If you thought manual coffee brewing had reached its limits. Orea is here to challenge that. With their V4 brewer. They have engineered a device that actively lets you alter extraction behaviour via interchangeable bottoms – basically turning one brewer into four. In this post we’ll explore how the different bases alter extraction, how to brew with each and what it means for pushing beyond the general limits of pour over brewing. If you have already heard about the V4, why not check out our latest post on the Orea Z1, another one of Orea’s incredible brewing innovations which changes the face of zero bypass brewing. But for now, let’s get started with the amazing V4.
Why is the V4 So Good?
The Orea V4 isn’t just another coffee dripper – it’s a modular system that has been used by over 20% of world brewers cup competitors, I plan to use it in UK Brewers Cup, and it was also the brewer used by Austrias very own Martin Wölfl to secure the 2024 World Brewers Cup Championship.
But what really distinguishes it is the flexibility built into the Orea V4. You can swap between four different bottoms (fast, classic, open and apex) to adjust how water flows and how the coffee extracts. Orea gives you pure control over flow dynamics, bypass risk, and extraction behaviour all in a single brewer, and for brewers who love experimenting the limits of coffee brewing and pushing them to the edge, the Orea V4 is definitely something to be curious about.
Let’s dive into how each bottom shifts extraction and how you can brew with them.
Fast Bottom
The fast bottom, as the name implies is designed for faster flow. Orea suggested when using this bottom you grind slightly finer than usual to maintain sufficient resistance.
And because drawdown times will be quicker, it favours recipes with more aggressive agitation and pouring or shorter exposure. It’s ideal for light roaster coffees.
Classic Bottom
This is the more neutral bottom, it offers balance between flow and resistance and Orea recommends grinding slightly coarser on the classic because it is less aggressive on flow, it will give you more forgiveness in pouring technique, so a perfect base if you’re just getting started into the amazing world of manual filter coffee brewing.
Open Bottom
The open bottom allows for more central pouring to promote radial flow and tend to favour more aggressive extraction in the middle of the bed.
You may want to push extraction and dial in more central pours to manipulate the bed gradient, this is definitely my favourite bottom to the Orea V4.
Apex Bottom
This is the most hybrid and experimental of the four. The Apex bottom combines aspects of a conical and a flat bottom brew. Delivering a different infusion dynamic especially when paired with conical or semi conical filter folds. With the apex bottom you need to control pours more precisely to guide extraction.
Orea suggests that despite having different bottoms, the V4 remains fast, consistent and performant. The key is in the calibration of grind size, pour routine and flow for each bottom. They also suggest that different coffees (density, roast and processing) will behave differently for each.
Oreas adjustment strategy:
- Use a finer grind on the fast bottom
- Use a coarser grind on the classic bottom
- Lean towards more central pouring on the open and apex bottoms.
How to Brew With the Different V4 Bottoms
Below is a workflow from Orea which you can adapt in your own recipes – always start from a base recipe and dial in from there. At the end we will go through one of our favourite recipes we’ve been using recently.
FAST Bottom
Use a room temperature brewer, Orea doesn’t even recommend pre heating the brewer.
THE EASY DOES IT RECIPE – ONE CUP
Orea suggested a simple pulse recipe that works great on all types of coffees, just adjust the grind and temperature to taste preferences.
This recipe is using the FAST Bottom and the V4 Narrow
- Coffee – 16 Grams
- Water – 260 ML – 94 Celsius
- Grind Size – Medium-Coarse – 22-26 Clicks on Comandante C40 (between 600 – 709 microns)
0:00 – Spiral pour to 60g
0:40 – Spiral pour to 110g
1:15 – Spiral pour to 160g
1:45 – Spiral pour to 210g
2:15 – Spiral pour to 260g
Between 2:30 – 3:00 brew time – Enjoy!
Orea Notes:
Use timings as suggestions. Use your coffees behaviour as your pouring guide, they pour when they see the water level almost reach the coffee bed.
BOTTOMS:
For the Classic bottom, grind a bit coarser following the same pouring routine.
For the Open bottom, maintain the same grind size as the recipe Orea suggests but adapt the pour routine to half circular pour, pouring more central except for the bloom.
For the Apex bottom, grind a bit finer and pour the final two pours as central pours.
As for filters, Orea used the Flat paper filter using the negotiator tool for developing this recipe, for the wave or sibarist fast papers, they recommend grinding slightly finer and adapting to taste.
OPEN Bottom
THE DARA RECIPE – One Cup
A recipe that delivers incredible results and a balanced brew.
This recipe is using the OPEN Bottom and the V4 Narrow – the Caretta favourite.
Coffee – 12 grams
Water – 200 ML – 92 Celsius
Grind Size – Medium – 20-24 Clicks on Comandante C40 (between 545 – 654 microns)
0:00 – Spiral pour to 40g
0:40 – Spiral pour to 90g
1:20 – Spiral pour to 150g
2:00 – Spiral pour to 200g
Between 2:30 – 3:00 brew time – Enjoy!
Notes from Orea for their Dara recipe:
For the FAST Bottom – grind a little finer
Classic Bottom – Grind a bit coarser
Open Bottom – this is the default bottom for the Dara recipe
Apex Bottom – grind a little finer
FAST Bottom
The FINE RECIPE – One Cup
A recipe Orea believes is for those that like sweet, punchy, juicy, washed coffees, easy wide ratio and high extraction.
This recipe is using the FAST Bottom and the V4 Narrow
- Coffee – 16 grams
- Water – 260 ML – 90 Celsius
- Grind Size – Fine – 17-20 Clicks on Comandante C40 (between 463 – 545 microns)
0:00 – Spiral pour to 60g
0:40 – Spiral pour to 260g – 4g/s
Between 2:30 – 3:00 brew time – Enjoy!
Notes from Orea for their Fine recipe:
Orea love this recipe for washed coffees. They suggest for naturals or more fermented coffees, the fine grind may not bring out the best characteristics out, so try and judge variable amendments as you brew.
FAST Bottom – Recipe default for this recipe
Classic Bottom – Grind a bit coarser
Open Bottom – introduce more central pouring with a long steady central pour for the biggest pour
APEX bottom – introduce more central pouring with a long steady central pour for the biggest pour.
APEX Bottom
The SO SOFT Recipe – One Cup
This recipe from Orea, one developed by Mordy, using the V4 wide, for soft and clean brewing results.
This recipe is using the APEX Bottom and the V4 Wide
- Coffee – 16 grams
- Water – 250 ML – 92 Celsius
- Grind Size – Coarse – 26-28 Clicks on Comandante C40 (between 709 – 763 microns)
0:00 – Pour 50g with the first 10g circular and the remaining 40g as a central pour.
0:30 – Pour to 100g with a circular pour
1:00 – Pour to 200g in a circular pour
1:30 – Pour to 250g with a central pour
Between 2:20-2:40 brew time – Enjoy!
Notes from Orea for their SO SOFT recipe by Mordy:
They love this recipe because it gives a very soft and clean result and will work with many types of coffees.
Use this recipe with the APEX Bottom and
For the V4 Narrow grind a little finer.
The Caretta Recipes
OPEN Bottom
A recipe that delivers bold results and a balanced brew.
This recipe is using the OPEN Bottom and the V4 Narrow – the Caretta favourite.
- Coffee – 14 grams
- Water – 200 ML – 94 Celsius
- Grind Size – Medium – Coarse – 23-26 Clicks on Comandante C40
0:00 – Spiral pour to 40g
0:30 – Spiral pour to 100g
1:20 – Central pour to 200g then gentle swirl
Between 2:15 – 2:40 brew time – Enjoy!
Notes:
Bold, balanced and pleasant body and acidity. Using a washed Kenyan.
For the FAST Bottom – grind much finer
Classic Bottom – Grind a bit coarser
Open Bottom – this is the default bottom for our recipe
Apex Bottom – grind a little finer
Why Orea is Creating a Next Level Brewing Culture – Beyond just the V4
The V4 is more than just a clever pour over dripper – it embodies a philosophy of modular flexibility, experimentation and controlled extraction. It invites the brewer to choose and alter extraction behaviour rather than just being stuck to one flow geometry.
Compare that to the Orea Z1, which I discussed in a previous post which you can find here. The Z1’s innovation is zero bypass – forcing all water through the coffee, therefore eliminating bypass paths. That gives clarity, consistency, and control.
The V4 builds that foundation, giving even more buttons to push, while the Z1 offers simplicity through great coffee, the V4 pushes the modularity, the same ethos of controlled flow, but with interchangeable bottoms for multiple extraction personalities.
Orea’s commitment to providing detailed brew guides shows that they are not just selling a gadget, they’re enabling brewers to experiment, learn and push the boundaries of filter coffee.
To Finish
The Orea V4 isn’t just a brewer: it’s a toolkit, a creative playground. By giving you four bottoms to swap in and out, Orea hands the brewer the keys to sculpt extraction behaviour a brewer meeting control in a way few other dripper attempt to push extraction boundaries.
I have thoroughly enjoyed writing about the Orea V4 today, and still to this day it is one of my favourite drippers in my collection. I hope you’ve enjoyed it too! Happy brewing and I hope to see soon!
