# Kalita Wave

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

> The Kalita Wave is a flat-bottomed pour-over dripper with three small holes and wave-shaped filters. Stumptown's recipe uses 21 g of coffee and about 345 g of water: bloom with 60 g, pour to 200 g by about a minute, then add small pulses to 345 g by 2:00, finishing at around 2:45–3:00. The flat bed makes it forgiving and consistent.

## At a glance

- Ratio: 1:16 (21 g coffee : 345 g water)
- Grind: Medium-fine (table salt)
- Brew time: about 3:00
- Category: Pour-over & Drip (Percolation)
- Difficulty: Beginner
- Origin: Japan
- Also known as: Kalita 185, Kalita 155, Kalita Wave dripper, flat-bottom dripper, Wave dripper

## Steps

1. **Rinse the filter**: Seat a Kalita Wave filter in the dripper and rinse it with hot water, pouring gently so the waves keep their shape. Pour the rinse water away.
2. **Add the coffee**: Add 21 g of coffee, ground medium-fine, and shake it level.
3. **Bloom**: Start a timer and pour 60 g of water to wet all the grounds.
4. **Pour to 200 g**: Pour in a slow spiral until the scale reads 200 g, at about 0:45–1:00.
5. **Pulse to 345 g**: Add the rest in small pulses, keeping the water level steady, until you reach about 345 g by 2:00.
6. **Let it drain**: Let it drain. It should finish at around 2:45–3:00, leaving a flat bed.

The **Kalita Wave** is a **flat-bottomed pour-over dripper** from the Japanese company Kalita. Instead of a cone with one big hole, it has a **flat bed** and **three small holes**, and it uses **wave-shaped paper filters** with folds that hold the paper away from the walls. The result is a dripper that's **forgiving and consistent**: the flat bed brews evenly and the small holes slow the flow, so small slips in your pouring matter less. Here's a proven recipe, how to pour and which size to get.

## The short version

- **Flat bottom, three small holes, wave-shaped filters.**
- **A good recipe:** 21 g coffee to about 345 g water (close to 1:16), from Stumptown Coffee.
- **Grind medium-fine** and pour in small pulses.
- **Finishes at around 2:45–3:00.**
- **More forgiving than a [V60](https://dailyextraction.com/methods/v60/)**, so it's a good first pour-over.



## What makes the Kalita Wave different?

![Diagram of a Kalita Wave dripper: a wave-shaped paper filter with folds that keep it off the walls, a flat bed of coffee, and a flat bottom with three small holes](https://dailyextraction.com/diagrams/kalita-wave.svg "The parts of a Kalita Wave. The flat bed and small holes are what make it forgiving.")

- **Flat bottom:** the coffee sits in a **level bed**, so all the water passes through the same depth of coffee.
- **Three small holes:** they **slow and steady the flow**, so the brew time depends less on how you pour.
- **Wave filters:** the paper has **20 waves**. They keep most of the paper off the dripper's walls, so the water goes down through the coffee rather than around it.

## How much coffee and water should I use?

This is **Stumptown Coffee's Kalita Wave recipe**, which makes one big mug:

| | Amount |
| --- | --- |
| Coffee | 21 g, ground medium-fine |
| Water | About 345 g |
| Ratio | Close to 1:16 |
| Water temperature | Just off the boil, about 205°F (96°C) |
| Bloom | 60 g of water, with a gentle stir |
| Finish | Around 2:45–3:00 |

Other roasters' recipes sit around **1:15 to 1:17**, finishing between about 3:00 and 3:45 for bigger batches.

## What grind size should I use?

**Medium-fine** is a good place to start; the small holes already slow the flow. If it drains well past 3:30 or tastes bitter, go coarser; if it's fast and sour, go finer.

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

## How do you brew a Kalita Wave, step by step?

1. **Rinse the filter**, pouring gently so the waves keep their shape. Pour the water away.
2. **Add 21 g of coffee** and shake it level.
3. **Bloom:** start a timer and pour 60 g of water in the first 10 seconds, then give it a gentle stir.
4. **At 0:45, pour to 200 g** in a slow spiral, finishing by 1:00.
5. **Pulse to about 345 g** by 2:00, in small pours of about 25–50 g.
6. **Let it drain**, finishing at around 2:45–3:00.

Brew mode on this page times each stage for you.

## Kalita Wave 155 vs 185

| | Wave 155 | Wave 185 |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Makes | 1–2 cups | 2–4 cups |
| Filters | Wave 155 | Wave 185 |

Kalita USA says the 185 brews 2–4 cups (500–700 ml). Each size needs its **own size of Wave filter**. The Wave comes in several materials, including stainless steel and glass; the heavy-gauge stainless steel version made in Tsubame has its own guide, the **[Kalita Wave Tsubame](https://dailyextraction.com/methods/kalita-wave-tsubame/)**.

## Why is my Kalita Wave slow or fast?

| Problem | Try |
| --- | --- |
| Drains slowly, tastes bitter | Grind coarser, or pour more gently so you don't stir up fines |
| Drains fast, tastes sour or thin | Grind finer |
| Filter collapses at the sides | Pour into the middle, not onto the paper |
| Uneven, sloped bed at the end | Give the dripper a gentle swirl after the last pulse |

## Kalita Wave vs other pour-overs

| | Kalita Wave | [V60](https://dailyextraction.com/methods/v60/) | [Chemex](https://dailyextraction.com/methods/chemex/) |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Shape | Flat bottom | Cone | Cone, with its own carafe |
| Holes | Three small | One large | One, the neck |
| Filter | Wave, 20 waves | Cone paper | Thick bonded paper |
| Forgiveness | High | Lower: your pour sets the flow | Medium |

## Who made the Kalita Wave famous?

Kalita is a family-owned Japanese company, founded in **Nihonbashi, Tokyo, in 1958**. The Wave became widely known in specialty coffee after **James McCarthy** won the **2013 US Brewers Cup** and then the **2013 World Brewers Cup** in Melbourne, brewing with a Kalita Wave and a Panamanian Esmeralda coffee roasted by Counter Culture Coffee.

## How do you clean a Kalita Wave?

Throw away the filter and grounds, then rinse or wash the dripper. Keep the three holes clear.

*General guidance only. Take care pouring hot water, and follow the care instructions for your dripper's material.*

## Kalita Wave vs other brewers

- **[V60](https://dailyextraction.com/methods/v60/):** a cone with one big hole, brighter and more technique-dependent.
- **[Chemex](https://dailyextraction.com/methods/chemex/):** thick filters and a very clean cup, brewed into its own carafe.
- **[Melitta](https://dailyextraction.com/methods/melitta/):** the original paper-filter cone.
- **[Japanese iced coffee](https://dailyextraction.com/methods/japanese-iced-coffee/):** pour-over brewed onto ice, which you can make with a Wave.

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.
- [Fines](https://dailyextraction.com/glossary/fines/): Fines are the very small, dust-like particles that every grinder produces alongside the main grind.
- [Specialty coffee](https://dailyextraction.com/glossary/specialty-coffee/): Specialty coffee is high-quality coffee graded at 80 points or more out of 100 by trained tasters using the Specialty Coffee Association's scoring system.

## FAQs

### How do you use a Kalita Wave?

Rinse a Wave filter, add medium-fine coffee, bloom, then pour in a spiral and small pulses. Stumptown's recipe uses 21 g of coffee and about 345 g of water, finishing at around 2:45–3:00.

### What's the best ratio for a Kalita Wave?

Most recipes sit around 1:15 to 1:17. Stumptown's 21 g to about 345 g is close to 1:16.

### Kalita Wave 155 vs 185, which should I buy?

The 155 is the smaller size, for one or two cups; the 185 is for two to four. Kalita USA says the 185 brews 2–4 cups (500–700 ml). Each needs its own size of Wave filter.

### Why does the Kalita Wave have a flat bottom?

The flat bottom keeps the coffee bed level, so the water passes through an even depth of coffee. Its three small holes slow the flow, so the result depends less on your pouring than a single-hole cone does.

### Kalita Wave vs V60?

The V60 is a cone with one large hole, so your pouring controls the flow. The Wave is flat-bottomed with three small holes, so it's more forgiving and consistent. Both make a clean cup.

### Who made the Kalita Wave famous?

James McCarthy of Counter Culture Coffee won both the 2013 US Brewers Cup and the 2013 World Brewers Cup brewing with a Kalita Wave, which brought it a lot of attention.

## Sources

- [Brew guide: Kalita Wave](https://www.stumptowncoffee.com/pages/brew-guide-kalita-wave)
- [Waves series](https://kalitaofficial.com/product-category/waves-series/)
- [Kalita Wave Tsubame stainless steel coffee dripper 185](https://kalitausa.com/products/kalita-wave-tsubame-stainless-steel-coffee-dripper-185)
- [Meet the world’s best brewer: James McCarthy](https://sprudge.com/meet-the-worlds-best-brewer-james-mccarthy-brewers-cup-champ-38672.html)
- [Guest review: flat-bottom coffee drippers](https://prima-coffee.com/learn/article/comparisons/guest-review-flat-bottom-coffee-drippers/32818)
- [Kalita: everything you need to know](https://japanesecoffeeco.com/blogs/japanese-coffee-blog/kalita-everything-you-need-to-know)
- [Kalita Wave filter 185](https://japanwithlovestore.com/en-th/products/kalita-wave-filter-185-50p-from-japan-default-title)