Just when we thought the manual pour over movement had peaked, notNeutral’s Gino Dripper burst on the scene in early 2014. Todd Goldsworthy used the device to win the 2014 U.S. Brewers Cup, the same weekend it received the award for best new product at the SCAA’s tradeshow. We’ve been using Not Neutral’s coffee mugs since their first Intelligentsia collaboration. So when our sponsors at Prima Coffee gave us the opportunity to test a Gino Dripper it felt like Christmas had come a little early.
First Impressions
The Gino Dripper is a an elegant piece of doubled wall glass. It’s handblown, so the matching carafe is not a perfect fit, but the way the two items seamlessly blend into each other is nonetheless striking. The Gino dripper also fits directly onto notNeutral’s Lino coffee mug.
Put to the Test
To test the Gino dripper we brewed up some coffee from the Giakanja Farmers’ Cooperative, courtesy Phoenix-based ghost roasters Nom de Plume. Knowing that the Wave requires a coarser grind than the V60, we ground the coffee two notches coarser than our typical pour-over grind. It turned out to be an under estimate for the Gino, as out first 380 ml brew took well over 4 minutes. Perhaps it was a testament to the quality of the coffee, but the resulting brew was surprising tasty for a choked out brew.
For our next batch we ground even coarser. It turned out to be just about perfect. The brew finished in a more reasonable time, yielding flavors of pomegranate and allspice in the cup. We found it very easy to control the brew and keep a nice level bed. Although technique is critical with pour overs, we think the Gino dripper has less of a learning curve than V60 or Beehouse.
Final thoughts
The Gino Dripper is a well designed device that brings together aesthetic beauty and functionality. At ~$24 it’s a very similar device to the Kalita Wave with a lower price point. If pressed, we do prefer the wider base and faster flow rate of the Wave. Nonetheless, we got some very tasty brews with the Gino Dripper and found it very easy to get 3+ minute brew times, even at smaller batches. Amongst a plethora of brew devices on the market today, the Gino dripper is one of the few we would recommend buying.
I just got a Gino dripper for Christmas thanks to my wife. I am having two problems with it: 1) the base creates a seal (on some mugs/servers) not allowing air displacement as the coffee fills the server, this chokes the brew. Does the Gino double walled server do this? I am using a Hario range server or mug. And 2) the silicone gasket does not prevent steam and liquid up into the double walled area. Any thoughts/solutions?
Bobby, ive heard that if you take the rubber seal off it helps with flow. Definitely seems to be an issue though.
My main concern with the GINO, is that it does not allow for water to flow as well as the Wave. The filter, after wetting, clings to the area around the holes, slowing down the drainage. The Wave does not have this problem due to the rods it uses next to the drain holes.
It’s definitely worth purchasing notNeutral’s filters for use with the GINO, as they are thicker, and the “clinging” problem is not as bad.