Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

The Hario V60 Manual Drip Cone I've found that the Hario V60 is an excellent alternative to a French press. First, the V60 has an elegant design, and a very sound construction. It is clearly well made. If you are interested in this type of product, it may be helpful to know that Hario sells a plastic version of this drip cone for about $9.00. So you should be asking yourself, why would I want to pay the extra money to upgrade to a ceramic model? For me, I don't like the idea of hot plastic being anywhere near my coffee (or food for that matter). The second benefit of the ceramic model is that it retains heat MUCH better than plastic. With the pour-over method of coffee brewing, you need to plan ahead and pre-heat your drip cone, carafe and coffee cup or you will end up with a luke-warm cup of coffee. The ceramic makes this much easier. This product is not for everyone. If you prefer a Mr. Coffee that you can program to make your coffee for you, by all means skip the Hario. But, if you really care about the details of how your coffee is made, and you like being able to orchestrate the process yourself, the V60 is an excellent choice. I have a Bodum Brazil French press, which is equally well made. But I prefer the Hario. The French press extracts more caffeine from coffee than the manual drip method, it leaves sediment behind in the coffee, and studies have shown that French press style coffee may raise levels of bad cholesterol (LDL) in the blood. I don't take the cholesterol claims all that seriously, but I do find them interesting. Coffee people are very passionate about their preferred brew methods, and I appreciate the people in the French press camp. For me, the V60 is an excellent way to brew coffee in the exact amount I want to drink. And it's delicious! This drip cone, paired with proper technique (search youtube), will bring out the full array of flavors from your beans. I'm very happy with it, and give it 5 stars.