Volume & Capacity 

The WIDE OREA V4 has about 20% more volume than the NARROW OREA V4. This is simply due to the wider geometry. The WIDE OREA V4 can handle slightly larger brews, up to 36g (2 cups), while the NARROW OREA V4 shines until about 28g (2 smaller cups). They both use the exact same paper sizes (185 / Large). 

Speed

The NARROW OREA V4 will always be faster - but this does not mean that the WIDE OREA V4 is slow. When brewing under the same conditions, the NARROW OREA V4 tends to draw down about 30 seconds faster. 

Taste profile

Both geometries produce great results in the cup, with the WIDE versions favouring more body and balance, while the NARROW versions more brightness and intensity. The results are of course impacted greatly by technique, the chosen bottoms, paper, and grind. 

APEX brewing experience

The NARROW OREA V4 will work with rounder APEX bottoms than the WIDE, which needs to be sharper due to the hole size and geometry. If you are in search of clean, bright acidity, we recommend the NARROW. If you are in search of balanced and bright cups, we recommend the WIDE.

Consistency, consistency, consistency

One area these brewers do not differ from each-other is in their consistency. Delicious cup after cup with less variance than other devices. 

APEX Brewing 

APEX™ brewing is something new to filter coffee - a space between conical and flat where we are the first to explore fully. What we can say is that we were really blown away from early testing in the quality of extractions you can achieve with this new style of "conical". 

Why is it called APEX brewing?

We call it APEX™ because we are manipulating the APEX of the cone shape - the APEX being the pointy end. With different Negotiator APEX tips, we are able to manipulate the APEX curve, softening or sharpening it in order to manipulate how conical the shape is and how coffee shapes within it. A traditional conical filter is perhaps too sharp - for our liking anyway. It tends to bring out sharp acidity, in a profile we never really loved. With our APEX method, you have the option to round this off, more or less - depending what you like - and really manipulate quite precisely how you allow the water to interact with the bed of coffee. With our rounder APEX tips, we find the holy grail of clarity, round acidity, with the sweetness and body we love from our flat bottoms. You may prefer the sharper APEX tips though - which is totally ok! What we can promise is that with small changes you will taste a big difference in the cup, and that's what always motivates us. 

A huge hole, with airflow

The APEX bottom holes are very large. In fact, one cannot replicate APEX brewing on a classic V60, because the hole is too small and the ridges get in the way. You will never be able to achieve the same result in those devices, which is probably why they never explored these ideas themselves. 

Channels rather than ridges 

Our APEX bottoms have channels rather than protruding ridges to create airflow and space. We noticed that the use of ridges (that sick out - like in a V60 or Kono for instance) alter the inner geometry. This seems problematic - as we like simple and consistent surfaces. We instead use a series of small channels around the APEX bottom, which maintains the exact geometry of the inner side of the brewer at 73 or 65 degrees. 

Flat walls for lower bypass

We maintain our flat walls, but keep use of faster geometry and smart airflow to bring the same brewing ideas from our V3 / V3 MK2 into a conical experience with APEX. 

Can I use V60/Cafec filters on the APEX bottom? 

Yes - with a simple fold, you can use traditional conical filters on the APEX bottoms. The fold is required to adhere to our unique geometry as our brewers are not 60° like traditional conicals. We do recommend these traditional papers more for our Wide geometry as they are a bit too long and pointy on our Narrow - but you can feel free to explore. 

Is the V4 with the APEX bottom just a conical brewer? 

Not really - but it can be for many. It is our specific interpretation of the conical method, but we much prefer it with our specific APEX tips, flat paper, and the Negotiator. As a new method, it's more exciting for us than used as a traditional conical - which works too of course!

Modular without the modular feeling

When we took on the challenge of making a modular brewer - we really did not want it to feel modular. Sometimes modular products just feel too... modular. We didn't want this to feel gimmicky in any way. Each time you configure it, it looks and feels like a normal brewer - there is no feeling of modularity. If you prefer to use one bottom most of the time, you will never think of the brewer as a modular object, just as that specific brewer. All connection points are sturdy threads, they inter-lock with connections hidden by the base. Each combination feels amazing on its own, and this was so important to us that it's hard to convey with text alone. Nothing about the V4 will feel modular - it will feel like a solid brewer with options when you want them. 

A full-metal base

A stunning metal base, machined from Stainless Steel, brings the whole brewer together. This is a nice in-between of the metal V2 and plastic V3, nostalgia included. It brings a nice premium weight to the brewer that we absolutely love. 

High-impact Polypropylene

The plastic elements of the brewer (funnel & bottoms) are made from a high-impact Polypropylene that is BPA Free and approved for food safety by the FDA and EU. This is the same material as the V3 MK2 and the Big Boy.

A matte-black finish

Currently we will only sell this unit in matte black, with a similar durable matte finish as our Big Boy and V3 MK2 brewers. 

An almost impossible design

We tend to make things that manufacturers tell us is not possible or highly likely to fail. The V4 is no different. To achieve the clean geometry and include the modularity neatly, we push what is advisable for injection moulding to a limit. This makes an overall nicer product with the clean, minimalist design we love. It also brings with it small marks as we stress the plastic in our moulds (usually hidden on the interior), using higher pressures to successfully mould the shapes we want. We think this is a worthwhile tradeoff - as we value overall form and function above shimmer and shine. We hope you will agree! 

Why a system? 

As you can tell, we like testing and exploring improvements constantly. Sometimes, this annoys people that buy our products to find we released something better a year later. At the core of what we do is the pursuit of the perfect brewing method - we don't like to sit on something that is not good enough. If we have good ideas, we improve our products. What you think is great today, you may learn tomorrow that it can be improved. People come up with new tools/ideas/innovations that drastically impact your way of thinking over time. This is why we prefer to evolve, to experiment, to improve. And we won't apologize for that - we are here to make the best. 

Better for you

By making a system rather than a set of 4 individual brewers - we forced ourselves to think about the future within the present. We sell you a structure which we can build upon, with space to make meaningful changes. If we explore different materials, designs, add-ons - we can sell you that on its own, rather than having to make a full new device. This helps us explore together, makes it easier for us to bring new ideas to market and cheaper for you to buy and try too. 

Better for the planet

Making a new full product comes with a big footprint. We prefer to focus on making small add-ons to grow a system, store and ship smaller components, use less space and less fuel, at a smaller cost to you, to us, and to the planet. We may fail in this approach, but we thought it was important to try. 

Better for our small company

As we work to future-proof our small independent business (it is as such on purpose), we need to be more clever in how we design our main products. We think this is a better approach for how we want to grow, and how we want to best serve you. 

Ok so... why should you buy this?

V4 is a lot to take in - we know. At its simplest, the V4 is our best ideas wrapped into two simple devices. They each give you 4 of the best brewing options in the world, work with the best papers in the world, and bring a whole new method to try in APEX brewing. Besides that, you buy into a system that will grow with time, where you can upgrade parts at reasonable prices. On top of that, when you're using it - you'll forget it is even modular - it will just feel like a great, premium brewer. If that doesn't convince you, well, we did our best - this may not be for you. But this is definitely the world's best brewing toy - an evolution that was necessary. We hope you will love it as much as we do!

FAQs

Who is this for? 

If you are big into experimenting with coffee brewing, or a minimalist that likes to have options - this is for you. If you come from a conical world and want to experience the best flat bottoms in the world and a new method in APEX brewing - this is for you. If you just enjoy manual coffee brewing, you will love having these options, learning new styles of brewing and expanding that with low cost. If you are a coffee geek that travels a lot and can't bring all of your brewing devices with you, this is a great choice. 

Which geometry should I get? 

- If you own a V3 and want to try something very different within the same ethos, we recommend the new "wide" geometry" - unless you love the V3 profile so much, you just want to expand on it with APEX and our other great flat bottoms, then stick to the "narrow" as it is like a V3 with new powers. 

- If you come from wide brewers like the V60 or Kalita 185, then the "wide" geometry is a nice transition, giving similar profiles with better performance and more options. If you come from narrow brewers like the Fellow Stagg or Kalita 155, then the "narrow" geometry is a nice transition, giving similar profiles with better performance and more options. 

- If you really want to brew just with our Wave papers and for example conical V60 papers - then we recommend the "wide" geometry because it is easier to "plug and play"

- Generally, it's very hard to recommend, as we love both and they are both different. The Narrow brewers will be faster. Always. Geometry plays a big part in that. The wide brewers have a bigger volume, can handle more coffee and come with more body and perhaps more sweetness (though you can manipulate this with recipes too). It really depends what strikes a bigger curiosity for you - something faster and more narrow, more for 1 cup brews or something a bit more mellow and wider, which can also handle more volume. Or you can get both, we won't stop you!

Do I have to buy a Negotiator and Flat filters with the V4?

No you certainly do not - but we highly recommend it. These tools open up a new world of possibilities, and for a relatively low cost and one-time fee, they will allow you to explore a lot of brewing styles and try many types of paper in our brewers. We do offer the best Wave paper on the market for a simpler, more plug-and-play approach, but we do recommend picking up a negotiator too if it fits your budget - especially if you want to brew the APEX method. Please note to buy the correct Negotiator for the V4! 

Can I interchange the bottoms between Narrow and Wide V4?

No - unfortunately not. Due to the differences in geometry, this is not possible. The base is the same - but the bottoms different. While they do screw on, they have a different inner geometry and won't work well or as intended. We recommend to use the correct bottoms for the correct funnels. 

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