Glass, Ceramic, or Plastic: How Do Different V60 Drippers Affect Coffee Flavor?

When we first got the Hario V60 Ceramic Dripper on our shelves, I knew I had some experimenting to do. I use the plastic dripper at home, and the glass dripper when preparing coffee for our production team. I had an inkling that each dripper retains heat differently, and therefore affects the extraction and flavor of the brew. I brought in my plastic V60 from home and began structuring my experiment. 

After doing some research, I learned that experiments had already been conducted using more high-tech equipment than I had access to. The results confirmed my suspicions that each dripper does, in fact, retain heat differently. The ceramic and glass drippers have a high thermal mass, which means they absorb more heat from their surroundings. In terms of brewing, this means those two drippers absorb more heat from the coffee slurry, resulting in a cooler brew. But how does this affect the flavor of coffee? Surprisingly, I couldn’t find any discussions on this—so I got to work!

My experiment involved the three different V60 drippers–plastic, glass, and ceramic– two different coffees, and 18 individual brews. For each brew, I used the same recipe, took note of how much total hot water I poured over the grounds, measured the temperature of the coffee bed when drawdown was finished, and the temperature of the finished brew. I picked two coffees from our menu that are on opposite ends of the flavor spectrum: our heavy and chocolatey  Shore Leave Hook and our citrusy, caramel-y Mexico Bella Vista Women's Group. 

Brewing Shore Leave Hook on a ceramic V60. I did a total of 18 brews using all three drippers and evaluated the flavor of each brew.

Even though I knew each material dripper would retain heat differently I was excited to see what the differences were. On average, the plastic dripper had the highest temperature in the finished brew and the bed of grinds, and the ceramic had the lowest. The differences in these temperatures though were between 2℉ and 4℉. The ranges weren’t staggering, but I still found this interesting. 

Measuring the temperature of one of my many brews.

Despite the temperatures being relatively similar, I found the cups to taste very differently next to each other. The plastic dripper brews tended to be the most punchy, with the flavor notes easily distinguishable. The glass dripper brews (approximately 2℉ cooler than the plastic) were clear, crisp, and sweet with the tasting notes slightly less discernible. The ceramic dripper brews (approximately 4℉ cooler than the plastic) were rounded, sweet, and easy to drink with the tasting notes marrying together more subtly. Overall, I tended to prefer the ceramic dripper brews because they were sweetest and most well rounded.

Each dripper has its pros and cons, but none of them make huge compromises. Durability is a huge factor to some, so people that travel and brew (or maybe people that are a little clumsy) tend to prefer the plastic dripper. Both the glass and ceramic drippers are aesthetically pleasing and look great in both home and professional setups. In terms of flavor, the glass produces a slightly more clear cup, and the ceramic produces a more well-rounded cup. If I have learned anything from this experiment, it’s that you cannot go wrong with whichever dripper you decide to purchase. Each one still makes a tasty brew!