  What is the V60? Invented by Hario, the V60 is a V-shaped conical coffee brewing device that slopes at 60 degrees (hence its name). You can find V60 drippers made from ceramic, plastic, glass and so on. What's the characteristic of a coffee brewed with the V60? The V60 usually gives a cup that is very clean and light-bodied, with its large single hole that allows a relatively fast flow rate and interior ridges that aids air flow. Many also find that the V60 highlights a filter coffee's brighter notes, and produces a nuanced cup. How to brew? Grind size: Consistency similar to sand or slightly finer than sand Filter: Most people usually brew with paper filters, though cloth filters and metal filters are available as well. Confused about the difference? Check out our handy comparison table here. Setup: Get ready a scale, or use a carafe/cup with measuring markings. Setup your V60 dripper on top of the carafe/cup, and place your filter inside. Rinse the filter thoroughly with warm water before brewing to get rid of any unwanted flavours. When you're ready to start brewing, grind your coffee beans. Recommended recipe Brew ratio: For the uninitiated, brew ratio refers to how much coffee grounds you use (g) to brew how much coffee (ml). At Smitten, we usually start with a standard 1:15 (e.g. if you use 15g of grounds, you should get 225ml of coffee), and adjust from there if necessary. Brew temperature: We usually start with a standard 92 degrees, and adjust from there if necessary. For those of you without a variable temperature kettle at home, there is no need to be overly worried. Just try to be as consistent as possible -- for example, if you usually heat your water to boiling point and let it cool for 5 minutes before brewing, make sure you're sticking to this every time. This way, if there is any variance in the coffee's taste, you could trace it to other factors, rather than fluctuating water temperature.  Observe the flow speed when you're brewing, taste the coffee, and make adjustments accordingly if something's not working. Brew time: There is no "standard answer" for this, but our V60 brews usually range from anything between 2-3:30 minutes. We would say, observe how the brew goes, taste it, and decide if something needs to be adjusted. For example, if you find that the water is flowing too quickly and you get a cup that is very weak or overly acidic, you might wish to grind finer so that the water will flow through more slowly, thereby extending your extraction. On the other hand, if you find that water is flowing too slowly to the extent of choking, and you get a super bitter cup, you might do well adjusting to a coarser grind to increase the flow rate.
When you are experimenting with your brewing, do remember to adjust only one variable each time, so you can observe the effects on the final brew. Don't be afraid to break from "conventional wisdom" -- who knows what amazing flavours you might unlock? Relevent readings: Perfect Daily Grind's super comprehensive history of the V60: https://perfectdailygrind.com/2015/07/hario-v60-the-history-brewing-guide/ Stumptown Coffee has a great V60 brew guide for beginners that comes with videos: https://www.stumptowncoffee.com/pages/brew-guide-hario-v60 Ready to start brewing? Check out our webstore for V60 drippers and more! |