A Texas Coffee School Guide To Making Better Tasting Coffee with a Hario V60

Below you will learn best practices essential to making great tasting pour-over drip coffee using a Hario V60 Dripper. If you want to learn more about coffee extraction and gain an in-depth understanding of every primary coffee brewing method, check out our Coffee Education Program for a complete list of upcoming coffee classes and barista training courses.

ABOUT THE BREW METHOD:

Hario produces ceramic and glass coffee drippers known as the “V60”. The V60 utilizes a cone-style filter with vortex radial drain pattern and an open end, allowing coffee to drop/drip as it needs providing “a greater depth and character during extraction.”

WHAT YOU WILL NEED:

• Hot water (200 to 204°F)
• A high-quality burr grinder
• A Hario V60
• A vessel to brew into (a clean frothing pitcher or cup works too)
• A Bonavita Variable Temperature Digital Electric Gooseneck Kettle for controlled pouring and accurate water temperature.
• A digital timer
• The proprietary V60 filters (bleached filters are recommended for best taste)

BREWING PARAMETERS:

COFFEE-TO-WATER RATIO:

28 grams coffee to 415 grams of water

GRIND SIZE:

Medium Fine – looks like sand

BREW TIME:

2.25 – 2.5 minutes

BREWING WATER TEMPERATURE: 200 – 204°F

If you are using a Bonavita Variable Temperature Digital Electric Gooseneck Kettle, set your temperature to 204 or 205 degrees. The temperature will drop a little bit when it comes into contact with the coffee. If you are using a hot water tower in a coffee shop and use a traditional (non-heated) kettle, such-as the Hario Buono, set the tower to 208 degrees to compensate for the temperature drop that occurs when the water comes into contact with a room temperature kettle. Fill kettle 80% full for best temperature stability.

STEPS FOR BREWING:

1. Place your V60 on top of the brewing vessel. Using your kettle, pour a small amount of hot water to rinse the entire filter (to avoid paper taste). This will also pre-heat the brewing area and help with temperature stability.
2. Remove V60 from vessel and dispose of water used for rinsing.
3. Add coffee to filter and gently shake the V60 to level the coffee (to ensure even and consistent water flow).
4. Place your V60 back on top of the vessel you wish to brew into, then place it all on your digital kitchen scale. Press the “tare” button to zero it out. Also, be sure the scale is set to “grams”.
5. While simultaneously starting your timer (counting up), pour 60g of water over the grounds. The goal is even saturation, so pour slowly in a counter-clockwise circular pattern. Don’t worry if you see a few drips falling through.
6. If the coffee is within one week from the roast date, let the coffee bloom for 60 seconds. If the coffee is older than a week from roast, let it bloom for 45 seconds.
7. After the bloom time has completed, slowly start adding more water in the same manner until the scale reads 415g. Concentrate the pour towards the center of the V60, keeping your circles approximately one inch in diameter. The water stream should be slow enough to fall straight down, not at an angle. Brewing should take 2.25 and 2.5 minutes. If it does not, you need to adjust the speed of your pour.
8. Once the stream slows to an uneven drip, and you see no more water in the V60, the brew is complete.

GOOD PRACTICES:

• Adjust parameters to compensate for individual bean characteristics
• If coffee is too bitter, coarsen the grind to help ease the extraction. Adapting the coffee to water ratio may then be necessary to balance the concentration.
• Too long of a brew time can lead to over extraction; too short can lead to under extraction. Use time as a tool to fine tune a brew.

CONTINUE YOUR COFFEE EDUCATION

Texas Coffee School offers a variety of coffee and barista training classes that can enhance your coffee knowledge and brewing skills.

CLICK HERE FOR CLASSES AND ENROLLMENT DETAILS