The LilyDrip is one of those rare items that surprises me, as the coffee industry (much like the tactical industry) has a tendency to be running out of good ideas, and simply reinventing the wheel for the sake of "innovation". The LilyDrip, a ceramic accessory for cone drippers, bears an uncanny resemblance to certain adult items that are intended for anal insertion, which makes claims by the company hard to take seriously. However, the "Barista's Buttplug", as I have so endearingly named it, is quite effective at improving the open-bottom, cone dripper.
First, the company claims that the LilyDrip will reduce the ground depth and double the surface area for filtration (up to 15g). This is an impressive claim, and allows ground coffee to be more evenly saturated and extracted, ultimately changing the dynamics of cone dripper brewing. This should be considered in your pouring technique, as coffee is no longer deep in the base of the cone, but rather, distributed between the center and sidewalls of your brewing device. LilyDrip calls the area "the sweet zone", and targeting it deliberately with your pours may improve extraction of desirable characteristics. This also raises the question of which techniques should be practiced: high vs. low, pulse vs. single, or circular vs. center pours (I find low, circular, pulses to be best).
Next, how is flow rate influenced? One of the biggest issues with cone drippers is their tendency to clog. LilyDrip is said to prevent stalling and longer drawdowns, due to shallow bed that is created by its use. This claim seems to carry significant weight, as it has proven to shorten my brew times by 15-20 seconds, with the use of the LilyDrip, compared to recorded completion times without it. Constant variables were Populace Coffee Kenya Gatomboya AB, Barefoot Costa Rica Las Torres, Hario V60, Hario V60 Filter Paper, Origami Dripper Holder, Fellow Carafe, Tap Water (filtered), Fellow Stagg Kettle (205 F°), and Comandante C40 Nitro Blade (23-26 clicks). LilyDrip offers their accessory in a variety of shapes, which vary in how rapidly they accelerate flow rate. The Lily Starflower was used in this study, and is rated for faster flow rates, which were observed in its use.
Finally, the ceramic accessory is said to maintain stable temperature during the brewing process, which I believe may be accurate. Ceramic material, when heated, maintains a certain degree of thermal mass, which may be useful for brewing purposes. Consider that rather than having an open-bottom, cone dripper, we are allowing a hot object to become a part of our coffee bed. By preheating our brewing device and LilyDrip, the stability of temperature throughout the brewing process may become more consistent. This will need to be studied, recorded, and replicated further, in order to support the hypothesis that the LilyDrip improves temperature maintenance.
So, is it worth the money?
After shipping, this could cost anywhere from $10 to $30, which I believe to be reasonable. The only product that I have seen reduce drawdown times this significantly, by its use alone, are Sibarist FAST filter papers. However, Sibarist prices their filter papers at $40 per 100-pack (not sure how they have come up with price point). Hario V60 filter papers are about $10 per 100-pack, and combined with the LilyDrip, are a worthy adversary to "luxury" filter papers.
By all accounts, it seems to a very useful tool for coffee brewing.
If you choose to put it elsewhere, please be safe and clean it well, after.