Coava KONE 2: Review

Written by Lee Sill on Jul 11th, 2011
review of the 2nd generation Kone

Since the original publication of this review, Able has released a 3rd Generation Kone. While there have been great improvements between the 2nd and 3rd generation, we believe the parameters discussed in the Kone 2 review still hold true on the 3rd generation and have decided to leave this review up for your aid! In addition, the Kone is now produced solely by Able Brewing.

The good folks at Coava are keeping busy. Coava Coffee Roasters is a shop and micro-roastery located in Portland, Oregon who have, over the last year, started producing some very innovative new brewing devices for specialty coffee. Last year, they introduced the Kone, a metal filter designed for pour over brewing in a Chemex. The responses were great, as reviewers highlighted the benefits of the Kone being reusable, made fully in the United States, and that it allowed more oils than paper filters, allowing for a more nuanced cup. I received the new generation Kone a little over a week ago, and was able to spend time brewing on it over the past several days.

Basic Parameters

For a frame of reference, my grinder was the Preciso, my pouring kettle was the Buono with the flow restrictor from Barismo, and I stuck to a beginning-of-the-pour water temperature of 199 degrees for each brew to limit at least one variable. For those who might be curious, I used Quills Coffee's Nicaragua Taza de Sabor and Barismo's Costa Rica Don Mayo, Finca El Llano, both very delicious washed Central American coffees.

Experimenting with Methods

As an owner of the first generation Kone, it became apparent that to get the best results one needed to grind finer than for a normal Chemex, generally finer than for a V60, and focus the pour primarily to the center of the filter with a low pour rate. This would produce the cleanest cup and most even extraction, a delicious cup with practice, but without much room for variation and a fine line between over-extraction. What excites me most about the second generation Kone is that the new hole design allows for a bit more experimentation with brewing parameters and pouring styles. I brewed several different batches, but will limit my review to three representative experiences.

For the first, I used a dose of 30g to 476g of water at a grind setting comparable to what I would use for a V60 01, a 12 on my Preciso. I poured 50g of water for a 50s pre-infusion, with a total brew time of 3:10. This cup ended up tasting slightly over-extracted and sour, and at this grind setting a 2:30 brew time proved more successful. In my second brew, I wanted to use a grind setting comparable to either a V60 02 or a smaller Chemex batch combined with a slower pour. The setting on the Preciso was a 22, and I dosed a bit higher at 33g to 500g of water. I poured 35g for a 45s pre-infusion, with a total brew time of 3:30. The pouring method was more similar to how I would pour for a paper Chemex, avoiding hitting the wall but not being afraid of pouring in a circular fashion over the fines. The resulting cup was much sweeter, and if anything may have been a tad under-extracted. Much to my enjoyment, even with a coarser setting and different pouring method there were no more fines in the brew from a coarser grind setting. Again, this hole design brings versatility for a huge improvement. Finally, for the last brew I tuned the grind setting back to 20. This time, I went with 33g to 515g of water, a 30g pre-infusion at 45s, and total brew time of 3:30. I poured in circles for the first 1/3 of the volume, and then for the last 2/3 I poured at a steady rate at the center, keeping the water level up. This brew was fantastic, not over-extracted at the least, carrying the sweetness of the previous cup, but with a few more nuances and subtle notes missed from the previous brew.

Final Thoughts

On the Coava blog, four complaints were listed concerning the first Kone which the second generation Kone sought to address. The first was the complaint that the Kone was "tricky to use". As discussed above, the newer Kone design allows for a broader range of grind settings and pouring styles, allowing the barista to adjust parameters for a clean cup that best suits the coffee being used. The second complaint given was that the first Kone was fragile and easily bent if not handled delicately. I can attest that I washed the new Kone 10-15 times, and was not particularly delicate with it, and it held strongly to original form. Very nice improvement, especially for shop owners considering using the Kone on a brew bar. A third complaint was that the top edge of the first Kone was too sharp, giving a paper cut the user. A fully removable custom silicone ring is in the works and will be released soon which will help protect the KONE from damage while eliminating cuts. And last, the complaint about cost. As stated by Coava, the cost of the new Kone will not be reduced, but we should be glad that the price is not going up with all the improvements! And the Kone is made fully in the United States with high quality stainless steel. As the etching in the new Kone reads: MADE IN USA | designed in portland, steel from ohio, etched and welded in connecticut. Pretty cool, and remember, it's manufactured to last a very long time, produce no paper waste, and tastes awesome. The new Kone is an excellent addition to quality home and shop brewing, and I look forward to what the future brings from Able Brewing!

Recommended starting parameters:
33 grams of coffee - medium grind
500 milliliters of water
200 degrees
3:30 brew time

Like this post? Then Subscribe to the Prima Coffee blog by email and get slick articles delivered right to your inbox. No web surfing required.

Customer Reviews

Submitted by lungwort2 on Tue, 08/02/2011 - 13:29

I have the Preciso and the Buono w/flow restrictor from Barismo and I followed your suggestions "to a t". Man! You nailed it! This really is the "formula" for getting the most out of the 2nd generation KONE - I brewed some home roasted Costan Rican Tarrazu Fruta de Oro and it really sings. Many thanks!

Submitted by Lee Sill on Wed, 08/03/2011 - 10:35

Thanks so much for the encouraging words! I'm glad that my suggested parameters worked out for you. If you ever have any other tips to share feel free to post them!

Recent Posts

  • anfim super caimano espresso grinder
    Super Caimano
    $1,687.00
    (For a guest barista review, click here.) Anfim's Super Caimano espresso grinder, upon its initial release, was a solid addition to any high-end coffee house. It featured a 75mm flat burr set that helped to give a very consistent grind, allowing baristas to rely upon it for excellent shot-to-shot uniformity. When dialing in a coffee, the Super Caimano had 70 holes in its adjustment collar to allow for tinkering between shots. Now, however, Anfim has added an additional 20 spots for a total of 90 holes in the adjustment collar. The benefit of this? When dialing in and finding the sweet spot for any coffee being used to pull shots of espresso, a key factor the barista must take into consideration is the size of the grind particles. Yes, uniformity and consistency of those grind particles is also key, but the ability to make tiny, incremental adjustments is always helpful when striving to find the right balance of all a coffee's characteristics when pulled as espresso.
  • Hario Mini Mill MSS-1B Coffee Grinder
    MSS-1B
    $31.95

    Hario Skerton grinder is handy for manual home and travel grinding, it can also be slightly more cumbersome for an extended road trip where only a small amount of grinding will be done (for a more detailed comparison of the two grinders, check out this blog post: Hario Skerton vs. Mini Mill). For those trips (or homes) where a minimal amount of grinding is needed, the Hario Mini Mill Slim is the perfect grinding solution. The Mini Mill employs adjustable conical ceramic burrs for grinding any of the wide range of grinds employed in today’s coffee market. It can effortlessly handle 24 grams of anything from fine espresso to a coarse French Press setting. Because of its lightweight (0.5 lbs) and sleek plastic body, the Mini Mill easily fits into small carrying bags and suitcases without adding a lot of extra weight. This, in conjunction with the Aerobie AeroPress coffee maker, has the propensity to make excellent coffee anywhere hot water and fresh beans are available.

    The Hario Mini Mill is a traveling coffee enthusiast’s dream come true.... and with its ability to grind to the fine quality needed for espresso, it can be paired with a hand-held travel espresso maker such as the mypressi TWIST (and an excellent choice of beans) to achieve a quality rivaling the product found in many high-end espresso machines. Whether the need is grinding beans for a french press, Aeropress, or mypressi, the Mini Mill Slim is the perfect travel solution.

  • Bunn Trifecta Infusion Brewer
    41200.0000
    $2,865.00
    When it comes to serving freshly brewed coffee in a commercial setting, one key dilemma has continually arisen. How can a commercial, high volume coffee shop make quick, fresh coffee without sacrificing quality? The solution has been either (1) to slightly sacrifice quality by making a large amount of drip coffee every hour or so, or (2) to preserve quality but to slow down production and possibly lose a potential profit with single-cup brewing (V60, Chemex, French Press, etc.). The brewing process that the Bunn Trifecta is built upon could be the answer to this significant dilemma.

    The Trifecta has been anxiously awaited by the coffee community since Starbucks bought the rights to the Clover brewing system and took it off the market. At a fraction of the price of the Clover, the Trifecta could be the next-generation coffee system. The process is incredibly simple and efficient without sacrificing quality. It can be compared to a Syphon Brewer in its use of total immersion, constant temperature, and agitation of the grounds.

    First, the hot water completely saturates the freshly ground beans resulting in a French Press like immersion. This takes advantage of the total extraction of beans that can only take place in full immersion brewing systems.
    Second, Air is injected into the pressurized chamber which agitates the grounds. This further enhances extraction by exciting the grounds and water as they interact with each other.
    Third, at just the right time (before over-extraction can take place), the pressurized air presses the coffee through a metal filter into the waiting cup. Similar to the Aeropress, this added pressure further enhances the extraction process and ensures a full-bodied flavor in the coffee. To read a full, hands-on review of the Bunn Trifecta by our coffee team, click here: Bunn Trifecta First Impression.

Popular Blogs Posts

feedburner subscription icon