Dragonfly is one of the few drippers I fell in love with at the first sight. I’ve always been a fan of structured patterns and textured materials, and Dragonfly drippers have all of these features.

My first impression of CT62 dripper is not about how it can make a great coffee, but its design.

The pattern on the ceramic dripper is inspired by an ancient Chinese armour called ‘Shanwen’ invented in the Qin Dynasty. Dragonfly’s works reflect on Chinese asthetics and this is without doubt a wonderful example.

But there is an obvious downside of the design – the ridged part of the pattern is vulnerable. The beautiful beige paint falls off easily.

Now dive into the other side of the dripper: along the wall there are 24 long and short channels to ensure the contact with air (aka a smooth flow), and at the bottom part – which is the part holding the tip of the filter paper – it’s no longer channels but 12 ridges. I guess the design is to further speed up the flow rate as there is a high chance that the tip of the filter paper is clogged and this is the thickest part of the coffee bed.

The angle of the dripper is 62° as the name CT62 implies, and surprisingly it fits the V60 filter paper PERFECTLY – even ‘more perfect’ than the original V60 dripper. A good news for an OCD like me!

This dripper is the ‘Switch Version’ that comes with a plastic hold at the bottom, and the o/x know is how you switch between percolation and immersion: o is open, and x is closed. A metal ball will be lifted when the switch is open, letting the liquid pass through the hole at the bottom; when the switch is closed, the ball falls and blocks the hole. It is indeed a simple yet effective mechanism that works effortlessly.

The recipe I’m using is a classic three-pour, and the switch is open during the second pour. The reason to do immersion at the first pour (aka the blooming) is to make sure all grounds are in contact with water, and the thrid pour is to minimise turbulance and reduce extraction. And, to me, there is one more benefit: it is satisfying to see an even coffee bed after brewing since the third pour is an immersion : )

As for the taste, I think with this dripper you can get the layers as you would expected from any conical dripper, but with the immersion you can get more of the body and the sweetness.

I’m not a fan of six-pour recipe but there are many other ways to brew a wonderful coffee with this dripper. Comparing with the original V60 dripper or the Hario Switch, I find the flow rate is faster due to 1) the slightly steeper angle of 62° and 2) more vessels on the wall and the ridges at the bottom. Therefore I will go with a finer grind size than my recipe using a V60.

How do you like this dripper? What recipes are you using? Let me know!