# Bee House Dripper

Source: https://dailyextraction.com/methods/bee-house/
Last updated: 2026-10-20

> The Bee House is a ceramic, wedge-shaped pour-over dripper made in Mino, Japan, with two small holes and peek windows so you can see your cup fill. Fold a #2 or #4 wedge filter into it, add medium-ground coffee and pour. CoffeeHow's recipe for the large size is 28 g of coffee to 450 ml of water at 92–96°C, with a 30–45 second bloom.

## At a glance

- Ratio: 1:16 (28 g coffee : 450 g water)
- Grind: Medium (sand)
- Water temperature: 92–96 °C
- Category: Pour-over & Drip (Percolation)
- Difficulty: Beginner
- Origin: Japan
- Also known as: Beehouse dripper, wedge dripper, Bee House ceramic dripper, Zero Japan dripper

## Steps

1. **Fold the filter**: Fold the seams of a
2. **Add the coffee**: Add 28 g of coffee, ground medium, and shake it level.
3. **Bloom**: Pour about 30–40 ml of water at 92–96°C to wet the grounds evenly, and wait 30–45 seconds.
4. **Pour in circles**: Pour the rest slowly and evenly in circles, from the centre outwards, until you reach 450 ml.
5. **Let it drain**: Let it drip through fully, watching the peek window so your cup doesn't overflow.

The **Bee House** is a **ceramic, wedge-shaped pour-over dripper** from the Japanese brand of the same name, made by **Zero Japan** in Mino, Gifu Prefecture. Its design was inspired by Melitta's classic wedge brewer, with **two small drain holes** in a flat bottom and **peek windows** in the base so you can watch your cup fill. It takes ordinary wedge filters and is easy to get right. Here's a recipe, which filters to buy and how it compares with a Melitta.

## The short version

- **A ceramic wedge dripper** made in Mino, Japan, by Zero Japan.
- **Two small holes** in a flat bottom, and **peek windows** to watch your cup.
- **Takes wedge filters**: #2 or #4 for the large size.
- **CoffeeHow's recipe:** 28 g coffee to 450 ml water at 92–96°C for the large size.
- **Forgiving**: the two holes steady the flow.



## What makes the Bee House different?

- **Wedge shape** with a flat bottom, like a [Melitta](https://dailyextraction.com/methods/melitta/), so the coffee bed is fairly even.
- **Two small drain holes**, which steady the flow so your pouring matters less.
- **Peek windows** in the base let you see how full your cup is getting.
- **Ceramic**, which holds heat well once it's warmed up.

## What do you need?

- **A Bee House dripper** that fits your mug or carafe
- **Wedge paper filters** in the right size
- **Coffee** and a grinder
- **A kettle** and scales

## How much coffee and water should I use?

Two published recipes:

| | CoffeeHow, large | CoffeeHow, small | Prima Coffee (video), large |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Coffee | 28 g, medium | 12–15 g, medium | 20 g, medium-coarse |
| Water | 450 ml at 92–96°C | 200–240 ml at 92–96°C | 300 ml |
| Bloom | 30–40 ml, 30–45 seconds | 30–40 ml, 30–45 seconds | A short bloom |
| Time | Not given | About 2–3 minutes | About 3–3½ minutes |

Prima says the large Bee House is good for 3 to 4 cups, or brews of up to about 700 ml.

## What grind size should I use?

**Medium**, or a touch finer for a single mug. If it drains very slowly and tastes bitter, go coarser; very fine grinds can clog the small holes. If it rushes through and tastes thin, go finer.

![Chart of coffee grind sizes from extra fine to extra coarse, with medium highlighted for the Bee House](https://dailyextraction.com/diagrams/grind-size.svg#medium "The Bee House sits around medium on the grind scale.")

## How do you brew with a Bee House, step by step?

1. **Fold a wedge filter**, set it in the dripper, rinse it and pour the water away.
2. **Add 28 g of coffee**, ground medium, and level it.
3. **Bloom:** pour 30–40 ml of water at 92–96°C and wait 30–45 seconds.
4. **Pour the rest slowly in circles**, from the centre outwards, until you reach 450 ml.
5. **Let it drip through**, watching the peek window.

Brew mode on this page times each stage for you.

## What filters and sizes are there?

| | Large (BKK 15L) | Small |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Filters | #2 or #4 wedge filters | #1 wedge filters |
| Makes | 3–4 cups, up to about 700 ml (Prima) | One mug, 200–240 ml (CoffeeHow) |
| Fits | Most mugs and carafes | Smaller mugs |

Check the filter size on the box for your Bee House; a #4 gives a little extra height above the coffee.

## Bee House vs other wedge and flat drippers

| | Bee House | [Melitta](https://dailyextraction.com/methods/melitta/) | [Kalita Wave](https://dailyextraction.com/methods/kalita-wave/) |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Shape | Wedge | Wedge | Flat bottom |
| Holes | Two | Varies by model | Three |
| Material | Ceramic | Plastic, porcelain and others | Steel, glass, ceramic |
| Filters | Wedge (#2/#4) | Wedge (1x2/1x4) | Wave |
| Peek windows | Yes | No | No |

## How do you clean it?

Throw away the filter and grounds, then rinse or wash the ceramic. Keep the two holes clear.

*General guidance only. Ceramic gets hot and can chip or crack if dropped: handle it with care and follow the instructions that come with yours.*

## Bee House vs other brewers

- **[Melitta](https://dailyextraction.com/methods/melitta/):** the wedge brewer that inspired it.
- **[Kalita Wave](https://dailyextraction.com/methods/kalita-wave/):** a flat-bottomed, forgiving pour-over.
- **[Origami](https://dailyextraction.com/methods/origami-dripper/):** a ribbed Japanese porcelain dripper.
- **[Clever Dripper](https://dailyextraction.com/methods/clever-dripper/):** steep first, then drain.

Explore every pour-over in the [pour-over chapter](https://dailyextraction.com/methods/pour-over/).

## Words used in this guide

- [Pour-over](https://dailyextraction.com/glossary/pour-over/): Pour-over is a way of making filter coffee by hand: you pour hot water over ground coffee in a filter cone and let it drip through into a cup or jug.
- [Bloom](https://dailyextraction.com/glossary/bloom/): The bloom is the first small pour of water in a brew, usually 2–3 times the weight of the coffee, followed by a 30–45 second pause.
- [Steeping](https://dailyextraction.com/glossary/steeping/): Steeping is leaving ground coffee to sit in water so its flavour dissolves out, as in a French press or cold brew.

## FAQs

### Who makes the Bee House dripper?

Bee House is a brand of the Japanese company Zero Japan, made in Mino, Gifu Prefecture. It's sold in the US under the Zero Japan name.

### What filters does the Bee House use?

Wedge-shaped paper filters. The large Bee House (BKK 15L) takes #2 or #4 filters; the smaller size takes smaller filters, so check the box for yours.

### How many holes does the Bee House have?

Two small drain holes in a flat bottom, plus peek windows in the base so you can see the coffee level in your cup.

### What's a good Bee House recipe?

For the large size, CoffeeHow uses 28 g of medium-ground coffee to 450 ml of water at 92–96°C, with a 30–45 second bloom. Prima Coffee's video brews a smaller 20 g to 300 ml batch, finishing in about three to three and a half minutes.

### Bee House vs Melitta, what's the difference?

Both are wedge-shaped drippers that take wedge filters. The Bee House is ceramic, made in Japan, with two holes and peek windows; its design was inspired by Melitta's classic brewer.

## Sources

- [Bee House ceramic coffee dripper (BKK 15L)](https://prima-coffee.com/equipment/bee-house/bkk-15l-wh)
- [Video overview: Bee House ceramic coffee dripper](https://prima-coffee.com/learn/video/overviews/video-overview-bee-house-ceramic-coffee-dripper/33044)
- [Zero Japan Bee House pour-over coffee dripper](https://www.amazon.com/Zero-Japan-Lead-Free-Cadmium-Free-Accessories/dp/B0F3TWS8P2)
- [Bee House coffee dripper review](https://coffeehow.co/bee-house-coffee-dripper-review/)