A Perfect Pour Over With The Hario V-60

Over the last several years of really learning to make coffee well, I still return time and time again to my Hario V60. As pour-over devices go it is pretty simple.

It features a 60-degree angle in the shape of a cone, with ridges to prevent airlock on the filter and one large aperture at the bottom of the cone.

There are a lot of opening sizes and basket shapes, but I always get reliably great coffee with the V60.

We are going to start with:

1. Fresh Whole Bean Coffee (Greenwell Farms Private Reserve)

2. Good clean odor-free water (Filtered from the tap or bottled)

3. A Hario V60 Dripper and a carafe to catch the coffee

4. Hario V60 Specific Filters

5. A Gooseneck kettle (preferred but not required)

6. Coffee Grinder

7. Timer (or smartphone)

We are going to make one, 12-ounce cup of coffee (320 grams of water). (technically 11.28 ounces of water)

We are going to use a 16:1 ratio so we need 20 grams of coffee beans.

Step One:
Begin to heat water for filter rinsing.
Place the filter in Hario V60 Cone and then rinse it, heating the cone and cleaning the filter.
Dump all water.

Step Two:
Grind 20 grams of coffee beans to fine and place in the filter basket. Place Hario Dripper on top of the coffee cup. Gently make a small depression in the center of the grounds.

Step Three:
Heat 320 grams of water to 205 degrees.

Step Four:
Pour roughly 40 grams of water gently over all of the coffee grounds and allow it to bloom
for about 30 seconds. Give the cone a soft swirl for a few seconds.

Step Five:
Continue to pour water into the center of the cone (about 80 grams), in slow concentric rings, your goal is to bring the coffee up near the top of the filter. As you see the water level start to descend, add more water in pulses to keep it near the top until you run out of water or reach the desired weight.

Step Six:
Known as the drawdown, allow the water to completely work its way through the grounds until you have a flat bed of grounds and no more water dripping through.

The total time from start to finish will be three to three and a half minutes.

Enjoy a flavorful and delicious cup of coffee.

About the Author
Matt Carter is a retired teacher (1989-2018), part-time musician, farmer, and currently manages Greenwell Farm’s Tour and Retail Store Operations.