NEXTLEVEL BREWER - Is No Bypass The Future Of Brewing?
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- Опубліковано 14 лип 2024
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With the trends in coffee brewing leaning towards higher and higher extractions the introduction of a no bypass brewers was a clear next step. In this video I'll be showing, brewing, and talking about the newest addition to the market, the Lvl 10 from Next Level Brewers.
↓CHAPTERS↓
[0:00] INTRO
[1:13] COMETEER SPONSOR
[2:17] BREWER BREAKDOWN
[5:19] POSSIBLE DEALBREAKERS
[6:12] FINAL THOUGHTS
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↓THE MUSIC↓
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Def want to get into the "no bypass" game. The larger dose for this brewer is a bit of a draw back for me. Makes me lean towards the tricolate....that or wait and see what else the market produces. Great vid. Thanks Spro
Yeah I think the large dose can definitely be a downside for some. The 18g works pretty well though. I do think the Tricolate is a more attractive brewer through. But I’ve heard cleaning it is a nightmare.
@@Sprometheus I have a Tricolate. Once you get the technique right and a flat coffee bed it consistently produces high extractions and exceptional brews. Cleaning is a doddle
@@Sprometheus on the other hand have you gone the other way? As in how large of a dose works well in this? Could be good for making larger batches for multiple people???
Lol just use an aero press if you have one
@@Sprometheus I’ve had the Tricolate for about a month now and have had no issues cleaning it whatsoever? Produces a tasty, clean cup too!
I discovered the "no bypass" in a pretty unusual way, by experimenting with a kompresso, using filter grounds, no tamping and no press, just natural pressure due to the water column height.
The results are outstanding, ahead of any other drip method I tried so far.
This explains by the changes of the brew process, similar with the nextlevel device: uniform wetting and water flow, due to the kompresso shower screen, and better infusion due to the grounds completely closed in a chamber, not allowing the flavors to exit elsewhere than in the cup.
My typical recipes are 12-14 grams, grinding as for an average filter, resulting about 3 minutes brew for 160 ml in cup, after three times refilling with water when the column drop at half height.
I'm trying this tomorrow. Thanks for posting.
Good job here Spro!!
Very cool. Something I’m definitely considering,…now that I’ve been made aware of it. Thanks!
Very happy with mine. Very consistent results without much hassle, and specially good with very light nordic roasts due to the high extraction:)
Yes for sure, the consistency and easy of the NextLevel is where it shines, and I’ve had awesome results regardless of roast.
Seeing all the videos for this or the tricolate… convinced me to go and buy a phin. I find it really interesting that the next big thing in brewing is to circle back around to old ideas like Vietnamese or South Indian brewers, with a different materials philosophy and a few other tweaks. There may be some real and measurable advantages and disadvantages to the new brewers, don’t get me wrong. But it just feels like there isn’t enough respect paid to the traditional methods these ones remix.
I've been using a Next Level for couple months now and I love it. Some of the tastiest brews I've brewed.
Nice review! I love my pour over, this gave me an idea for improvements. With the water showering from above, is there a goose neck kettle with a mini shower head? Like a mini garden watering can.
Thank you, as always, my friend.
Ditto
Of course! Thanks for the consistent support!
"is it just an over-engineered Aeropress?" - I'm sorry, but I don't seem to see you answer your question from the intro.
I've been playing around for months with the aeropress and a thing on top that is similar to that one you show, but i like doing it half and half. that is I let about half or the brew pass through normal immersion then I plunge and push softly. Acidity and clarity really shine through this.
Aeropress is great if you’re looking for high body cup, but it will produce an astringent feel due to application of pressure while extracting
Saw the short, told myself to wait for your review, then bought it anyway. Can't wait to hear your thoughts, I've been really enjoying this brewer for the last month. Definitely has a more simple and consistent usage than other pour overs.
Absolutely! Simple and consistent is the bottom line. Very easy to use. Low effort, high extractions for sure.
So it’s a wide aero press with sprinkler attachment. Cool
I also came here to ask how it compares to the Tricolate, seems like the comments are already full of that discussion! :D
I tried the aeropress pourover method after your video on that and it produces a great cup, other than the distributor for the water and size I don't really see how much different this is.
Love Cometeer Coffees. I’m on my 3rd shipment! :)
I’d be interested to know which one came first - this, or the Tricolate brewer.
They seem to be an incredibly similar design, although the Nextlevel seems a bit more… optimized?
Thanks for another great vid!
Couldn't agree more with the review. Consistency and simplicity are where this shines. For someone who enjoys coffee, but doesn't necessarily have the time to dial in a roast, this brewer has been ideal. I can open a new bag, follow a similar general process as before, and get great results. The larger batch size is also perfect for 2 people working from home!
For real. I haven’t had to mess with the recipes at all, just brew all coffees nearly the same (maybe changing temp depend on roast level) and that’s it.
Have you tried really large batch? like 600 ml or more? Asking this because always when I have more people In my house I don't how to make large batch for visits....I'm considering next level to be one solution...
@@vitorlevyalves I've had success up to 1000g (1000ml) of water!
A similar concept of slow dripping and no bypass can also be found in brewers like Gabi Master A (works with Kalita wave filters), Oxo pour over (works with Melitta filters) and even the Vietnamese Phin brewer (no filter here). With these you can brew a regular amount of coffee and use similar principles as with the Nextlevel. Haven't tried this one, but those three are on top of my list of coffee brewers.
And there's also Gabi Master B which is more of a shower head that can be used with V60 to pour water evenly over the coffee bed.
Do you own a Gabi? I keep reading it cracks after a couple months, so I’ve been reluctant to buy one.
I'm going to buy a big hole puncher and use Chemex filters on it for sure
@therealsprometheus No By Pass reminds me of the RS-16 from Coffee Consulate which has this partial immersion style but instead of paper, the RS-16 uses inert of the coffee bed itself to filter. I had replaced all my paper filter methods and use the RS-16 on a daily basis now because all the flavor that I intended to create (as a hobby coffee roaster using the Aillio) came out nice and strong and shows clearly any mistakes occurring from my roasting technique. I never heard anyone review the RS-16 in a professional manner before… Wondering if you may and would really appreciate your opinion if we can go paperless as a brewing trend in the future.
They definitely need to make a mini version. I also wonder if stacking multiple aeropress filters could work well? At the very least, cutting a v60 filter and having overhang shouldn't be an issue as a no bypass brewer, ya?
I'm also playing around with no bypass, but using the Fellow Stagg X and a Filter Smoosher. It takes advantage of the X's dual wall for temp stability and size to do 10g - 24g doses. The FS allows you to use a few different filters, presses out the pleats, and consistently seats the filter a half cm over the bottom of the X to prevent clogging. I'm getting 26.5% EY (with 4 pours to maximize extraction / minimize temp loss) and another guy on EAF got something crazy like 27.8% EY. I like your idea of dilution though, to more closely match the flavor profile of a cone dripper. thanks!
Interesting, I’ve got the Stagg but haven’t used it a ton. I did get some great brews running it normally, and plan on digging into it more deeply. The highest EY I got on the NextLevel was 27% and it was so intense it was undrinkable without dilution. Haha
@@Sprometheus Ha yeah the high TDS drinks are intense! If you're playing around with the X, give the FS a try. I like the dual wall, quicker brew time, and smaller dose than the Nextlevel and Tricolate, with the tradeoff that there's likely a little more bypass. I have a video when I was messing with the prototype if you're interested. Would be happy to send one over too. For science
Could I have a few questions?
1. How's the showerhead? The one I have in Tricolate has somewhat uneven holes so it drips somewhat selectively, sometimes pouring along the tricolate walls and disrupting the sediment into uneven "mountains". I've seen recommendations online to use the Gabi showerhead on Tricolate, but haven't tried it.
2. Is the taste much different from V60? Or do you get similar one, but with better ratio? Again, Tricolate has somewhat distinct taste from V60.
3. Does it replace the V60 as your dripper?
Clever dripper though.
I'm an early adopter and have been using it since it got to me a couple months ago. I've used all the recipes and it's great to go between 18 to 20g doses for myself and large doses for more servings. When doing the small doses I use the "dry swirl" method to migrate the fines to the filter to slow down the brew when I want more body and mouthful out of a coffee. If I want more brightness, I skip that. I also used 2 double weight blooms at 1 minute each. The consistency is fantastic and everything else has been collecting dust since it's arrival. I've settled on 1:18 with no dilute. It's my favorite and gives the best balance. My EY's have been between 22 and 23 percent and have always been fantastic. Even with not such high quality coffees.
I’ve had a very similar experience. I saw the dry swirl recommended on their site, it’s a worthwhile trick to know. I always aim for more brightness. But yes, the consistency is spot on, and it’s super simple to use,
@@Sprometheus I think that's what is the beauty of this brewer... whether you like the coffee to be represented with a sparkling brightness or more body and mouthful with enough clarity to understand what that said coffee represents... you can consistently and easily tweak the method to make the results repeatable either way. Awesome review!
smart, i am geoscientist and with rocks same story it is called fingering the injected water takes sometime unexpected paths ...this system is cool
Spro, what does this accomplish over a Clever?
This has changed the game for me, couldn’t understand when my v60 would go wrong
For sure, the standard cone brewers can really begin to feel like a mystery once you’re aware of bypass.
I generally prefer non-plastic materials for equipment which touches hot food. So I hope someone will invent a non-bypass brewer without plastic parts (although I'm not sure if that's really possible).
Also I would love to try Cometeer, but no such thing in Europe unfortunately (at least so far).
Pureover is a borosilicate glass rendition of this.
Phin filter
South Indian filter Kaapi. eg SOFI 72
@@_kwak The Real Sprometheus did a thorough review of the Pure Over and found way more cons than pros. I love the concept behind the NextLevel Pulsar but don't love ingesting endocrine-disrupting chemicals.
So I’ve tried brewing on the Tricolate on and off, I want to love it but usually end up with really muted acidity compared to the aeropress or V60, if k go much coarser I get stuff that tastes akin to instant, maybe I need to try diluting my brew a little? Great video though and would love to know if you plan to do a comparison on zero bypass brewers?
Wait I was kinda hoping that you were gonna compare it to the AeroPress.
I think you could do nearly something nearly identical by putting a shower screen on an aeropress and not using the plunger. Maybe someone will start manufacturing shower screens as an accessory.
I have a video called the No Press Aeropress that functions a lot like this, you can use a Melodrip and achieve a similar result. But smaller batches or coarser grinds are needed to avoid super long brew times.
Great vid, as always. If someone is looking to eliminate bypass, why choose this instead of a Clever or Hario Switch? How different does it taste?
Well that’s a good question and I’m sure it’s debated but here’s my take.
Immersion versus diffusion. For me I don’t love the flavor of immersion brews, they tend to mellow out the acidity and clarity which is what I want from filter coffee. So when you use a Clever or Switch you’re brewing via immersion, and that bypass is sitting outside the filter and maybe getting some extraction, but only to a certain point.
The NextLevel or other no bypass brewers, even though they’re is an immersion aspect, diffusion is still the main component of the brew and water is constantly passing through the grinds, creating more clarity and brightness, and all the water is passing through the grinds instead of sitting behind a filter barrier.
Do you think you’d ever review the NotMilk non dairy milk? It looks really promising to steam and might even outweigh barista oat mills in flavor and texture.
Good video. How is the clean up? Is it more similar to cleaning the aeropress or the French press?
Cleanup is actually super easy. Since the base is soft you squeeze it gently to hold the filter base in, and the filter with the grinds fall out in one big puck.
Hey Spro, I bought this recently and have played around with different recipes, including Rao's 1:20 tricolate based one, but I keep finding that 1:14 plus dilute tastes better, which is what you noted too. Why do you think that is? Is it the TDS, or maybe that some dilute is actually a good thing?
Is there any technical difference between this and the tricolate ??
What does grinding to 500 to 800 microns really mean? What grind size is it??
Some german coffee shop need to buy a bigger stock of those. 30 bucks fpr shipping and then 200 filters to last a bit will set me back 130 quid, and thats sadly just over budget for a handfilter. For 55 dollars id buy it in a heartbeat
I wonder if they have plans to do some wholesale internationally. I’m with you on the shipping costs for international, it can be a complete dealbreaker.
Quick question: Can you brew larger batches by simply using more coffee and continuing the pouring sequence, or does that somehow detract from the taste? I'm thinking of maybe 600-800 grams into a carafe with corresponding coffee per 16:1 (or whatever) ratio. Thanks for your help.
Got the tricolote and it’s been a bit hard to dial in every different coffee ice throw. At it.
Would Orea with negotiator delivery the same kind of bypass?
Cool, interesting brewer! A comparison with the tricolate would be interesting
Dang it. Don’t need it. Definitely want it. What happens if you do a 1:17 ratio instead of 1:14 with bypass? Does it come out astringent or something?
I think is similiar with tricolate. Have you compare it? Iam glad to wait your thought about this compare with tricolate
hmm, large doses.. and special filter paper is a lot of commitment. though wonder if you can simulate the same with an aeropress with a smaller dose?
this is like a Phin but bigger and fancier.
What about melting coffee before roasting?
How does this compare to the Hario Switch in that the bypass sits in for the whole time and always looks like coffee rather than just water? Seems a bit more faff than the switch.
I would say that that the difference can be more or less depending on how you brew. Allowing more water in the chamber it will brew like a cross between an immersion and diffusion. Personally I don’t love full immersion brews, so keeping the water level low in the NextLevel brews something they more closely resembles a traditional pour over in terms of flavor, clarity, and balance.
How does this compare with say, the v60 + Gabi master B?
I wonder how it would do with a cloth filter ?
very interesting, i've always thought bypass was a myth due to the "ultimate v60" hoffman video
I hadn’t heard of it as part of James’ recipe, I first read about it on Jonathan Gagné’s blog.
@@Sprometheus i'm sorry, that was confusing. what i mean is that in hoffmans video he says that pouring on the side of the v60 doesn't result in any "bypass" or if it does it barely affects the cup. At the 10:10 mark
@@christophermccombe4852 oooh yeah, I vaguely remember that. And yeah pouring on the filter in a small amount or avoiding it at all won’t massive effect the brew, but it does sort of throw off the ratio. No bypass brewers produce the exact ratio you’re aiming for.
Hoffman hypothesised that when you hit the paper, it runs down the side until the coffee bed and then sits on top waiting to draw through.
Personally I think evidence points to the contrary, but he did have some surprising results in his testing.
What about this is different from something such as the Pureover? It would seem the Pureover has the advantage of glass. I'm aware of some No Bypass brewers who have special chambers to distribute the water, but this seems identical to a basic showerhead.
Can't imagine how the Tricolate or the Nextlevel brewer are not infringing on what is likely the copyright/patent design of the other. Not sure which came first, but they look and function nearly the same it appears.
I said this on other comments, but I’m sure Hario doesn’t have cone filters patented, same with flat bottomed like Kalita. It just seems like a conversation best left to patent lawyers.
I’m curious about cometeer. Is it subscription only? I’d love to dry a box of there coffee, but not really interested in a subscription.
They did move into a subscription model, like nearly every else these days. I do wish they had a single order option, but I think you can cancel after your first box if you’re curious.
Would maybe be interested if they did a smaller version to brew smaller totals.
I think that’s what their main selling point is. The smaller option could just be an Aeropress or if you wanted a slightly bigger one the Tricolate.
I found it a little amusing the idea was to solve bypass, then afterwards you dilute the coffee to taste, should have just let the bypass happen in a V60 😉
The point is consistency. You can’t measure the bypass that happens naturally leading to inconsistent results.
This one brew same as tricolet with cheaper price point ?
Seems like the clever is faster and easier
I saw another video sponsored by Cometeer and promptly fulfilled my responsibility as a snob by skipping the video and thinking to myself how terrible that product must be. Now that you're promoting it, I'm going to give it a try. And, as penance, I'm going back to the other channel to finish the video and subscribe. I hope you know your opinion carries weight.
I appreciate that. Honestly, no joke, it’s good. And I’ve done multiple videos about it in the past if you want to take a look at my original Cometeer review. My mom is in love with it, I’ve turned a lot of my family who aren’t into the process of coffee onto it. And I keep some on hand for off days. I’m sure you’ll enjoy it.
Doesn’t this seem to be a variant of the madras filter brewer with a better saturation control?
Isn't it better to make a size that is the same a Aeropress, and use aeropress filter :) smaller and good for 12 or 15g brew
I think in terms of ease of finding filters sure, but the wide bed allows you to grind finer without massively slowing the drawdown. I do have a no press Aeropress tutorial, which functions somewhat like this and makes some good brews.
What is the difference between the LVL-10 Brewer and the Pulsar Dripper
Is this similar to the tricolate, it seems similar but I could be mis-remembering how the tricolate works
How does this compare to the Gabi A and B? Would love to see a comparison video on these 3 products!
Yeah there are quite a few options that work similarly on the market now, it may call for a side by side comparison.
@@Sprometheus Right there are quite a bit of comparable items. Yes for a side by side! Thanks for doing reviews on more than just espresso :)
Not sure I see the difference between this and a drop brewer. Would love to hear it.
Plastics in high-heat food applications are a no for me, though the design is intriguing.
This is why I love my switch so much. Glass and ceramic over any plastic, anyday.
How does it compare to Tricolate ?
Sorry I’m late to this video, but I’ve got a question - if the whole point is no bypass, but you dilute your brew at the end, isn’t that basically cancelling out the no bypass part?
I guess you can look at it that way, but the no-bypass allows you to dilute to your desired strength since most drippers have bypass already “built in” so to speak. The main difference here is you can fully control it allowing for more consistency.
What about the Pulsar ?
“Dilution” might be the very definition of “bypass.”
Yes but bypass cannot be controlled or measured in standard brewers, which effect’s consistency. Dilution on the other hand is measured.
Similar to tricolate?
aerepress ftw still,, XD but for the video, yes someone would have invented long ago a better top that spread out the water when going in to coffepowder
This looks like it brews the same kind of coffee as a french press. I'd love to see a comparison between the two.
...and / or a Clever done optimally
Hey Spro. One last question. What's the internal diameter of this brewer?
It’s very close to 3.75in
@@Sprometheus That's huge! Thanks!
Isn't a percolation style brewer just that?
Curious how this compares to the tricolate 🤔
My guess is it would perform very similarly, just smaller batches and a lot more expensive.
3:06 harmed me
It harmed the extraction too
Well. im using Kono Dripper for minimal bypass. And im happy with results. Not sure if its super worth to upgrade over it, if you consider the price of nextlevel brewer.
Isn’t the dilution at the end defeating the purpose of no bypass?
Ever tried Tricolate?
"Dilution" is another name for bypass.
Yeah, if you want to talk semantics sure. But I think so many people are missing the point that this has no bypass, so you can measure and have consistency brews using dilution.
Yeah I guess if semantics is an issue. But that is what it was called when I started my coffee journey. Aeropress methods touted bypass brewing as a way to mellow the coffee.
Is this just another tricolate ?
I don't understand why someone would be concerned with bypass if they dilute it in the end anyway. Isn't that the same thing?
It’s not about removing bypass so Mach as it is controlling it. In traditional pour overs we don’t know how much water makes it through, leading to inconsistent results. This allows you to control how much and create a consistent result.
Looks somewhat like a more durable, improved Tricolate. 🧐
I can’t speak form experience since I’ve never used the Tricolate. But I have to say the price of the Tricolate is a big turn off to me.
@@Sprometheus Exactly. A quick check ok Amazon US, Tricolate is 6.5 times the price is a Hario V60. Where I'm at, it's almost 10 times more expensive. I'd love to own one but it's forbiddingly expensive.
It all comes down to the shipping. Nextlevel is more expensive for us (Australia). Local price for a tricolate is around 45 USD. But agree would not have paid 65 USD for one!
Looks interesting, but my deal breaker is that it's made of plastic.
Just use an aeropress and don't plunge, exactly the same no?
Isn't this technically what a phin is?
I think in way, we can look at every coffee dripper as a relation to all the others.
Prove to me you can't just pour it all into a jug, simply removing the brew at the usual time by decanting through a filter at the end.
That’s just immersion brewing. This functions by diffusion.
@@Sprometheus I clearly need to think more about how diffusion acts on extraction.
Doesn't "dilution" = "bypass"?
Yes, but controlled, measured, and consistent.
@@Sprometheus makes sense.
brewing with no bypass and then adding water for dillution sounds like normal pour over with extra steps
Well if you can brew a normal pour over and know exactly how much bypass makes it in the cup you would be the only one. The point is consistency
How can you talk about no bypass filters and not mention a phin?
This is double the price of an AeroPress. Do you really think there’s enough bang for the buck here?
Wtf is "immersion flavour"?
Ahhh the Vietnamese drip coffee with science and capitalism brewed in. :-D
Certainly looks like a larger size knock off, of the Tricolate…
I think we as a culture need to move away from this kind of attitude. We can say pretty much every brewer is a “knock off” of another at this point. But I think if you look a bit closer there’s more it than that, regarding batch size, usability, workflow and it’s significantly less expensive.
How would you compare this to the Switch? I honestly hate the looks of this thing and proprietary filters sucks.