What is the Hario Switch Immersion Dripper 02?
A V60 cone with a valve in the bottom, so the water can be held instead of falling straight through.
Hario publishes a 200ml capacity, a heatproof glass cone and a stainless steel ball valve operated by a plastic switch. It takes 02 size V60 papers and ships with forty of them. The whole thing weighs 0.34kg.
Closed, the coffee steeps like a French press without the plunger. Open, it drains through paper like a V60. That is the entire product, and it is a genuinely useful idea.
Why holding the water changes the cup
Immersion and percolation extract differently, and this is the cheapest way to have both.
In a pour over, water passes through the bed once and leaves. Extraction depends on how evenly you pour and how the bed settles, which is why pour over rewards technique and punishes a distracted morning. In immersion, the grounds sit in all the water for a set time, so evenness stops being a skill and becomes a timer.
The Switch lets you steep first and then release, which gives immersion's forgiveness and paper's clarity in the same brew. A metal filter cannot do the second part, and an AeroPress does something close but pushes the water through under pressure rather than letting it drain.
Paper, and the running cost nobody mentions
This is a paper brewer, and the filters are a purchase you keep making.
Hario does not offer a reusable filter for the Switch, so 02 papers are part of owning it. Forty come in the box, which is a month or so for a daily drinker. That is a small cost and a real one, and it is the opposite trade from the cold brew makers in this category, all of which use permanent mesh.
Paper is also why the cup is clean. A metal mesh passes oils and fines that paper holds back, and for filter coffee most people prefer what paper leaves behind.
Hario Switch vs AeroPress Original
Both steep, both filter through paper, and they part company on pressure and portability.
The AeroPress Original steeps and then pushes the water through by hand, which is faster and makes a more concentrated cup. It is also plastic, nearly unbreakable and packs into a bag. The Switch is glass, stays on the counter, and drains under gravity so the result tastes closer to a pour over than to an espresso-adjacent shot.
At 200ml the Switch also makes less in one go than the AeroPress does with the same paper. If one cup at a time is the pattern, that gap does not matter.
Is the Hario Switch worth it?
It is worth it if you already brew pour over and want the option to stop chasing the pour.
The valve is the whole value, and it works: one vessel, two methods, no extra shelf space. The glass and the stainless ball are the right materials for something that meets boiling water daily.
What it does not do is replace a bigger brewer. 200ml is one mug, and Hario publishes no warranty on this listing, which is worth noting for a glass object.
Who should buy the Hario Switch (and who should not)
Buy it if your pour overs are inconsistent and you would rather steep than practise.
It suits somebody with a grinder and a kettle who already owns V60 papers, and anybody curious about immersion who does not want a second device on the counter. It is also the most interesting brewer here for experimenting, because the same coffee can be brewed both ways in an afternoon.
Do not buy it if you need more than one mug at a time, or if you want to stop buying filters. And if you want immersion coffee you can carry to work, that is the AeroPress rather than a piece of glass.
Frequently Asked Questions
How does the Hario Switch work?
A plastic switch on the side operates a stainless steel ball valve in the base of the cone. Closed, the water is held and the coffee steeps. Opened, it drains through the paper filter into the cup.
Does the Hario Switch use V60 filters?
Yes, 02 size V60 papers, and Hario includes forty in the box. There is no reusable filter published for it.
How much coffee does the Switch 02 make?
200ml, which is one mug. The cold brew makers in this category hold between 600ml and 1.5 litres, but they take hours rather than minutes.
Is the Hario Switch better than a V60?
It is a V60 with an extra option. It brews the same way when the valve is open, and adds immersion when it is closed, which makes it more forgiving of an uneven pour.
