Make the Perfect V60 at Home: Our Machina Guide

Welcome to the second installment of our Brew at Home Blogs! This time we’re focusing on the V60.

Background:

A staple in any coffee fan’s cupboard, the Hario V60 is named after its V-shaped conical design and the 60º angle of the sides. The V60 delivers clarity and aroma, and the ribbed sides provide appropriate air-flow to prevent the stalling. 

If you are new to brewing with the V60, it can be a daunting new process, but we have laid out the steps below, and don’t be afraid to make a few errors along the way! 

In this method we’ll chat you through making a single-cup V60 pour-over. This is how we like to brew it at Machina, but feel free to adjust and adapt to your own tastes and preferences. We have noted down some key points and information after the method, if you’re looking for some more details on the brew.

What you’ll need:

• Hario V60 01 or 02 brewer
• Hario V60 filter papers (to match V60 brewer size)
• Brewing vessel or mug
• Scales
• Timer
• Kettle (gooseneck kettle optional)
• Grinder (optional)
• Coffee (....essential)

• Dose: 15g
• Grind: medium fine (think Kosher Salt)
• Water: 250g + extra for rinsing the filter
• Brew Time: 2:15 - 2:45

Method:

1. Weigh out 15g of your coffee beans and grind. 

2. Boil the kettle, pop the paper filter in the V60 brewer, place the brewer on top of your brewing vessel, and rinse the paper filter. Discard this water from your vessel.

3. Place your 15g of ground coffee into the filter, and give it a little shake to distribute the grounds evenly at the bottom of the filter.

4. Begin your timer (0:00), and pour 45g of water over the grounds with the aim of saturating all of the coffee quickly. This is the ‘bloom’ stage*.

5. When your timer reads 0:30, begin a pour of 105g to bring you to a total of 150g.

6. When your timer reads 1:10, begin the final pour of 100g to bring you to a total of 250g. Once you have finished this pour, give your brewer a very small 'swirl'. 

7. The brew should finish at around 2:15-2:45 leaving a flat bed of coffee in the paper.

8. Discard the filter paper, and stir your brewed coffee.

9. Sit down, and drink up!

Extended information:

• Your coffee should be ground to a medium-fine consistency, similar to Kosher salt (this is roughly between table salt and sea salt).
• Rinsing the filter removes any papery taste, and also warms the brewer and vessel. 
• Ensure your water is as close to 100ºC as possible. 
• If you are brewing two cups, double the dose and water quantities - you will need to grind coarser to cater to the adjusted size of brew, and ensure you are using the 02 size of brewer, as it is larger than the 01. In this instance, we are brewing a single cup with a Hario 02 brewer.
• * The ‘bloom’ stage is where the coffee degasses and releases CO2. This is arguably the point in the brew where the sweeter notes are extracted from the coffee. The ratio of water to coffee in the bloom is a point of contention: some people prefer a 1:2 ratio (15g coffee + 30g water), but 1:3 (15g + 45g) also has its place. Try it out for yourself!
• Avoid pouring down the sides of the filter. A gooseneck kettle comes in handy as it encourages a precise pour at a controlled flow rate. However, if you only have a regular kettle to hand, try to pour gently and aim for the middle of the coffee bed. We recommend lightly stirring the coffee with a small spoon after the second pour if you are using a regular kettle.
• When pouring with a gooseneck kettle, pour in a spiral, moving from the centre of the bed to the outskirts, and back in again. Try to avoid the sides of the filter.
• The ‘swirl’ or ‘spin’ minimises an uneven extraction of the coffee. This technique is like marmite to brewers across the globe, you either love it or hate it! For more information and science on the ‘spin’, head here: https://www.scottrao.com/blog/2019/1/8/why-spin-the-slurry
• If you find your brew is very fast (under 2:00), try grinding finer. If your brew is very slow (3:00+), try grinding coarser. Each coffee varies, and trial and error is encouraged to help teach us more about coffee!  

We hope you enjoy brewing with the Hario V60! If you have any questions at all, feel free to send us a message, we’d love to help you out. Happy brewing!