The Tricolate is a New Zealand-designed brewer released in 2021 that operates on a bypass brewing principle: water passes through a sealed chamber without the opportunity to agitate or channel. This closed-system approach consistently produces higher extraction yields than open pour-overs, with cups that read as sweet and clean rather than bitter or harsh — the usual consequence of high extraction with traditional methods.
The brewer was developed by Sam Sgambellone and quickly gained traction in competition and specialty coffee circles for its ability to extract more from a given dose without the technical complexity that high-extraction methods like the Tricolate’s conceptual predecessor (the Blossom One) demanded.
How Bypass Brewing Works
A conventional pour-over extracts by cycling fresh water through a coffee bed repeatedly. Each pour dilutes the extraction solution as it passes through, meaning later water contacts partially exhausted grounds. This limits efficiency and creates uneven extraction across the bed.
The Tricolate seals the coffee inside the chamber. Water enters from the top through a shower-head distributor and exits through the bottom filter without any agitation or turbulence. Because the flow is uniform and undisturbed, every part of the bed extracts at roughly the same rate. This is bypass in the structural sense: the water’s path is fixed and does not disturb the grounds.
The practical result: extraction yields of 24–27% are achievable with medium grinds and without aggressive pouring technique — yields that would produce bitter, over-extracted cups in an open pour-over.
Equipment
The Tricolate uses proprietary paper filters (sold separately in packs). The sealing mechanism is a silicone gasket that locks the filter between the cap and chamber. Do not use aftermarket filters — the seal integrity matters for the bypass effect.
The brewer holds up to 45 g of coffee and 700 ml of water. A standard single serve uses 22 g to 350 ml.
You need a gooseneck kettle with a steady pour. The shower-head distributor inside the lid distributes water, but you need to pour steadily into the inlet port — erratic flow defeats the sealed-chamber principle.
Recipe
Dose: 22 g coffee Water: 352 ml at 93°C for light roasts, 90–91°C for medium Ratio: 1:16 Grind: Medium (Comandante 28–32 clicks; coarser than V60, finer than French press) Total time: 5:00–7:00
- Insert a Tricolate paper filter, close and lock the bottom cap.
- Add 22 g of coffee to the chamber. Level the bed by tapping — do not shake vigorously.
- Seal the top lid with the shower-head distributor in place.
- Invert the brewer so the filter cap faces up (grounds settle to the shower-head side). This is the brewing position.
- Start the timer. Pour water steadily into the inlet until 352 ml total is added. The brewer fills from the top.
- Do not agitate, stir, swirl, or touch the brewer during extraction.
- When dripping slows significantly (5:00–7:00), the brew is complete. Flip the brewer upright over your server — the brewed coffee runs through the filter and into the server.
The flip-to-drain step is distinctive to the Tricolate and is what physically separates the extraction chamber from the output.
No Agitation: Why It Matters
Agitation increases extraction speed by exposing fresh grounds to unsaturated water. In an open pour-over, this is a useful tool for hitting target extraction. In the Tricolate, agitation disrupts the uniform flow path and causes channeling — water finds easy routes through disturbed grounds and extracts unevenly.
This is why the Tricolate rewards a coarser grind than intuition suggests. The closed-chamber geometry compensates for what would otherwise be under-extraction at that grind size.
Dialing In
- Cup is sweet and clean but underdeveloped: Grind finer by 2–3 steps or increase temperature by 1°C.
- Cup has mild bitterness despite correct time: Grind coarser. The Tricolate rewards coarser-than-expected grinds.
- Brew takes longer than 7 minutes: Grind is too fine or dose is too high for the recipe. Reduce to 20 g and retest.
- Channeling (coffee tastes hollow and sharp): The bed was disturbed or the pour was too aggressive. Level more carefully and pour at a slower, steadier rate.
Compared to Open Pour-Overs
At equivalent dose and ratio, the Tricolate typically extracts 2–4% higher than a V60 with the same grind size. This means you can use a coarser grind and achieve the same extraction as a finer V60 grind — producing a cup with less astringency and more clarity in the finish. For coffees where clarity is the priority (washed Ethiopians, Kenyan SLs), the Tricolate’s sealed-chamber geometry is a structural advantage.