This is a very pretty pour over coffee maker. It comes in a blackened stainless steel finish, that looks striking with the black silicone accents. Functionally, it makes a decent enough cup of coffee - the principle is simple. Most of the variables are going to be controlled by you, as a pour over is a very hands-on, non-automatic process. I’m happy to have such a beautiful pour over maker in my collection, and would recommend it for coffee aficionados who take as much pleasure from visuals as they do of the flavors, textures and smells of making good coffee. I confess that I don’t have any other pour over devices to compare it to, nor have I ever even ordered a pour over before. In order to make this work, you need a few more things. No instructions are included, but you can find that online. The twenty paper filters that are supposed to be included were missing, as other reviews mentioned. I deducted a star for that. What I don’t understand is, if several others have mentioned it, why doesn’t normcore take care of that, and either edit the listing to remove the bit about 20 included filters, or go ahead and include them? That’s pretty annoying, as it’s obvious that they aren’t bothering to even read our Vine reviews. Oh well. Be aware that no filters come with this at all, and that you will need to order some at the same time if you want to have them on hand to test it out when it arrives. I used unbleached Kalita 185 filters from Amazon, and they work well. You will also need a kettle, a grinder, and a food or coffee scale, to measure out the appropriate amount of water per duration.All in all, it’s a beauty and I’m glad she’s mine.Edit: Glad to see that normcore finally updated this listing to remove the "20 filters included" bit from this Amazon listing, as they aren't included. I noticed that they also updated the listing on the normcore company website as well. So apparently they do read our reviews and take them into account. Well done. One more thing needs to be corrected however. I believe that when I purchased this, the listing said that it took Kalita-185 wave filters. So I went ahead and purchased them...as you can see, they do not fit. So now I have a package of useless filters. :(What it actually takes are Kalita-155 filters. It wasn't clear to me that the sizing of the recommended filters was off when I wrote the review, as I am completely new to the pour over technique. Since I have never ordered one in a shop nor have I made one myself, I didn't know what it should look like, and that the filter shouldn't overhang the basket. I see the updated listing now says that it takes Kalita wave 1-2 cup filters, and that's a start, but it would be much better to specify Kalita-155, so that there is no confusion. Since the filters are not returnable, I'm out $7 and change, and still need to get properly sized filters. What I will probably do is just cut each of the filters down, but that is an inconvenience, that should not have been necessary.Anyway, the last pic is of my very first pour over in the world. Yay! :)

Update: After messages back and forth, Normcore has updated their description of the dripper. It is now accurate, so I have changed my rating from 2 stars to 4. My past experience with Normcore has been excellent, and this response on their part is what I expected.Original review:Normcore usually makes very good, quality, products, with a price reflective of that. This never should have passed the testing phase of development. Bottom line, it is just too short.They recommend the Kalita Wave 185 filters. I have a Wave and those filters are just a tad below the top of the side walls on the dripper. I normally pour for 2 cups. I use 30 grams of coffee and about 470 ml of water. I use 5 pours to get it all done. For this dripper, the 185 filter is 1 inch taller than the side of the dripper walls. That is way too small. This would take me 4 or 5 pours just to do 1 cup, let alone 2. If you want this for a V60 type pour over, save yourself some money and buy a $10 plastic Hario V60 size 02 dripper. I thought the main selling point of this dripper was that you could modify the speed of the draw down by using one of the 2 included metal disks. It seemed that taking those out gave you a hole that you could use for a V60 style as well. So, why not feature that as an additional selling point.Regarding the Kalita 185 filter, that is for 2 to 4 cups, and is the only Kalita Wave filter size that I have. Until just a little bit ago I didn't even know there is a 155 filter for 1 to 2 cups. I assume that will fit a lot better, but since I don't have them, I can't say for sure. Whoever wrote the info on the website did a great disservice to this dripper. They write about this being glass (all metal and silicone, NO glass), and it refers to the Kalita 185 filter (should have mentioned the 155). They do say this is for 1 to 2 cups, and that would certainly line up with the Kalita 155, and V60-01 filters. They are leading a lot people astray which results in people not getting what they are expecting, and then bad reviews. They really need to rewrite their entire page to accurately describe their dripper.Sadly, this is just too short to be useful for me.

There's no way I can begin this review without addressing the abnormally large elephant in the room first. The listing is wrong; the details are wrong. Is it a substantial blunder? Yes. One glance at the product images will tell you that the details are wrong. That's clearly metal and not glass. For a company whose products are of exceptional quality, with exquisite attention to the minutiae, this feels inexcusable to the casualist.But it's not inexcusable to me, so I won't let it affect my rating.What Normcore has essentially created here is a portmanteau of two beloved coffee drippers—the Hario V60 cone and the Kalita Wave flat bottom. In the box you find the dripper itself, which is a well-crafted stainless steel conical dripper that is compatible with all of the major brands of V60 size 01 filters. Alongside it are two circular "base" insertions that will transform the dripper to become compatible with the Kalita 155 flat-bottomed Wave filters. What I love is the inclusion of a "fast" insertion with a swirl design that allows a faster flow of water, as well as a "slow" insertion with a single hole design allowing for a more restricted flow of water. This versatility allows for complete control over all the variables accounted for in hand-brewing. As an added touch, they also include a small silicone disc that serves as a drip tray that the brewer is placed onto after brewing.The construction of the product itself, as I vaguely hinted at earlier, is fantastic. The stainless steel isn't what I'd call heavy, but it feels substantial in the hand and doesn't conjure worries of damage if you were to drop it, bump it, etc. Much of the dripper body is protected by silicone which helps provide insulation to keep brew temperatures consistent, as well as providing protection from burns by keeping it cool to the touch. The rim of the base is also lined with rounded, soft silicone, ensuring there are no sharp edges. The inserts are of similar hefty construction, though they are a standard brushed steel color and not a matching black. I may be griping just to gripe here.Even with the massive listing blunder detailing the wrong construction material, listing filters that aren't actually included, etc., I can't help but give this a perfect rating. This is a well-crafted and intuitive piece of coffee paraphernalia that is clearing space on my coffee bar by eliminating the redundancy of owning multiple drippers, as well providing me an avenue to escape the daunting and ever-growing worry of micro plastics. If you're someone who believes coffee is just coffee, this product may feel a bit pretentious or even useless. However, if you admire the art and novelty of crafting a cup of coffee by hand to your exact specifications, there is a lot to love here.

Obviously the amount of coffee anyone wants or needs is extremely personal, but I found the small to be incredibly small even for one person. I found myself having to really baby the brew process to keep adding water because it’s so short. For reference a standard V60 filter sticks out over the top quite a bit.As you expect from Normcore, it’s very well made and looks fantastic. I love the use of silicone on touch points to prevent burns. I think the black coating looks stunning. The inclusion of the flat wave inserts is a nice extra, but the instructions didn’t really tell me what these were so I had to look it up online.But between the almost uselessly small size, the inaccurate listing, and the lack of a carafe or any included paper filters, it’s hard to justify at this price. But if you genuinely want to do small individual pour-over servings and don’t mind the price, you could just brew directly into your cup and this could be a solid 4 stars for you. But if you’re like me, add it all up and it’s honestly closer to 2 stars as it simply doesn’t function in my personal workflow at all. I’ve split the difference with the score as it’s in between the two camps.I’ve been trying to use this for a few weeks before writing this, and it does appear from other reviews the description has been updated to more accurately reflect what is going on here, so that’s definitely more helpful.

Generally I'm super impressed with the quality of coffee-wares that Normcore produces. And on the surface, this pour over dripper matches their level of quality manufacture. But where I think this one misses the mark is in its design.As a piece you'd consider adding to your barista kit, this dripper is incredibly well constructed. The stainless steel with titanium coating is as durable as it is gorgeous, while the silicon accents give the dripper a great hand feel. It doesn't have a handle - which I feel is a bit of a miss, but it does have a drip tray to help keep your countertops clean. I also like that the diameter of the dripper fits my Starbucks city mugs perfectly - a feature my Kalita Tsubame seemed to overlook. The interchangeable disks are an interesting feature as they do control the draw down, and thus, the intensity of your brew. Using the same beans, same grind, and same ratios, there was a noticeable difference in flavor when compared side by side. So as a dripper, it works perfectly fine and in that regard, I have no complaints.Where I do draw some issue is in the design. Like I mention, there is no handle so picking it up after pouring hot water through it does feel a little awkward. I also have some concern about losing the disks as there is no onboard storage for the disks when not in use. I can easily see the stray disk getting misplaced at some point. But for me, the biggest design flaw is the size. It is just simply too short. The 185 and V60 filters do fit (185 being the better choice, imo), but there is significant overhang. On more than one occasion I've had to clean-up an overflow when pouring down a bloom and not realizing it had risen above the height of the dripper. Of course this issue can be avoided by slowing your pour and watching the draw down more closely, but it doesn't make me want to grab this dripper over my Kalita for my morning pour over.All said and done, I still don't think you can be entirely unhappy with this dripper. It brews a good cup and its construction is impeccable. I just don't think it offers the attention to detail I've come to expect from Normcore.