How to Brew the Best Hario V60 (Pour Over Brew Guide)

Summary

1. Pour Over (or V60) is excellent way to make outstanding filter coffee
2. Start with fresh, filter roast specialty coffee like our Sweet Science Blend or one of our single origins.
3. Grind right before use, follow a recipe and enjoy.

The humble Hario v60 is the cheapest piece of gear in the barista's arsenal and yet brewing it well takes the greatest skill and can have the tastiest results.

Aside from the Hario v60 itself you also need fresh coffee beans, a grinder, scales and a gooseneck kettle. OK, so the gooseneck kettle isn't compulsory but it definitely makes pouring easier and gives you far more control than your regular home jug.

Done well, v60 coffee is best way to brew filter coffee but it requires skill, a recipe and the tools to carry it out.

Here are our simple instructions on how to get the most out of your v60 pour over.

INGREDIENTS/GEAR

• V60

• Carafe

• Scales and timer

• Paper filter

• Freshly ground coffee

• Hot water

• Kettle (a pour-over kettle lets you be precise with your pouring)

• Spoon

• Timer

• Vessel 

INSTRUCTIONS

• Setup: Grab your paper filter and place it in the V60.

• Rinse the filter with hot water to get rid of the papery taste and warm your carafe.

• Empty the water and place the carafe and V60 on the scales

• Grind: Add fresh, medium to coarse ground (think white sugar) coffee to the V60. (Use 6g of coffee per 100ml of water so 12g to 200ml water for a single and 24g to 400ml for a 2 cup V60)

• Jiggle the coffee around to level it out and remove any air pockets.

• Tare the scales.

• Brew: Add 95℃ water (a good way to do this is to let a freshly boiled kettle sit for 45 secs and then pour).

• Start your timer and create a bloom with 75g of water, pouring in a circular fashion

• Use your spoon to gently stir the brew to insure all the coffee is saturated.

• After 45 seconds, add the rest of your water. Pour at a slow to medium pace in a circular motion.

• Once all the water is in, use your spoon to do another gentle stir around the edges, this ensures all the coffee is brewing.

• After another 45 seconds (about halfway through the brew), give the V60 a gentle, circular wiggle. This pulls any coffee off the sides of the filter and levels out the base coffee sitting at the bottom of the brew.

Aim for a 2:30 to 3-minute total brew time.

Do I need to rinse the paper filter? Yes, otherwise you can have an unpleasant, papery taste in your cup. Remember that v60 brewing is used to get the best out of beautiful filter coffee and you don't want to ruin it with a paper taste.

What size Hario v60 should I get? Hario has a range of sizes from 1 cup to 4. If it's just you then the 1 cup is fine but more often than not, if you are going through the effort of brewing a pour over then 2 cups is best. The beauty of the Hario v60 dripper is that it's so cheap ($10 to $12) that you can have a couple of different sizes.

Is a glass Hario better than plastic? Well, the glass sure feels nicer, but it doesn't make it any easier to brew better coffee. They are also more likely to break. A plastic v60 is fine to start with.

Do I need a glass carafe with my Hario v60 dripper? A carafe sits under the dripper and holds your brewed coffee, you can then pour into however many cups you need.

What is the best coffee for my v60/pour-over? Filter roast is what you want to look out for. Buy and try different coffee to see what you enjoy. Great coffee comes from many different countries (or origins as we often call them) and by brewing the best you get to learn and experience the world of coffee.

Check out our other brew guides for Aeropress, Stovetop, French Press/Plunger and Moccamaster in our Brew Guides section.