Category: Brewing

The V60 is one of the purest expressions of coffee brewing, a method that rewards precision and punishes carelessness with equal ruthlessness. Invented by Hario, a Japanese company that once made laboratory glassware (which explains a lot), the V60 is a pour-over dripper known for its conical shape, large hole at the bottom, and spiral ridges that ensure water flows through the coffee bed in a predictably unpredictable manner. The result? Clarity, complexity, and enough room for human error to keep things interesting.

If you're here, you probably already know that the V60 is a tool for those who enjoy not just drinking coffee but engaging in a small ritual of measurement, patience, and existential questioning every morning. Let’s dive into some popular brewing methods, why they work, and how you can use them to achieve your ideal cup.

The Classic 1:16 Recipe (For Those Who Like Rules)

This is the gold standard, the starting point for most V60 brewers before they spiral into their own rabbit hole of technique tweaking. It follows a simple ratio: 1 gram of coffee to 16 grams of water. Here’s how it goes:

You Will Need:

• 15g coffee (medium-fine grind, slightly coarser than table salt)
• 240g water (filtered, ideally at 92-96°C)
• A V60 dripper, filter paper, and a carafe or mug
• A gooseneck kettle (for controlled pouring, and because it looks serious)
• A scale (because guessing is for amateurs)

The Process:

1. Rinse the filter with hot water to remove any papery taste and to preheat the dripper. Discard the rinse water unless you enjoy the taste of cardboard.
2. Add the coffee grounds to the filter and shake gently to level them out. This promotes even extraction, or at least creates the illusion that you know what you're doing.
3. Bloom: Pour 30-40g of water over the grounds in a slow, controlled spiral. Let it sit for 30-45 seconds as the coffee puffs up dramatically. This is CO2 escaping, not the coffee expressing gratitude.
4. Main Pour: Continue adding water in slow, concentric circles, maintaining an even bed of coffee. Aim to finish pouring by the 2:30-3:00 mark.
5. Final Drawdown: The water should finish dripping through around 3:30-4:00 minutes. If it’s faster, your grind might be too coarse; slower, too fine. Adjust accordingly and pretend it was intentional.

The Rao Spin

James Hoffmann didn’t invent this one (shocking, I know). Scott Rao, another coffee guru, popularised this method, which involves swirling the slurry after each pour. The goal? Reduce channelling (when water finds the path of least resistance and extracts unevenly), leading to a more uniform brew.

1. Follow the 1:16 recipe up to the bloom.
2. After each pour, give the brewer a gentle but confident swirl. Not too aggressive—you’re brewing coffee, not mixing a cocktail.
3. Let gravity do its thing, but notice how the bed of coffee is more level at the end. This technique can help improve consistency without requiring you to rewire your brain.

The Bypass Method

This approach is for people who want to keep their extraction crisp but don’t want their final cup to be overwhelmingly heavy. The trick? Brew at a stronger ratio (e.g., 1:10), then dilute with extra hot water post-brew.

1. Use 15g of coffee but only 150g of brew water. Follow the standard method but stop early.
2. Once your coffee has fully drained, add another 90g of hot water to your cup or carafe.
3. This allows you to extract all the good stuff without over-extracting the bitter elements, giving you a cleaner cup with more perceived sweetness.

Understanding the “Why” Behind the V60

Brewing with a V60 is more than just a way to get caffeine into your system—it’s an exercise in extraction theory. Here are a few key concepts that influence your results:

• Grind Size: Too fine, and your brew will stall, over-extracting bitter compounds. Too coarse, and it will rush through, leaving you with a weak, underwhelming cup. Adjust based on your brew time and taste.
• Water Temperature: Higher temps extract more quickly, while cooler temps slow things down. If your coffee tastes sour, your water might be too cool; if it’s bitter, it may be too hot or over-extracted.
• Agitation: Stirring, swirling, and blooming all impact extraction. The goal is to keep things even—think of it like brewing tea. No one wants a sip that’s all tannins and no sweetness.
• Pouring Technique: Pour too aggressively, and you’ll create channels where water bypasses coffee grounds. Pour too gently, and you might not saturate everything evenly. A steady, controlled spiral is the ideal middle ground.

The Next Step: Find Your Coffee

Now that you’re armed with enough knowledge to overthink your morning coffee, it’s time to start experimenting. Different roasts, origins, and processing methods all shine (or fail spectacularly) under the scrutiny of the V60. A washed Ethiopian might taste like citrus and florals, while a natural Brazilian might lean towards chocolate and nuts.

So where should you start? Filtr makes it easy to explore specialty coffee from independent roasters across the UK. Whether you want a light, floral explosion or a deep, chocolatey brew, there’s a coffee waiting to be tested, tweaked, and maybe even perfected—if you’re willing to do the work.

Go on, start brewing.`