UFO Dripper Review - The 80º Coffee Dripper Winning Coffee Competitions

When a brewer starts popping up on World Brewers Cup stages, Instagram feeds and Discord groups all at once, I get curious. That’s exactly what happened with the UFO Dripper.

On paper it’s “just” another conical pour over, but in practice it’s a very intentionally engineered brewer built around two big ideas:

1. An 80º cone angle - dramatically wider and shallower than the classic 60º V60.
2. Air channels instead of ribs - to control bypass and prevent stalling.

In this review I’ll walk through how the UFO is designed, how it behaves in the cup, how it compares to the V60 and flat-bottom brewers, and why it’s turning up in competition routines. This is written from the perspective of a coffee nerd who enjoys dialing in brewers, but I’ll also flag where it might (or might not) fit into a competition workflow.

What Is the UFO Dripper?

The UFO Dripper V2 is a conical pour over dripper created by Kenzie Chay and Jay Kim and designed / made in Korea. It started life as a 3D-printed plastic brewer and now exists both in Tritan and as a solid ceramic dripper.

V2 is a single injection-moulded piece, which makes it more durable and more consistent from unit to unit than the original, multi-piece 3D-printed version.

The UFO dripper is best known for these features:

• Conical brewer with an 80º interior angle
• Smooth inner walls with recessed “air channels” instead of protruding ribs
• Designed to be used with flat filters or UFO filters that have an 80º angle.
• Works happily with a range of third-party filters (Kalita, April, Orea Circle Filter, AJi Filter, Sibarist UFO Filter)

The goal isn’t to reinvent pour over entirely; it’s to keep what we love about conicals (clarity, acidity, flavour separation) while borrowing some of the consistency and forgiveness usually associated with flat-bottom brewers.

UFO Geometry: Why the 80º Angle Matters

Most classic cone brewers (V60, Origami, Kono, etc.) use a 60º cone. The UFO pushes that out to 80º, and that change does a few important things:

1. Shallower Walls = More Stable Bed Depth

Because the cone is wider and shallower, the difference in bed depth between the centre and the sides is reduced.

On a V60, increasing the dose from 15 g to 20 g makes the bed significantly deeper; the centre column of coffee grows a lot. On the UFO, that change is much more modest. That means:

• Grind size and flow don’t need to be re-worked dramatically when you change dose.
• The brewer is less sensitive to smaller dose variations, which is handy in competition practice when you’re doing a lot of repetitions or swapping coffees.

2. Contact Time Without Relying on Sluggish Filters

Conical brewers can become too fast when you try to open up airflow (for example, adding big ribs). The 80º angle helps stretch contact time a little even though the UFO is relatively fast-flowing, especially with Sibarist FAST or the proprietary UFO filters.

You still get a generally brisk drawdown, but it isn’t a turbo-bypass situation where everything is done in 1:30.

3. Fines Stratification and Clarity

Because the walls are shallower and paired with those air channels, fines tend to accumulate slightly above the main bed near the channel edges. That fines “shelf” can help:

• Retain clarity and reduce muddiness
• Add a touch of sweetness/body without turning the cup murky

You can actually see this in the spent bed: there’s often a ring of fines clinging near the top of the slurry line.

Air Channel Technology: Bypass and Stall Control

Instead of ribs that push the filter away from the wall, the UFO uses recessed channels. When you dispute (press) the filter into place:

• The dark areas where the filter touches the smooth wall don’t pass water.
• The lighter “channel” areas act as controlled bypass paths.

This has a few big implications:

1. Controlled, Repeatable Bypass

In classic conicals, bypass is a bit of a mystery; water can sneak past the bed wherever the filter pulls away from the wall. With the UFO, bypass is concentrated into those air channels, making it more predictable.

2. No More Vacuum Stalls

Anyone who’s brewed with a V60 on a narrow cup has probably met the dreaded stall, the brewer seals to the carafe, air can’t escape, and flow slows to a painful crawl.

The UFO’s channels plus its venting are designed to equalise air pressure above and below the dripper, so air can travel up as brew water goes down. That means:

• Stalling is very unlikely, even with fine grinds and aggressive recipes.
• You can safely push grind finer or use restrictive filters (like Sibarist B3) without fear.

For competition this reliability is huge; the last thing you want in a finals routine is a random 5-minute brew because your cone decided to stick to the carafe.

Filters: Type A, Sibarist and All the Hacks

UFO Type A Filters

The Type A UFO filters are the “house” option and sit in the medium/controlled flow zone:

• Designed to be used on the coarser side of medium.
• Great with highly soluble, modern processing methods (anaerobics, co-ferments, yeast-inoculated lots) that tend to over-extract easily.
• Pair nicely with low-agitation tools like V60 Drip Assist / Melodrip – the filter won’t choke, even with reduced agitation.

My baseline when I’m using Type A is something like:

• 15g coffee
• 250g water
• 92 - 95°C
• Coarser than my standard V60 setting

Expect clean, structured cups with plenty of fruit clarity and a safer buffer against harsh bitterness on very soluble coffees.

Sibarist FAST UFO Special Edition

• Extremely fast-flowing.
• Perfect for dense washed coffees or slower-draining lots where you want to grind significantly finer and still avoid clogging.
• Lets you chase higher extractions while keeping the profile bright and sparkling.

Sibarist B3 UFO Special Edition

• Flows slower than FAST.
• Ideal for process-heavy naturals, anaerobics and funky experimental lots where you actually want to coarsen the grind and stretch contact time, taming the funk while keeping all the fun.

Other Compatible Filters

One of my favourite parts about the UFO is that it’s not locked into a single paper ecosystem:

• Kalita Wave 155 - turns the UFO into an open-bottom flat-bottom dripper. Expect more texture and sweetness, flatter bed and a different style of cup entirely. UFO + Kalita is surprisingly consistent; 155s also tend to be more uniform than 185s.
• April filters - a little faster than Kalita; handy when you want to grind finer or when the coffee needs more extraction.
• Aji circle filters - fit with a bit of folding and manoeuvring, especially if you’re already set up for Orea brewers.
• Sibarist FAST/B3 circles - if you’re already using these on flat-bottoms, the UFO editions will feel familiar in behaviour.

This flexibility makes the UFO much more interesting for experimentation and competition R&D. You can effectively treat it as several brewers in one simply by changing papers and geometry.

Brewing Philosophy: Low Agitation, Then Controlled Chaos

The UFO doesn’t just come with a brewer; it comes with a brewing approach. The recipe I keep coming back to (inspired by the creators and a lot of community testing) looks like this:

• 15 g coffee
• 250 g water
• 4 pours
• First three pours: 50 g, low and slow, minimal agitation
• Final pour: 100 g with high agitation, split between a fast circular pour and a central pour

The logic:

1. Long bloom and gentle first pours
   Low agitation and a 1-minute bloom help saturate the bed fully and avoid disturbing fines.
   The first three 50 g pulses usually drain almost completely before the next pour on UFO-specific filters, keeping things controlled and structured.
2. Aggressive final pour
   The last 100 g is poured high and hard, first in circles, then centrally.
   This lifts fines away from the channels and suspends them toward the top of the bed, boosting sweetness and body without muddying the cup.

Finished brews tend to land around 2:45-3:15 with Type A or FAST filters, depending on grind.

If you’re a competitor, this style of recipe gives you a lot of “dials” to tune, bloom length, pour height, agitation level, while still offering a repeatable basic structure you can talk through on stage.

How the UFO Dripper Compares to the HARIO V60

This is the big question for most people.

Angle & Bed Behaviour

• UFO: 80º angle, shallower bed, less dose sensitivity, less variance in bed depth.
• V60: 60º angle, deeper central bed, more sensitive to small changes in dose and grind.

In practice, I find the UFO more forgiving across different doses, especially when jumping between 12-18g brews.

Flow & Stalling

• V60 is notorious for the occasional vacuum stall if it seals to the server, particularly with fine grinds or dense coffees.
• UFO, thanks to the air channels and venting, almost never stalls. Even when you push grind finer and use restrictive papers, drawdown stays smooth.

For competition where consistency and timing are critical, this alone makes the UFO very appealing.

Cup Profile

Broad strokes, assuming well-dialled brews:

HARIO V60:

• Slightly punchier acidity
• Can have a bit more “edge” or astringency if pushed
• Incredibly high ceiling but can be finicky

UFO Dripper:

• Emphasis on clarity and flavour separation
• Often feels like you can “scroll through” layers of flavour
• Very sweet, precise cups when paired with high-clarity grinders
• Still capable of body, especially with B3 or flat-bottom setups

I don’t think the UFO replaces the V60; instead, it offers a different, more controlled take on the conical profile. I like having both in the kit for different coffees and contexts.

Flat-Bottom Mode: UFO as a Hybrid Brewer

Drop a Kalita Wave 155 or April filter into the UFO and suddenly you’re brewing more like a flat-bottom dripper with an open base:

• Bed flattens out
• Drawdown pushes toward more texture and rounded sweetness
• Still benefits from UFO’s air channels for stall resistance

This makes the UFO versatile, one brewer can cover:

• High-clarity conical brews (FAST, Type A)
• Dense, funky naturals with slower filters (B3)
• Flat-bottom style brews (Kalita / April)

For competitors who travel or cafes that want multiple profiles without a wall of brewers, that’s a big win.

Competition Credentials: Does It Actually Work on Stage?

The UFO isn’t just hype; it has real competition pedigree:

• Wataru Iidaka (Saza Coffee, Japan) - used the UFO Dripper at World Brewers Cup and placed 2nd in the world.
• John Dixon (Mad Black Coffee, USA) - used it at US Brewers Cup Nationals.

Why does it appeal to competitors?

• Consistency & timing, no surprise stalls just controlled bypass.
• Storytelling the 80º geometry, air channels and fines behaviour provide a rich technical narrative for judges.
• Filter flexibility, being able to choose between multiple coffee filters FAST / B3 / Type A etc, lets you tailor extraction to your coffee’s processing and density.

If your competition style leans toward high-clarity, heavily structured coffees with a clear sensory story, the UFO is absolutely worth exploring.

Who Is the UFO Dripper For?

The UFO Dripper is best suited for people who already have a strong interest in pour over technique. It really shines for coffee competitors who want a consistent, technically expressive conical dripper, as well as for coffee nerds who love experimenting with different filters, brewing angles, and agitation styles. It’s also a great addition for home brewers who already own multiple drippers and simply want another distinctive tool in their brewing lineup.

On the other hand, it’s less ideal if you’re completely new to making pour over coffee and just want something simple and affordable. It may also not be the right choice if you don’t want to deal with specific folding methods, dispersion patterns, or sourcing particular filters. And of course, if you’re allergic to plastic, you’ll want to skip the original version, though the ceramic UFO V2 solves that issue perfectly.

UFO Dripper Pros and Cons

Pros

• 80º geometry improves consistency and dose forgiveness
• Air channels provide controlled bypass and virtually eliminate stalling
• Highly versatile with a wide range of filters (conical and flat-bottom)
• Excellent clarity and flavour separation, especially with high-clarity grinders
• Proven competition track record
• Available in Tritan plastic (thermally stable, durable) and ceramic

Cons

• Requires proper filter folding and disputing, more fiddly than drop-in cones
• Best results come from following a specific brewing philosophy, so it’s not the most “set and forget” brewer
• Proprietary or speciality filters (Type A, Sibarist) add ongoing cost and sourcing effort
• Expensive for a pour over coffee dripper compared to other drippers.
• If you already love your V60 and don’t care about stalling/bypass, it might feel like a niche indulgence rather than a necessity

To Sum Up:

The UFO Dripper isn’t trying to be the last brewer you’ll ever need. Instead, it’s a deliberately tuned tool that takes conical brewing in a more consistent, competition-friendly direction.

If you love:

• High-clarity, layered cups
• Talking about geometry, bypass and fines behaviour
• Pushing coffees to very specific expressions

…then the UFO Dripper earns its spot on your brew bar. It’s not “just another hype dripper”, it’s a thoughtful evolution of conical design that brings something genuinely new to the table and, increasingly, to the competition stage.