, pour rate, water temperature, and pour pattern. A bad V60 brew is noticeably worse than a bad Kalita Wave brew.
- Single cup most of the time. The 1-cup V60 is what most people own. The 2-cup is the next size. If you're brewing for more than 2, you need multiple rounds or a bigger brewer.
- Drips unevenly. If your pour is uneven (more on one side than the other), the bed channels and the cup is uneven.
The pour-over recipe for V60 (1-cup):
- 15 g coffee, ground medium-fine
- 240 g water at 200°F
- Bloom with 40 g water for 30 seconds
- Pour in 3-4 pulses, aim for the center, keep the bed level
- Total brew time: 2:15-2:45
For more on V60 technique, our how to brew pour-over coffee post is the longer version.
The Kalita Wave
The Kalita Wave is a flat-bottom brewer with a wave-patterned paper filter. It was originally a Japanese design and has been popular in specialty coffee shops for the last decade.
What it does well:
- Most forgiving. The flat bottom and three small drainage holes slow the flow rate. Mistakes in pour rate or grind size don't show up as much.
- Easiest to brew well on day one. Most people brew a better cup on a Kalita Wave on their first try than on a V60 or Chemex.
- Full-bodied cup. Slower flow = more extraction = fuller body. The cup has more weight than the V60.
What it doesn't do well:
- Less clarity than the V60. The slower extraction and full body mask some of the brighter, more delicate flavor notes. The cup is rounder, less articulate.
- Filters are unique. You can only use Kalita Wave filters (or knockoffs that fit the same dimensions). They're harder to find than V60 or Chemex filters.
- Less attractive on the table. It's a functional design, not a sculptural one.
The pour-over recipe for Kalita Wave (1-cup):
- 15 g coffee, ground medium
- 240 g water at 200°F
- Bloom with 40 g water for 30 seconds
- Pour in 4-5 pulses, keep the bed level
- Total brew time: 2:45-3:30
Which one to pick
Choose the Chemex if:
- You brew for 2+ people most days
- You want the cleanest, brightest cup
- You want something that looks good on the counter
- You don't mind the 6-7 minute brew time
Choose the Hario V60 if:
- You brew mostly for yourself
- You want the most flavor clarity
- You enjoy refining technique over time
- You're willing to drink bad cups while you learn
Choose the Kalita Wave if:
- You're new to pour-over and want to brew well fast
- You prefer a fuller-bodied cup over a brighter one
- You brew 1-2 cups at a time
- You don't want to obsess over pour rate
A note on the grind
All three brewers use the same general grind range (medium to medium-fine), but the exact grind matters more for the V60 than for the Kalita Wave. If you're buying a grinder, get a burr grinder (not blade). Our how to choose a coffee grinder post covers what to look for.
If you're brewing pour-over for a crowd, our how to brew coffee for a crowd post scales the V60 method up.
The honest summary
There's no "best" pour-over brewer. There's the brewer that fits how you actually brew and what you actually want in the cup. The Chemex is for groups. The V60 is for clarity. The Kalita Wave is for forgiveness.
Most specialty coffee drinkers end up with two of the three eventually — one for daily use and one for when they're brewing for others. Pick the one that fits your daily use first. The other will reveal itself in a few months.
Brew slow.
For more on pour-over specifics, our how to brew pour-over coffee post is the beginner-friendly setup guide. If you're choosing between pour-over and other brewing methods, our how to pick a brewing method you'll use post walks through the bigger decision. For the French Press comparison, our French Press vs Pour-Over vs Chemex post is the side-by-side.