First of all, there's not an option in the review ratings for "Results", which is where this contraption earns a 10. However, the price is rather high and it doesn't generate the magic bullet cup that all peoples will instantly agree to have been the best they've ever tasted. What it DOES do is turn your Chemex "super clean coffee" device into a "pour-over clean meets french-press grit" coffee maker.
What it is: It's essentially a stainless steel, conical filter with a bunch of rather small holes. The shape of the KONE does not perfectly match that of the Chemex filter holder - it tapers more quickly, which means the KONE sort of floats, avoiding contact with the walls of the brewer. The picture above illustrates this very neatly.
How you use it: It is NOT a reusable version of the typical Chemex filter. This is an entirely different brewing method. I've assembled this guide based on guides/videos on Coava's site, and my own experimentation.
-Dose to preference. Let's say 25g coffee and 400g water for this guide.
-Grind finer than filter, but coarser than espresso. I use a 20-ish on my Virtuoso, but smaller grinds still work well (16).
-Pour the coffee into the KONE, and using a gentle side-to-side shake, level the grounds.
-Place the KONE into the pitcher, put the pitcher on the scale, and tare.
-Once your water is at temperature in your pouring vessel, begin the bloom by pouring about 100g of water in approximately 15s or so, with your spout close to the grounds. Keep your pour even and centered. Start the timer when the water hits the grounds.
-When the timer reads :45, start pouring at a rate of about 100g of water every :30s. This should have you finishing your pour when the timer reads 2:15 and the scale reads 400g. The drip should complete by 2:45, but hopefully not before 2:30. Adjust grind to compensate.
The resulting "cup" is usually too big for my coffee mug, which is good - the little bit that's left in the bottom of the Chemex has most of the mud.
A side-note about this method: If you're a Chemex brewer transitioning to the KONE, you're probably not used to having to really wash your pot after every couple of brews. Get used to it. I used to be able to rinse my Chemex and go on with my day when I used paper filters. This won't fly w/the KONE. Now, because I'm admittedly pretentious, I sprung for the Chemex-branded brush for my cleaning duties, but seriously - it's just a toilet brush by a different name. Save some money and get one of those instead. A new one. Just for this.
Bottom Line: It would take 6 boxes of paper filters to equal the cost of the KONE. And, you may very well get 600 brews out of a KONE, if it lasts you 2 years for example. But I don't think this is strictly a value proposition. The KONE delivers a different style of cup, one with more edge than a paper filter but less sediment than a french press. It's totally made in America (warm fuzzies!) and completely the brain-child of a roaster/brewer who has been using it to seriously clean up in competition. It's worth some serious consideration if you're looking for the style of cup it creates and don't mind spending a bit for it.
What it is: It's essentially a stainless steel, conical filter with a bunch of rather small holes. The shape of the KONE does not perfectly match that of the Chemex filter holder - it tapers more quickly, which means the KONE sort of floats, avoiding contact with the walls of the brewer. The picture above illustrates this very neatly.
How you use it: It is NOT a reusable version of the typical Chemex filter. This is an entirely different brewing method. I've assembled this guide based on guides/videos on Coava's site, and my own experimentation.
-Dose to preference. Let's say 25g coffee and 400g water for this guide.
-Grind finer than filter, but coarser than espresso. I use a 20-ish on my Virtuoso, but smaller grinds still work well (16).
-Pour the coffee into the KONE, and using a gentle side-to-side shake, level the grounds.
-Place the KONE into the pitcher, put the pitcher on the scale, and tare.
-Once your water is at temperature in your pouring vessel, begin the bloom by pouring about 100g of water in approximately 15s or so, with your spout close to the grounds. Keep your pour even and centered. Start the timer when the water hits the grounds.
-When the timer reads :45, start pouring at a rate of about 100g of water every :30s. This should have you finishing your pour when the timer reads 2:15 and the scale reads 400g. The drip should complete by 2:45, but hopefully not before 2:30. Adjust grind to compensate.
The resulting "cup" is usually too big for my coffee mug, which is good - the little bit that's left in the bottom of the Chemex has most of the mud.
A side-note about this method: If you're a Chemex brewer transitioning to the KONE, you're probably not used to having to really wash your pot after every couple of brews. Get used to it. I used to be able to rinse my Chemex and go on with my day when I used paper filters. This won't fly w/the KONE. Now, because I'm admittedly pretentious, I sprung for the Chemex-branded brush for my cleaning duties, but seriously - it's just a toilet brush by a different name. Save some money and get one of those instead. A new one. Just for this.
Bottom Line: It would take 6 boxes of paper filters to equal the cost of the KONE. And, you may very well get 600 brews out of a KONE, if it lasts you 2 years for example. But I don't think this is strictly a value proposition. The KONE delivers a different style of cup, one with more edge than a paper filter but less sediment than a french press. It's totally made in America (warm fuzzies!) and completely the brain-child of a roaster/brewer who has been using it to seriously clean up in competition. It's worth some serious consideration if you're looking for the style of cup it creates and don't mind spending a bit for it.
