Brew Guide

V60

Getting started with V60

Introduction

After a long heritage as one of the best glassblowers in Japan, Hario turned its attention towards coffeeware and teaware, and in 2005 created what is perhaps the most iconic brewer in the world of filter coffee: the Hario V60, named for its shape and 60° angle. Since then, it has been used by everyone from world champion brewers, to even your local specialty café. It has won numerous awards and is highly regarded for both its quality and consistency. Due to the conical shape, and the thermal qualities of the various materials it is produced in, it generates very sweet, and bodied brews, and so our recipe focuses on that aspect, whilst generating a little more acidity to balance.

As previously mentioned, it comes in an array of variations, currently offered in the original ceramic, as well as plastic, glass, and even metal. Our preference has always been with the plastic one, as we find the thermal stability of the other options to be too unstable, and we are using the 02 version, which is slightly larger than the 01, generating a larger surface area for the bed of coffee, therefore increasing pressure on the brew and generating slightly faster flow-rates to acquire a cleaner cup.

Method

What you’ll need

V60 brewer and filter paper
16.5 grams of coffee
Grinder
Water
Kettle (preferably gooseneck)
A scale/timer
Decanter
A spare glass
Your favourite mug

Steps

Grind 16.5 grams of coffee to a medium-fine setting (the consistency of coarse table salt).
Heat your water up to between 93°C and 96°C.
With hot water, rinse the V60 and the filter paper, then discard of the water.
Place the V60 on top of the decanter, weigh in the coffee and level out the bed by giving it a gentle shake; then tare the scale.
Start the timer and begin pouring the first 125ml in order to saturate the coffee (this should take around 50ml), then slow down and continue pouring in a very slow and steady circular motion, directing the last 25ml of the pour into the centre of the brewer, until you reach the target amount of the first pour: 125ml.
As soon as the water has been poured, gently swirl the brewer 3 times to reduce channeling, and then tap it once on the decanter to aid with flow rate. All the water should drain by 1 minute and 30 seconds.
Begin pouring the second 125ml, in a very slow circular motion, and again direct the last 25ml of the pour to the centre of the brewer, until the target total of 250ml is reached.
This time, don’t swirl, just tap the brewer once.
Remove the V60 onto the spare glass just before all the liquid has passed through, there should be about 0.5cm of liquid still above the coffee bed. Total brew time should be around 2 minutes and 45 seconds.
Swirl the decanter to mix the brew. Then serve and enjoy.

How to adjust

If the brew takes too long (i.e., drips past 3 minutes), and tastes a bit ‘cloudy’, then try pouring the water faster. Vice versa, if the brew drains too fast and tastes ‘flat’, ‘weak’ or ‘hollow’, then slow down your pouring. We find that the pouring speed is a common mistake, and recommend checking this before adjusting the grind size.
If you would like a sweeter brew, increase your water temperature. If you would like a brighter, more acidic brew, then decrease you water temperature. Alternatively, you can make your grind size finer to get more sweetness, and coarser to get a more acidity.
Finally, If after having made the prior adjustments, and the coffee tastes weaker than your liking, increase the dose of coffee in small amounts, we doubt you should have to surpass 17g of coffee.

In Brief

0:00 – 1st Pour – 125ml (100g Circle / 25ml Centre) 3 Swirls, 1 Tap

1:30 – 2nd Pour – 125ml (100g Circle / 25ml Centre) 1 Tap

2:45 – Cut brew at 200ml yield

For the Geeks

This section is for those who want to go all in. It provides the extra details regarding our method, as well as the results we get when brewing, and are to serve as both guidance, and reference for those who want it.

Extraction

Grind: ≈600μm
Yield: ≈80 % [200ml]
TDS: 1.56%
EY: 24.01 %

Water content

pH: 7.0
PPM: 105