How to Brew With a Hario V60

So, first of all, there are a lot of variations to this answer. I don’t believe there is a single, the one, answer here. Although absolutes are nice, this is where fun and experimentation come into play! Each coffee is a little bit different, from its roast level, to its chemical composition, which makes a one-size-fits-all answer illusive.

There is, however, a baseline technique, and a few guiding principles. I’ll start with the basic technique to get you started, then I will follow up with ways to manipulate your technique to “Dial-In” your final brew.

A few things you will need: A gram scale, A stopwatch, A goose-neck Kettle, A Hario V60, Good Water

Prep

1. Heat your water to ~200-205 Degrees
2. Measure out 20-23g of coffee.
3. Grind said coffee fine/med-fine.
   • Make sure to give your coffee a nice sniff, and pay attention to how the fresh-ground coffee smells. Is it fruity, or floral-y (that’s a word, right)? Does it remind you of anything? The smell is a big part of the coffee experience, so make sure to enjoy the scents produced throughout the process.
4. Fold along the edge of your filter seam, and pop the filter into your brewer
5. Rinse your filter to warm up your brewer, and wash out any papery flavors from the filter (especially if you are using natural filters)
6. Drop in your coffee grounds, and tap the brewer to level the bed of coffee
   • Place your brew rig on your gram scale, and tare your scale so it reads 0

Brew

1. The Bloom: Start your timer, Evenly pour, starting in the middle and moving in concentric circles until your scale reads 60g. Take care to distribute water quickly and evenly over the coffee bed, making sure all the coffee is evenly wet. Let Set for 30 Seconds.
   • Some like to give the funnel a little swirl here, to make sure all the coffee grounds are sure to get wet.
   • Again, give the coffee a smell here, and see how it strikes you. Any familiar subtle hints?
2. After 30 seconds, Start again pouring at the center, with nice, even, concentric circles, spiraling out towards the edge of your brewer. Make sure you are pouring over the grounds evenly and gently.
   • Pour slowly and consistently until your scale reads 330g
   • The name of the game here is to extract all of the coffee exactly evenly. You don’t want some coffee to get all the water, while others get hardly any.
3. Once the water has dribbled through, check your timer. Your brew time should be ~2.5-3 minutes. although this can vary quite a bit depending on the characteristics of your coffee. Your ultimate test should be taste.
4. Sip and Enjoy. Pay attention to the flavors popping through in your cup. Is it crisp like citrus, sweet like a peach, carmel-ly?
   • Also, try giving your coffee a chance to cool. Often, this is when you can taste the flavors popping through. In fact, Sarah only drinks her coffee after it is about room temperature (I like mine medium-hot still)

Congratulations! Maybe you got it perfect on your first try, or maybe there are some off-flavors to troubleshoot. In any event, you are now on your way to brewing craft coffee!