This is a tale of confusion, tragedy, and ultimately some seriously good coffee. Seeking to replace my plastic filter cone, I settled in to my favorite spot on a warm summer evening. I read and read reviews. Oh, the praise of one brand, the disparaging of another. Back and forth between products, here and there between reviews. So many voices, so many options, so many choices. So much first world privilege to be aware of, but I digress. After long consideration, I settled on the HIC. I first ordered the #4 size. When it arrived at the gate, I had a moment of confusion. Surely, this was not the filter cone; it seemed much too heavy. Upon making my way into the house and retrieving the handy-dandy let's-open-an-Amazon-package scissors, I flipped them open and slipped them along the tape line to reveal the package's contents. Of course, in true conspicuous consumption-age packaging there was a box in the box, but I'll not complain, it is a ceramic object. Removing my much-awaited booty from its repository, I was disappointed. It was very large. Cereal bowl large, in fact. Now, I stood with it in my hands locked in debate. Granted, just because it was large didn't mean I couldn't make a smaller portion of coffee. One of my sisters has one this size and she makes one cup with it, but when needed, it does a bang up job of making coffee for we three sisters. Still, it wasn't really what I wanted. What to do? I had made the mistake of ordering almost what I wanted. Keep it and live with the consequences? Return it and start the process again? Return processed, I next ordered the #1 size filter cone. Upon its arrival--again, what joy that little smiling package brings--I realized it was so much smaller than my original plastic one, and diminutive in comparison to the #4 like my sister's. It wasn't what I wanted, and my first response was one of repeated disappointment, but as I cradled the tea-cup sized cone on the way to the sink for a quick wash and trial, it slipped from my hands, crashed to the floor, and was spread across the tile like so many stars flung into the galaxy. My initial disappointment was marred by immediate chagrin and sadness. I had discounted this small thing until it was snatched from my hands by the forces of gravity. I mourned its loss as I kept the dogs out of the kitchen while sweeping up the shards of disappointed hope. Was there some sort of cosmic plan keeping me from my destiny with a ceramic filter cone? Nay! I would not be stopped! With heavy heart but undeterred spirit, I ordered the #2. Certainly, the mythology of the third try would pay off. Surely the universe would not continually doom me to drink my coffee from a plastic filter cone. Enter smiling package number three. The weight of the package was a good omen. Like those chairs, porridge, and bed of Goldilocks fame, it seemed just right. Using the upmost care in opening the package--the sound of shattering ceramic still echoed in my mind--I opened the package and extracted the object of my hope. Goldilocks it was. The #2 sized HIC filter cone is about the size--in fluted cone shape, of course--of a large mug. It is heavy and thick, but I like the weightiness of it. I don't feel like I'm soaking of the by-products of plastic with each cup I drink. On the down side, there are small bumps in cross-hair fashion on the bottom of it, so that it does not sit flat on top of my cup. It tilts a bit on most mugs. This is true of the large one as well. The smaller one, well, I can't attest to anything but its cuteness. I don't like these bumps, but they’re livable. After ordering three of these, it wasn't quite worth it to me to send it back and go on the hunt again. (Would I even be able to bear a possible fourth heartbreak?) Therefore, I have to slow down and be a bit careful, but that's something I need in my life anyway, so I consider it a training in calm. For me, that really is the only downside. So, if you are sitting there flipping through reviews with questions of size and workability, here you go: If you want it to sit firmly on your cup, or you are the kind that tends to bump things and tip them over, I'd say look to another product. If you like balancing acts or need some training in slowing down, its bottom bumps will help you get there. The #1 is the size of a small teacup, and while mine's life was ended in a microcosmic explosion, I would wager it would be fine for one cup. I'm not sure whether the base would fit a larger mug or it would be too small. No doubt, someone else's comments might help guide you there. It was adorable and I do sometimes think of just ordering another one on that basis, but, well, really? The #2 is about the size of a large mug. Its base fits on most of my favorite coffee mugs. I have a Starbucks ceramic mug--the ones shaped like their paper cups--that I love, and it fits on it fine. Again, the bumpy cross hairs make me slow down a bit more, but as I've used it more and more, I think about it less and less. You can make a couple of cups with the #2, but I generally just make one. The #4 is large--think cone-shaped cereal bowl size. It would be perfect, IMHO, to use it for making a pot of coffee. General Tips: Don't diss the coffee that comes out of it if you don't read about how to make a good cup of coffee in a pour-over filter. It's important to do that first small pour to get those grinds going. We have a Bunn that we use for mornings and weekend coffee when Sweetie and I are both having some. I use my cone when I'm the only one who wants a cup'a. I don't use the cone filters, rather the plain 8-12 cup traditional filters. They work just fine, and I don’t have to stock both kinds of filters. I just push it down in the cone. These work for both the #2 and #4, as I’ve used them in my sister’s. Well, dear reader, fellow shopper, and brothers- and sisters-in-coffee arms, I hope this has helped with making decisions about size. That was my biggest confusion as I shopped, and this missive is written to help you out with that. Now, it’s definitely time for another cup!
