# Kalita 102 Wedge Dripper

Source: https://dailyextraction.com/methods/kalita-102/
Last updated: 2026-10-20

> The Kalita 102 is Kalita's classic wedge-shaped (trapezoid) coffee dripper for 2 to 4 cups, with three holes in the bottom and ribs inside. It uses 102 paper filters. Kalita says the three holes let the coffee drip through before unpleasant flavours come out, and baristas describe it as faster-flowing than single-hole wedge drippers.

## At a glance

- Grind: Medium (sand)
- Water temperature: Just off the boil
- Category: Pour-over & Drip (Percolation)
- Difficulty: Beginner
- Origin: Japan
- Also known as: Kalita 102, Kalita wedge dripper, Kalita three-hole dripper, Kalita-style dripper

## Steps

1. **Fold and fit the filter**: Fold the seams of a 102 paper filter and fit it into the dripper.
2. **Add the coffee**: Add ground coffee for 2 to 4 cups and level the bed.
3. **Bloom**: Pour a little hot water to wet the coffee, and watch it swell.
4. **Pour in stages**: Pour the rest of the water gently in the centre, in stages, keeping the level below the rim of the filter.
5. **Remove and serve**: When the water has dripped through, remove the dripper and serve.

The **Kalita 102** is the classic Japanese **wedge-shaped** coffee dripper, and the one that defined what Kalita calls ***"Kalita-shiki"***, the **Kalita style** of pour-over. It's a trapezoid cone for **2 to 4 cups**, with **three holes** in the bottom and **ribs** on the inner walls, used with **102 paper filters**. Kalita's own description is simple: its drippers have three holes, so they "drip only the deliciousness, before off-flavours come out". Here's how it works, the 102 range, and how to brew with it.

## The short version

- **A wedge (trapezoid) dripper** for 2 to 4 cups.
- **Three holes in the bottom**, ribs on the walls.
- **102 paper filters**; the 101 is the smaller size.
- **Ceramic, porcelain, steel, copper or plastic.**
- **The basis of "Kalita style"** pour-over, alongside the newer Wave.



## What makes the Kalita 102 different?

**Three holes.** Kalita defines *Kalita-shiki* as brewing with its own **three-hole dripper** and a paper filter. On Kalita's site, **Mr Someya**, owner of BlueDOOR Coffee in Yokohama explains why he uses the plastic **102-D**: water falls **evenly through the three holes**, so bitterness "disappears" and the aftertaste is clean, and "the Kalita style extracts faster than a single hole", for "a purer taste". His family has used Kalita equipment since his father's time.

**Ribs.** The ribs inside keep the paper from sticking to the walls and bottom, Japanese Taste explains, so the coffee extracts smoothly.

**Wedge shape.** Like the [Melitta](https://dailyextraction.com/methods/melitta/) and the [Bee House](https://dailyextraction.com/methods/bee-house/), the 102 is a trapezoid with a flat, narrow base, rather than a round cone like the [V60](https://dailyextraction.com/methods/v60/).

## Which Kalita 102 should I choose?

Kalita's catalogue lists many 102s:

| Model | Material |
| --- | --- |
| **102-Roto** | Ceramic (white, brown or black) |
| **102-D** | Plastic |
| **SS 102** | Stainless steel |
| **Cu 102** | Copper |
| **HA 102** | Hasami porcelain |

The ceramic **102-Roto** is **138 × 110 × 88 mm** and weighs **370 g**, for **2 to 4 people**, according to Kalita. The same shapes come in **101** (smaller), **103** and **104** sizes.

## How do you brew with a Kalita 102?

1. **Fold the seams** of a 102 filter and fit it in the dripper.
2. **Add ground coffee** for 2 to 4 cups and level it.
3. **Bloom**: pour a little water to wet the coffee and watch it swell. Someya adjusts his brew by watching how the coffee swells and the size of the bubbles on the first pour.
4. **Pour in stages** into the centre, keeping the water below the rim of the filter.
5. **Remove the dripper** when it has finished.

Kalita's pages don't give a fixed recipe. As a starting point, I'd use about **15 g of medium-ground coffee per 250 ml of water**, and adjust from there. BlueDOOR Coffee also brews **iced coffee** straight onto ice in the server, relying on the 102's quick flow to avoid a lingering bitterness.

![Chart of coffee grind sizes from extra fine to extra coarse, with medium highlighted for the Kalita 102](https://dailyextraction.com/diagrams/grind-size.svg#medium "A medium grind suits the Kalita 102's three-hole wedge.")

## Who makes it?

**Kalita**, founded in **Nihonbashi, Tokyo**, in **October 1958** and incorporated as Kalita Co., Ltd. in **July 1959**, according to its company history. Kalita launched **unbleached paper filters** in **1991**, and later the flat-bottomed **[Kalita Wave](https://dailyextraction.com/methods/kalita-wave/)**, which keeps the three holes but changes the shape and filter.

*General guidance only. Take care with just-boiled water and a hot ceramic dripper.*

## Kalita 102 vs other methods

- **[Kalita Wave](https://dailyextraction.com/methods/kalita-wave/):** Kalita's flat-bottomed, three-hole dripper.
- **[Melitta pour-over](https://dailyextraction.com/methods/melitta/):** the original wedge dripper.
- **[Bee House dripper](https://dailyextraction.com/methods/bee-house/):** another Japanese wedge, with two holes.
- **[Hario V60](https://dailyextraction.com/methods/v60/):** the single-hole cone.

Explore every pour-over method 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.
- [Extraction](https://dailyextraction.com/glossary/extraction/): Extraction is the process of water dissolving flavour compounds out of ground coffee.
- [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.

## FAQs

### Why does the Kalita 102 have three holes?

Kalita says its three-hole design drips out the good flavours before off-flavours (zatsumi) come through. A Yokohama roaster told Kalita that water falls evenly through the three holes, giving a cleaner aftertaste than a single-hole dripper.

### What size is the Kalita 102?

It's for 2 to 4 cups. Kalita also makes the 101 (smaller), 103 and 104. The ceramic 102-Roto measures 138 by 110 by 88 mm and weighs 370 g, according to Kalita.

### What filters does the Kalita 102 use?

Kalita 102 wedge-shaped paper filters. Kalita sells matching filters for each dripper size, such as its 102 brown filter paper.

### What is the difference between the Kalita 102 and the Kalita Wave?

The 102 is a wedge-shaped dripper with three holes in a line and paper wedge filters. The Wave is a flat-bottomed dripper, also with three holes, used with Kalita's fluted Wave filters.

### What materials does the Kalita 102 come in?

Kalita's range includes ceramic (102-Roto, in white, brown and black), stainless steel, copper, Hasami porcelain and plastic (102-D) versions.

## Sources

- [102-ロト (102-Roto)](https://www.kalita.co.jp/products/dripper/1924)
- [コーヒードリッパー (coffee drippers)](https://www.kalita.co.jp/products/dripper/)
- [カリタ式 (Kalita style)](https://www.kalita.co.jp/coffee/kalitastyle.php)
- [沿革 (company history)](https://www.kalita.co.jp/company/history.php)
- [Kalita ceramic coffee dripper 102](https://japanesetaste.com/products/kalita-ceramic-coffee-dripper-102-black)