Kono Meimon
The Kono Meimon is a 60° cone from the Kono Coffee Syphon Company in Japan, finalized in 1973. It looks like a V60, but the upper walls are smooth and the ribs only run along the bottom half, so the wet filter seals against the top and water exits through one small area near the tip. That makes it drain slower and suits slow, gentle pours, and the recipes written for it aim for a sweeter, rounder, lower-acidity cup than a typical V60 brew. The traditional Kono style starts with a very slow trickle and builds to a steady stream as the brew goes on.
Water by roast: light 97 °C · medium 95 °C · dark 91 °C
Steps
- PrepRinse the filter so it suctions to the smooth upper walls, discard rinse water, add coffee and levelSmooth any loose spots with a finger
- 0:00Bloom with 45 g, pouring slowly in the center
- 0:35Pour low and slow in small circles to 110 g
- 1:10Pour to 180 g before the slurry fully drains
- 1:55Pour to 240 g, washing down the edges first
- 3:15Drawdown finished
Variations
Small Kono Pour OverAlvin Cheng (via Pull & Pour)
Four gentle pours timed off the slurry level rather than the clock
15 g · 240 g water · 95 °C · medium-fine
- 0:00Bloom with 45 g
- 0:35Low, slow circular pour to 110 g
- 1:10Pour to 180 g before the slurry has fully drained
- 1:55Pour along the edge to wash grounds down, then to 240 g
- 3:30Drawdown finished
Long Sweet KonoBean Bros
Small dose, very hot water and long rests between pours for a sweet, low-acidity cup
12 g · 200 g water · 97-99 °C · medium-fine
- 0:00Make a small divot in the bed, then bloom with 30 g from a little height and swirl
- 1:00Swirl once or twice, then pour to 130 gBean Bros drop the kettle to 97 °C here
- 3:00Final pour to 200 g, then a gentle swirl
- 5:15Drawdown finished (expect 5:00-5:30)
Fix your cup
| Taste | Cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Sour, hollow | Under-extracted | Grind finer or use hotter water (96-99 °C) |
| Bitter, astringent | Over-extracted or bed clogged | Grind coarser and pour more gently |
| Muddy, heavy, drawdown over 4:00 | Fines clogging the tip | Grind coarser, avoid stirring, use a lower pour height |
| Flat, weak | Water bypassing a loose filter | Rinse the filter well so it seals to the upper walls |
Tips
- Rinse the filter firmly so it sticks to the smooth upper walls. That seal is the point of the design, since it forces water down through the coffee.
- Pour low and gentle. High, turbulent pours dig into the bed and push fines toward the single exit point.
- Watch the slurry, not just the timer. Start each new pour when the level has dropped but before the bed is exposed.
- Kono's own filters fit best, but V60 02 papers work fine.
- If drawdown runs long, grind a step coarser before changing anything else. The narrow exit area makes this cone more sensitive to fines than a V60.
Common mistakes
- Treating it exactly like a V60. The Kono drains slower, so V60 timings will over-extract unless you grind a little coarser.
- Agitating hard. Stirring or high pours send fines to the bottom where the filter has the least open area.
- Letting the filter sit loose. Without a good seal you lose what makes the Kono different.
- Filling the cone to the brim on every pour. Smaller, gentler pours keep the flow steady.
What you need
- Kono Meimon dripper (2-cup)
- Kono conical paper filter (Hario V60 02 papers also fit)
- Scale
- Gooseneck kettle
- Burr grinder