Kalita
Kalita Wave 185 review
Updated 2026-07-27
A flat-bottomed stainless dripper with three small holes and a ridged wave filter. The flat bed is the point: it makes the brew far less sensitive to how well you pour.
Our opinion
7.7/10
The forgiving one
If your pour-over comes out different every morning, this is the fix. The flat bed and the three small holes take most of the technique out of the equation, so an average pour still gives you a good cup. You trade away some of the ceiling a V60 has in careful hands, and you commit to buying Kalita's own filters. For most people that is a straightforwardly good deal.
- In the cup 7.5
- Value 7.5
- Ease of use 8.0
- Build & longevity 9.0
- Versatility 5.0
- Type
- Manual pour-over dripper
- Size
- 185, brews 16 to 26 oz
- Serves
- 2 to 4 cups
- Material
- Stainless steel
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What works
- +The flat bed and ridged filter make it forgiving of a sloppy pour
- +Stainless steel, so it is effectively unbreakable
- +Very repeatable cup to cup, which is why cafes use it
- +Dishwasher safe and easy to clean
The catch
- −The wave filters are proprietary and cost more than V60 papers
- −Stainless pulls heat out of the brew, so pre-warming matters
- −The three small holes can clog with fines and slow the drawdown
- −It will not reach the clarity a V60 gives you on a good day
What owners say
Recurring themes from public owner discussion (Recurring themes across r/coffee threads and owner discussion, Published reviews and cafe brew guides for the Wave 185), paraphrased. Checked 2026-07-27.
Comes up as praise
- +Consistency is the theme. Owners repeatedly say it is the brewer that stopped their results varying day to day.
- +The ridges hold the bed off the walls, which owners credit for the even extraction and the tolerance of a rushed pour.
- +Stainless construction gets praised for travel and for surviving being knocked about.
- +It is a common cafe brewer, and owners take that as evidence it works without fuss.
Comes up as gripes
- −Filter supply is the recurring complaint: the wave papers are proprietary, cost more, and are not always on the shelf.
- −The three small holes can clog as fines settle, giving a slow or uneven drawdown.
- −Stainless conducts heat away from the slurry, so owners learn to pre-warm it properly.
- −Some versions are hard to find in stock outside Japan, and listings can be confusing.
Watch
See it in action
Video: Stumptown Coffee Roasters. Embedded from YouTube.
Full specifications
| Type | Manual pour-over dripper |
|---|---|
| Size | 185, brews 16 to 26 oz |
| Serves | 2 to 4 cups |
| Material | Stainless steel |
| Bed shape | Flat bottom |
| Extraction holes | Three |
| Filters | Kalita Wave 185, ridged |
| Made in | Japan |
| Dishwasher | Safe |
Who it's for
The Kalita Wave 185 suits consistency, beginners, travel.
About Kalita
Kalita is a Japanese brewing-equipment maker founded in 1958. It is known outside Japan almost entirely for the Wave, a flat-bottomed dripper with three small extraction holes and a ridged filter that holds the coffee bed away from the walls. It is a common sight on specialty cafe bars.
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