UFO Dripper Review - Out Of This World Pour Over Coffee?

Striking and with big promises... is the UFO Dripper all hype or will it transport your pour over coffee brews to another planet? Let's dive into the wild world of the UFO Dripper.

(Use DADDYGOTCOFFEE)

0:00 - Out of This World
0:32 - Philosphy Overview
2:03 - Bed Depth Dynamo
2:46 - Stall Solutions
3:26 - Bypass Brilliance
4:41 - Filter Philosophies
6:02 - The Most Satisfying Part
6:30 - The Brew Approach
7:32 - Live Brew
9:00 - The Taste
9:51 - V60 Comparison
11:47 - Negatives with the UFO
13:14 - Isn’t It All Just Hype?
15:16 - Pour Over Perfection?

[kaffeKenta]

I agree, when the wet filter clings to the brewer it looks absolutely amazing.

[Howie-bzpe]

This is my current favorite home dripper. I use this and my sworks primarily. The ability to use almost any filter is amazing. I do use mostly the B3 and not the fast as I feel it gives the right feel for the brew. Great review

[yishunbrew]

I've been using the UFO as a daily driver for the past few weeks. I use the folding technique with Cafec Abaca filters, which still keeps it extremely consistent, and I haven't clogged it so far. I've been holding out against using the Sibarist filters too. Even when using the Abaca filters, I've found that grinding too fine still results in very consistent brews with high clarity.

In terms of comparison with other drippers, some have mentioned that it seems similar to the CT62 due to the use of grooves as opposed to fins - I like the UFO better as I find it accentuates more of the clarity and acidity of the coffee.

[Ang_R]

My order is in! I don't mind the proprietary filters, I brew with Sibarist almost always with the Oreav4 wide. They are pricey though, but once you get accustomed to them, it is hard to put them aside

[LucyGranadosCoco]

I'm loving my UFO. Yes, proprietary filters are not all fun, however, I got my UFO before my filters and I teste it with Kalita 155 filters and worked!! I also tried my HarioV60 size 01 and Cafec cup 1 with a fold on the bottom and ripping the top joint and also worked!

Regarding the material, I guess it depends on what you want to achieve in your brew; the thermal mass of ceramic vs plastic will have a result in the heat of the slurry.

[elNan]

Great video, as always! May I ask, where did you buy that bean dosing tray? It's beautiful!

[gabrielo]

Great review. Thanks, I appreciate your comments on the Plastic material. I found a couple studies that show Tritan plastic leaches harmful chemicals into water. They didn’t test specifically with coffee, but hot liquid and acidic liquid are generally more reactive than water at room temperature.

[BruceWalkerPhotography]

Thanks for reviewing and posting this. It's a cool thing, and fascinating. But honestly, too niche for me.

I am not a restless coffee brewer. I experimented with a variety of tools until I found a combination I really like that appears to be at the sweet spot of the diminishing returns curve, then settled down there. (Hario Switch & Vario+ grinder). This would just add pain points (eg the unobtainable and expensive filters) for little return.

But I love that folks are advancing the state of the art and always experimenting. It's all good. 🙂

[joelcleare]

Really digging the content and quality of your videos. 😊. I have a Hario Switch when I want a pour over because I need all the forgiveness I can get. What i did pick up from your video is I ‘ need ‘ to try Sibarist filters. Never heard of them before today.

[pdxrunner]

Great video explaining flat, v shaped, wide drippers. Also a good talk on bypass, altho6 maybe a bit more on why that can be a negative or part of the recipe. After viewing the video, I am even more enamored with the Orea V4 wide. With the wide design, a choice of bottoms and filters, it really is a great choice for an everyday dripper. Most days, negotiated wave filter classic bottom. An expensive Gesha, Apex bottom with negotiated Sibarist Fast Filters. Another variation is the open bottom and V60 Filter. It really gives variety, well executed at a one dripper price.

[Jahloveipraise]

Great video man! Like many other enthusiasts I wish I could have all of the droppers and products to have fun with and I would prob buy it but the three biggest things that frustrate me are the proprietary filter (same reasons you said but also just needing to store them somewhere on the bar), the cost of the dropper is steep (but I do live jay and know he has a ton of passion and love for the industry and not cash grabbing), and lastly I have purchased a ton of droppers and no matter what 90% of the time v60 is my daily driver to this day lol

All that being said I might still buy it because who doesn’t want a new thing to play around with and the love the work jay is doing lol thank you for your video and review!

[starskyhutch]

Thank you so much for this review! I only have the OG UFO, and I haven't been able to see the QoL updates to the V1 you discussed in this video (mainly the air channel in the base).
I genuinely love brewing with the UFO, and this is my most used dripper by a long shot. I sometimes question the cost/cup for myself as the increased cost of filters and dripper does add up, but the trade off for consistently tasty, less astringent cups is worth it imo.
I will say that for me it does pair best with a high clarity grinder like ZP6 and Pietro, but I must admit I only own a ZP6 currently so comparing is tough.
Great review, thanks for the content!

[xenodrake]

"Its all kind of half science"

Jonathan Gagne, writing a book about all that half science: am i a joke to you?

[mjbutterworth]

Great, thorough review.

For what it's worth I can promise no one is getting rich off of pour-over drippers!

[bolerkai]

This is a very good review, you covered it brilliantly. I have many drippers, my current go-to is the Orea MK 3 with Type G papers (and you know the V60 is always in the mix too). I was thinking my next dripper would be the Varia FLO dripper, because of the double wall SS, but this review has got me thinking. Maybe I will do the smart thing, and just stick with the 8 or so drippers I have, but probably not. :)

[BBuchanan]

Since you asked, it’s not likely I will buy this dripper. The V60 is my go to, and there are so many variables, it almost seems infinite. Adding yet another dripper would almost double that calculus.

[Java_CM]

Nice review, very fair! I might pick one of these up if it becomes big enough to come out in ceramic. I do wish it had a handle though, having a handle just makes workflow a little smoother but maybe that's just me.

[EarthRyno]

Thanks for mentioning how nice it would be to have a ceramic or glass version. I’d love to get the UFO, but plastic is a no-go for me.

[DanFlynn]

This does look interesting, though I'm perfectly content with my v60. If I'm drawn to a new dripper now, it's mainly for aesthetics such as the Oragami dripper

[LightZone]

Sometimes I think most new dripper designs are really just trying to reinvent the wheel. I do like the inverted channels as opposed to the traditional ribs.
But, I will say, once I experienced the Ceado Hoop, my V60 and Clever Dripper have been relegated to the back of the shelf. I will pull out the Clever when I need to brew 500ml but otherwise, I'm happy with the Hoop.