Why does the Origami dripper matter in coffee brewing?

The Origami dripper keeps drawing attention because of its 20 evenly spaced folds, which act as flow-guiding ribs and give it a distinct Nordic look. It also has competition history, with Du Jianing in 2019 and Carlos in 2023 winning the World Coffee Brewing Championship using it. That record helped the dripper stay visible long after its initial release.

In practice, the Origami accepts both conical and cake filter papers, so one coffee enthusiast can switch between a faster brew with more aroma layering and a slower brew with a fuller body. Front Street's tests compared the two paper styles and found clear differences in flavor, which explains why the design remains a common choice in coffee brewing.

The Origami dripper has remained a hot topic in the coffee world in recent years. Many people are initially drawn in by its appearance, but after actually using it, they discover it is no mere "vase." This dripper's fold design combines flow guidance with aesthetics, and its 20 evenly spaced folds give it a distinctive Nordic minimalist style. Another key factor in its continued popularity is its multiple appearances at the World Coffee Brewing Championship—Du Jianing in 2019 and Carlos in 2023 both won the championship using it. Even more practical is that the Origami supports both conical and cake filters, allowing you to switch between fast-paced and slow-paced brewing to highlight aroma layering or a rich, full-bodied mouthfeel, respectively. This article combines Front Street's actual test data to compare the flavor differences under the two filter papers and analyze the real reason for its enduring popularity.

Many people wonder: why exactly is the Origami dripper still so popular today? What makes it so unique that it continues to attract one coffee enthusiast after another?

Extremely high aesthetic appeal

Usually, before buying a new dripper, most people will first browse online brewing reviews to confirm its performance before deciding whether to purchase it. But the Origami dripper is an exception—its outstanding appearance immediately sets it apart from other drippers. For most people, when buying it, they do not agonize over brewing performance at all; it is purely because it looks good! (For example, Front Street)

Origami means "folded paper" in Japanese, and the dripper's shape expresses this meaning to the fullest. As you can see, the Origami dripper's shape is like a ring of paper that, after being folded dozens of times, forms 20 even creases.

These creases serve as flow-guiding ribs that direct the water flow, and they also give the dripper extremely high visual appeal. The simple conical shape, with sharp, distinct edges, exudes a strong Nordic minimalist feel. Combined with vivid yet soft color schemes, people are easily won over, and then they place an order! Buy it! For example, Front Street!!!

Competition effect

Of course, if it relied only on online platforms, it would be hard to create much of a splash and make the public aware of it. The reason this dripper has been able to maintain popularity and exposure for so long is largely thanks to the coffee world's global competitions.

After all, some viewers watching the competition focus their attention on the equipment the competitors use. More than the competitors themselves, they care about what equipment the competitors used to win the championship.

Therefore, competitions have become a showcase stage for many pieces of equipment, and it is on such a stage that the Origami shines brilliantly and attracts countless eyes.

The earliest person to make the Origami dripper widely known to the public was competitor Du Jianing from China. At the 2019 World Coffee Brewing Championship, she won the championship using the Origami series (dripper and tasting cup). By 2023, competitor Carlos from Chile also won the championship with the Origami dripper. Although these results are inseparable from the competitors' day-and-night hard preparation, the dripper's contribution cannot be ignored either. That is why the equipment used in competitions deserves everyone's attention.

Diverse brewing modes

But it is obvious that the Origami dripper is not a "vase"!

If a product relied only on looks and promotion, it naturally could not endure for long.

Here we have to mention the Origami dripper's unique advantage—diverse brewing modes!

It can be paired with either conical filter paper or cake filter paper. In other words, it can be used as a conical dripper for fast-paced brewing, or as a cake dripper for slow-paced brewing. This is a unique advantage that many drippers do not have!

When brewing with conical filter paper, the Origami dripper's 20 ribs lift the filter paper and play a flow-guiding role. Its drawdown speed is similar to that of the V60, so it can highlight the coffee's aroma and layering very well;

When brewing with cake filter paper, you will be pleasantly surprised to find that the cake filter paper fits the Origami dripper's creases perfectly! This slows the drawdown speed and thereby enhances the dripper's immersion capability. This is a great help in highlighting a cup of coffee's mouthfeel and improving its body! Next, let's look at what different flavors Front Street produces when using the same parameters and the same beans with different forms of the Origami dripper~

Beans used: Panama Hartmann Geisha Dose: 15g Grind setting: EK43 setting 9.5, 85% passing through a No. 20 sieve Coffee-to-water ratio: 1:15 (225ml) Water temperature: 92°C Brewing method: three-pour method

The brewing time with conical filter paper was exactly 2 minutes. The Hartmann Geisha brewed had a bright pineapple juice-like quality, prominent blueberry and bergamot aromas, a clear Earl Grey tea finish, and full, rich layering; the brewing time with cake filter paper was 2 minutes 15 seconds. The Hartmann Geisha brewed also had clear pineapple and blueberry flavors, but compared with the conical filter paper version, the acidity was softer, the sweetness was higher, the Earl Grey tea flavor was more intense, and the overall mouthfeel was fuller. Each has its own advantages, and there is no distinction between better or worse~

So we can understand that what has kept the Origami dripper popular to this day is not only its highly attractive appearance and the exposure brought by competitions. Its own advantages and practicality are the real reason it stands firm amid constant change.

Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee)

No. 10, Baoqian Street, Yandun Road, Dongshankou, Yuexiu District, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province

The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.