From The Straits Times    |

cafflano klassic review - portable coffee grinder and dripper

Photography Frenchescar Lim Art Direction & Styling Diane Ng

WHAT IT IS

The Cafflano is an all-in-one coffee brewing tumbler that lets you grind coffee beans to your preferred coarseness, then brew them directly – it stows away a ceramic grinder and a stainless steel filter basket. To pour hot water over the coffee grounds, use the tumbler cap, which Cafflano calls a drip kettle, that holds just enough water to make 250ml of black coffee in the cup.

WHAT I LIKED

  • It was lightweight and all components fit right into the tumbler, which made it so convenient to take to work and back home. Or anywhere, really.
  • There’s a diamond-shaped hole at the top of the drip kettle, which created a spout-like effect for me to do a controlled, gradual pour over the coffee grounds.  
  • My coffee was never over-steeped, as the filter basket was never in contact with the dripped coffee in the cup.
  • The grinder has four notches to indicate the amount of beans – 10g, 15g, 20g and 25g – for lighter or stronger brews.

WHAT COULD BE BETTER

  • There was no way to choose the grind size. I had to squint at the gap at the bottom of the conical burr, and eyeball the granularity of the coffee grounds when adjusting the grinder.. It took a lot of trial and error – every time I switched beans, I would have to start all over again.  
  • I could not close the tumbler without first putting in the grinder and filter basket. If I packed it when there’s still coffee remaining in the tumbler, the grinder could get wet. And it would take at least a couple of hours for it to dry before I could use it again.
  • More comprehensive instructions please. I struggled to hold down the tumbler while grinding the beans, until I found a video on the Cafflano website that recommended grinding into the cap instead of directly into the cup, which solved my problem.

VERDICT

In spite of some inconveniences, the Cafflano is still a worthy buy for anyone who enjoys drip coffee, and for the geeky fun of experimenting with different beans and grinds. 

Cafflano Klassic, $149, from Zeppelin & Co, #02-78 Sim Lim Square, tel: 9271-7927.