Since it opened its doors in 2015, Coffee Gator has made quite a commotion on the coffee scene. The Coffee Gator pour-over coffee brewer is similarly designed to the Chemex and has a heat-resistant handle that allows you to serve your coffee after the brewing cycle is complete.
In comparison to the other drippers discussed in this article that necessitate a different carafe, the advantage of being able to swirl the coffee once the brewing is done is noteworthy. Pouring coffee in this way has an unexpected influence on the taste!
You can get three different sizes of the product—10.5, 14, and 27 ounces—which lets you brew between one and five mugs of coffee, making it almost as small as other Chemex models. This coffee maker has a reusable mesh filter that creates an especially full-bodied cup of coffee, perfect for those who appreciate the authentic flavor from French Press beverages.
The attractive Coffee Gator dripper has a stylish appearance and produces an excellent cup of coffee. You get both a dripper and a carafe with a single purchase of this product, and the built-in mesh filter ensures you can savor a richer flavor. No need to stress over buying more paper filters!
Things to Consider Before Buying a Pour-Over Coffee Maker
Prior to acquiring a pour-over coffee maker, it is important to contemplate various elements in order to decide what would work best for you. The particular needs of each person are not the same, but manual brewing systems may be more effective for them than electric coffee makers.
For additional knowledge of pour-over coffee makers, we have put together a guide with all the info you require.
Filter Type
To make pour-over coffee, use a filter to slowly pour hot water into the coffee grounds. This filter should preserve your coffee’s fragrance and flavor. One can opt for paper, metal, or fabric filters, yet each type has its own differences in terms of cleanup and the amount of coffee grounds discarded.
Paper filters are a great choice for single-use and capture the flavorful oils of coffee beans while separating them from the coffee grounds. Fabrics designed for use in coffee makers can be used repeatedly and produce a multi-dimensional or smooth finish; however, they should be changed regularly. Metallic grills don’t take up oils, resulting in stronger flavors.
Carafe Material
The material of the carafe could influence the freshness and the amount of heat kept in your pour-over coffee.
Glass
Glass carafes allow you to keep track of the amount of coffee you have so that you are able to pour out the exact amount that you want. Most of them are dishwasher-safe and easy to clean. These vessels are not particularly durable and will not maintain the warmth of your beverage or its flavor for an extended period of time.
Thermal
Thermal carafes are constructed with two layers which helps maintain their insulation and keep your coffee’s heat and flavor intact over extended periods of time. It may be difficult to keep an eye on and tidy up your coffee supply without a see-through surface.
Ceramic
Ceramic carafes are solid and dependable and won’t be distorted because of high heat, unlike plastic.
The Coffee Gator Pour-Over Coffee Maker
The Coffee Gator Pour Over Coffee Maker comes with a container made of 100% non-toxic, heat-safe glass. This is a type of brewer that provides you with all the necessary options for customizing your brewing experience. No need for paper or fabric filters that can be discarded as the stainless steel mesh filter is washable and can be used multiple times. This single-serve coffee maker can brew up to two cups of coffee at once.
This special coffee maker ensures that the natural oils and flavors of the coffee don’t vanish, giving the coffee a richer flavor, and none of the grounds are wasted in the process of brewing. It’s an ideal choice for making hot coffee. I believe it is an ideal alternate for novices to appraise their abilities.
Things We Liked
- Reusable stainless steel filter that promotes reusability.
- Cool-touch filter grip to prevent accidental burning.
- The built-in temperature gauge is in the lid.
- Retains your coffee’s natural flavors and oils.
- Sleek glass design with cup measurements on the side.
Room for Improvement
- You may have difficulty keeping it clean.
- It can only make three 4-ounce cups at a time.
- It may take several minutes to brew at your ideal temperature.
Features and Benefits
The Coffee Gator Pour Over Coffee Maker has several characteristics that might draw your attention. It takes a bit of practice and a good deal of time to make a cup of pour-over coffee, but once you have the hang of the process you should be able to create a flavour that you love.
Before you contemplate acquiring something, make sure you are aware of what you’d like to get out of it, either for practical or decorative reasons.
Reusable and Washable Stainless Steel Filter
An important thing to note about Coffee Gator’s Pour Over is its stainless steel filter. This feature is terrific since it doesn’t soak up oils from the air, thus keeping your coffee robust. Rather than having to be discarded like paper filters, the stainless steel filter doesn’t require disposal and won’t impart a nasty paper taste to your beverage upon use.
Choosing the Coffee Gator is not just convenient, but it is also eco-friendly since its stainless steel filter is reusable and therefore eliminates the need for paper filters that would otherwise be discarded and result in wasting money and resources. Using a reusable filter can save you the time and extra cost of buying new paper or fabric filters every time, thus avoiding unnecessary trips to the store.
A stainless steel filter with an iron mesh pattern has been designed to help make it simpler for you to proportion your cup of coffee and coffee grounds. Once you have finished preparing your pour-over cup of coffee, you can rinse out the remaining grounds from the filter with water and keep it for the next use. It also doesn’t take much time to clean.
Glass Build Ideal for Tracking Your Coffee Content
Viewing the amount of coffee left in your brew is beneficial, so having a glass pour-over machine makes it easier to watch your java. The labels on the outside of the carafe show how much coffee is held inside.
Although it is not as efficient as ceramic or thermal models at maintaining heat, and doesn’t have any extra features to hold it in longer when not in use, the Coffee Gator Pour-Over still manages to keep your pour-over coffee warm. It would be optimal to set your water’s heat to 205°F. The thermometer located in the lid will be useful for this!
To brew a hotter cup of coffee, it would be wise to heat the water ahead of time and accurately measure the amount to suit your desired temperature. Although I don’t really appreciate the way that a glass carafe can lose the flavour and warmth of the contents it does have its uses if you need a cup of something in a hurry.
Innovative Design
This model is designed with a glossy, slim glass structure to give your kitchen a fresh appearance. It is available in three different sizes: 10.5 ounces, 14 ounces, and 27 ounces. This item is not very heavy, making it perfect for taking on trips and putting away.
It consumes very little area on the countertop, which makes it the perfect choice for kitchens of any dimensions. This feature makes it a great help for those who lead a hectic life and who may take the train or bus to go to work or school.
If you like the way it looks and feel when made of glass, you should treat it with caution. Despite its toughness, the cup won’t be able to withstand being dropped from a reasonable height and may break if it falls.
I believe it is a burden, but they advise you let your pour-over machine cool down prior to putting it in the dishwasher. If you’re worried it won’t withstand the dishwasher, you should wash it by hand after every time it is used.
The Best Coffee Gator Alternatives
If you are prepared to take the initiative and purchase a manual coffee brewer, read on to find out about the top selections.
Hario V60
Hario’s V60 dripper has earned a lot of fame in the specialty coffee circles, which has made the brand quite popular. Due to its widespread use, there is an abundance of recipes for the coffee dripper available on the internet. Continue to the following portion of the article to view our thorough assessment of the Hario V60 and why we believe it is the top manual coffee brewer.
Founded in Tokyo in 1921, Hario has grown to be a very popular business that produces coffee-making supplies and tools. This manual coffee brewer has earned a highly respected reputation due to its impressive recipes, which were victorious in competitions, and is a beloved tool in the industry. It has the form of a cone and a wide opening at the bottom that ensures a smooth stream.
The V60 coffee maker can be purchased in three sizes and offers a variety of brewing ratios, making it a versatile option. If you have a preference, you can choose either the ceramic design or the plastic one, which is more suitable for taking on trips. If you plan to have a more sophisticated brewing experience, Hario offers a reasonably priced pour-over package containing a V60 plastic dripper, a glass server for the coffee, and a pack of filters.
The most advantageous part of the V60 is its flexibility in the difficulty level of making a cup of coffee. You can make the process as involved or straightforward as you desire. Newbies can easily produce an acceptable cup of coffee, and if you refine your processes you can make an incredibly delicious cup of coffee – making it our top choice as the premier coffee maker.
Kalita Wave
The Kalita Wave could be regarded as the main competitor to the V60. This brewer, which was given its name because of the curly shape of its paper filters, is more suitable for novice users because it ensures a consistent extraction. This coffee dripper has a flat base with three holes for draining fluid, so even if you do not grind your beans properly, the liquid should still be able to flow out quickly.
Kalita markets two dimensions of this design, both of which come with a filter structure and three holes at the underside, which they assert allows for a uniform extraction. In our trial, it was more challenging to get well-made coffee when using more than 30 grams of the bigger brewer – congestion tended to hinder the flow.
Chemex Drip Coffee Maker
If there are multiple coffee drinkers in your household, the Chemex glass coffee maker is an excellent option for making manual pour-over coffee in large quantities. This glass coffee dripper was created by German designer Peter Schlumbohm and is composed of one piece of borosilicate glass. It has become a distinguished part of coffee history.
You can get it in different sizes, the biggest one being 10 cups (50 ounces). Remember that if you purchase a larger Chemex, you do not have to fill it to the brim–you can brew half the capacity and still receive an excellent beverage. For the 8-cup model that is routinely used, any quantity over 20 ounces will brew effectively. It is a pleasant bonus to have the capacity to make coffee for a larger group of individuals when required. If you have a sufficiently sized thermal carafe, you can make a fresh batch of coffee using a Chemex in the morning and you will be able to enjoy hot coffee for the entire day.
An attribute that makes this brewer stand out is that the Chemex paper filter used is particularly thick. The thick paper used in a Chemex pour-over traps most of the small particles and oils from the ground-up coffee, resulting in a clear cup of coffee that has a distinctly clean flavor. The main emphasis of this type of coffee is the distinct clarity of taste.
Our preference for the Chemex is not only based on its functionality, but also its aesthetically pleasing design. Most of our coffee brewing is done using the V60, but the Chemex remains on display as an attractive decoration. Models wearing the timeless wooden collar are especially attractive. The Chemex can be found in the permanent collections of renowned art museums including the Smithsonian Institution, The Museum of Modern Art in New York, and the Philadelphia Museum.
Blue Bottle Coffee Dripper
Blue Bottle Coffee, well-known for its notoriety in the specialty coffee industry, began in Oakland, CA in 2002. At the time, James Freeman, the creator, capitalized on the popularity of third-wave coffee by sending freshly roasted coffee to people’s residences and the organization saw remarkable growth in the next decade. There are now almost 100 locations around the world.
In 2016, the Blue Bottle dripper was released for use in all of their coffee shops. This dripper has an unusual construction as it only has a single hole, despite it having a flat bottom. However, the layout is effective as it offers an exceptional fluidity. If you have had issues with pour-overs getting blocked in the past, this particular design could potentially be the solution.
The Art of the Pour Over is a volume by Blue Bottle that describes the coffee preparation custom in a beautiful way. If you appreciate the laborious practice of preparing pour-over coffee, you will adore Blue Bottle’s method!