Preparing to do the [Kalita] Wave

Can we talk about pour-over for a minute? I haven’t really embraced it despite the fact that I have a Hario V60 cone and a Beehouse at my disposal as well as the Bonavita electric kettle. Frankly, I love full-immersion brewing, but that’s not the main reason why I don’t get my pour-over on more often at home; in fact, I’m usually impressed by the body and flavor I find in the cup whenever I do reach for a cone to brew with. No, the biggest factor responsible for my underdeveloped pour-over knowledge is domestic—I still haven’t convinced my wife to get rid of our Aroma kettle or relegate it to the cupboard in favor of the Bonavita. Since there’s not enough counter space for two kettles, I think it might take a move to shake things up, shift the water-heating balance of power. Or a fall from a high place on the part of the Aroma (oops). Anyway, I’m not inclined to push it on this issue because the beloved spousal unit has been so supportive (tolerant?) of my “hobby” thus far in all other respects.

However, in an ironic twist of fate, I managed to win a Kalita Wave Style Set recently—something I’d been flirting with adding to the arsenal for a while. It’s part of a traveling road show, so it has to pass through a few sets of hands before it reaches me, but I’m already looking forward to putting this dripper through its paces. There’s been a fair amount of buzz here and elsewhere about the Wave’s alleged ability to promote even extraction (flat coffee bed, etc.), and soon enough I’ll be able to test such claims for myself. Oh, I forgot to mention that my set will be coming with white filters instead of the natural ones pictured above as well as a phin and assorted disposable drippers (both Kantans, which I already know I like, and whatever these are called). Sweetness.

At this point I’d like to pan out a bit. I’ve noticed on the forums that pour-over people seem to divide into camps concerning whether they prefer (a) drippers like the Hario V60 with large holes that allow/require you to control the extraction by varying your pour or, alternatively, (b) smaller-holed drippers like the Bonmac, Beehouse, and Wave that are less fussy and have a wider brewing “sweet spot” that’s arguably easier to hit. Which approach have you chosen/would you choose?