Hario V60 Brewing Guide For Beginners

The Hario V60 is one of the most popular pour-over brewing methods you’ll come across in the barista world, and it’s the method you’re most likely to see in your favorite cafe. For the novice, V60 brewing is easy to learn, but on the other hand, it has a whole range of brewing variations that are guaranteed to keep any coffee geek with a love of tweaking at the brew level entertained.

For example, by playing around with the Hario V60 grind size, you can speed up or slow down the rate at which your coffee is going to be brewed. A finer coffee grind will take longer to brew versus a larger grind that will allow you to speed up your brew time. If you opt for a faster V60 brew time, you’ll end up with a brighter, lighter-bodied cup.

It is this ability to tweak and change the brewing variables such as the grind, pour rate, and water temperature that sets the Hario V60 apart from a regular auto-drip coffee makers.

If you have just purchased the Hario V60 and you’re looking for some basic brewing Instructions, this article is for you.

Hario V60 Brewing At A Glance

Hario V60 Instructions

If you have got all of your brewing essentials together, let’s take a closer look at how to brew with the Hario V60.

Step 1: Heat Your Water

Boil your water to 200 degrees Fahrenheit. If your kettle doesn’t have a built-in thermometer then simply boil your water and let it stand for 30 seconds.

Step 2: Prepare Your Filter

Prepare your Hario paper filter by folding along the crimped edge and then place it inside of the dripper. Set your Hario V60 dripper on top of your coffee mug.

Step 3: Rinse Your Filter

With any pour-over brewing method that uses a paper filter, it’s always good practice to rinse the filter. Rinsing the paper filter helps seal the sides of the filter and it also gets rid of any papery taste, and I find it also helps to pre-warm your coffee mug. You don’t need a lot of water a quick pour over making sure the filter is slightly damp.

Once done, remove the dripper off of your coffee mug and discard the rinse water.

Step 4: Weigh Your Whole Coffee Beans

Once you have rinsed your filter, you then need to weigh out your whole bean coffee. I like to use 25 grams with my Hario V60 pour-over. Once weighed grind your coffee with a good burr grinder to a medium-fine consistency. (See our coffee grinding guide for reference)

Step 5: Add Your Coffee

Pour your ground coffee into the paper filter and then gently shake the V60 dripper back and forth to settle and flatten the bed.

Step 6: Bloom

Time: 0:00-0:45

Start your timer and then slowly start to pour a small amount of water (40 grams) over the grounds to wet them. This step in the brewing is called the bloom. The hot water forces the freshly ground coffee to release trapped gasses; this, in turn, leads to the expansion of the coffee bed and a slight bubbling at the surface. Enjoy the beautiful aroma until your timer reaches 45 seconds.

Step 7: The Pour

Time: 0:45-2:00

With your timer still going start to continuously pour water over your coffee grounds in a small circular motion (often like to use a figure of eight patterns). Avoid pouring to the edges of the filter and also try to keep the water level steady just below the rim of the dripper. Once your timer reads 2:00 or your scale reads 375 grams (whichever comes first) stop pouring.

Step 8: Let It Drain

Time: 2:00-2:30

Once you’ve stopped pouring allow all the water to drain through the grounds and the filter. If your final time was longer than 3:00 then your grind was probably too fine. If your final time was shorter than 2:00 then your grind was probably too coarse. Next time you brew simply make a small adjustment to the grind.

Step 9: Enjoy Your Hario V60 Coffee

Remove the filter from the V60 dripper and discard the grounds. Sit back and enjoy your coffee and remember that practice makes perfect so if you haven’t nailed it on your first go keep on trying and adjusting the grind.

Hario V60 Brewing Tips

Hario V60 Brewing TipsWhen brewing with the Hario V60 timing is everything. Brewing too fast won’t fully extract your coffee grounds which will leave you with a weak tasting final brew. On the other hand, brewing to slowly will cause over-extraction and will leave your coffee tasting bitter. I have found that around the 2:30 to 3: 00-minute mark is just about right for a great tasting cup.

The ideal V60 water temperature is around 200° if you don’t have a thermometer a good way to get your water temperature where it needs to be is to bring your water to a boil and then let it sit for one minute. I also recommend you take a look at the coffee gator pour over kettle that has a thermometer built-in. Remember – boiling-hot water will scorch the coffee, while water that isn’t hot enough will under-extract.

As with any coffee brewing method, I strongly suggest that you grind your fresh whole coffee beans immediately before brewing. If you grind up your coffee too soon, it will quickly start to lose many of the compounds found inside of the bean that gives coffee its delightful aromas and flavors. (A burr grinder is always recommended)

For a novice using a coffee scale may seem complicated, but I actually think using a scale makes your brewing a lot easier because it takes out the guesswork giving you a more consistent brew each and every time.

Unlike a regular kettle, a gooseneck pour over kettle allows for a more even and optimal pour over your coffee.