A recipe you can trust
Start here — this single recipe makes a clean, sweet cup almost every time:
- 15 g coffee, ground medium-fine
- 250 g water at about 94 °C (just off the boil) — a ratio of roughly 1:16
- Bloom with 50 g of water, wait 40 seconds
- Pour up to 150 g, then up to 250 g in slow circles
- Total brew time: about 2:45–3:15
That's the whole thing. The rest of this guide explains why each step works, so when a brew tastes off you'll know which dial to turn.
What makes the V60 special
The Hario V60 is a simple cone with three features that matter: a steep 60-degree angle, spiral ribs on the inside, and a single large hole at the bottom. Together they let water flow freely, which means you control the brew with how you pour — fast and even for clarity, slower for more body. It's cheap, nearly indestructible, and endlessly expressive. That's why it became the default filter brewer of specialty coffee.
What you'll need
- A Hario V60 (size 01 for one or two cups) and its paper filters
- A gooseneck kettle — the thin spout gives you control (a regular kettle works, just messier)
- A digital scale with a timer — brewing by weight is the single biggest upgrade over scooping
- A burr grinder — pre-ground coffee goes stale fast and brews unevenly. If you only buy one thing, buy the grinder
- Fresh, whole-bean coffee — ideally 5–21 days past its roast date
Slow, even circles keep the coffee bed flat — the secret to an even extraction.
Step by step
- Heat the water to about 94 °C. If you don't have a thermometer, boil it and wait 30–40 seconds.
- Rinse the filter. Place the paper in the cone and pour hot water through it into your cup, then tip that water out. This removes the papery taste and warms everything up.
- Grind 15 g of coffee medium-fine — around the texture of table salt.
- Add the coffee, tap to level the bed, and put the whole setup on the scale. Tare to zero.
- Bloom. Pour 50 g of water (about twice the coffee's weight), make sure all the grounds are wet, give it a gentle swirl, and wait 40 seconds. Fresh coffee will puff up and release CO₂ — that's the bloom.
- Pour in stages. Add water in slow, steady circles up to 150 g, let it drain a little, then up to 250 g. Keep the spiral going from the centre outward; avoid pouring directly on the filter wall.
- Drawdown. The water should finish draining around 2:45–3:15, leaving a flat, even bed of grounds. Swirl, pour, taste.
When it tastes off, fix it
Almost every problem is extraction — how much you've pulled out of the grounds — and grind size is your main lever:
- Sour, thin, watery, salty? You're under-extracted. Grind finer, use slightly hotter water, or pour more slowly.
- Bitter, dry, harsh, hollow? You're over-extracted. Grind coarser, drop the temperature a touch, or pour a little faster.
- Draining too fast (under a couple of minutes)? Grind finer. Too slow (well past 3:30)? Grind coarser.
Change one thing at a time and taste again. Within a few brews you'll dial in any coffee.
Common questions
What grind size is best for a V60?
Medium-fine, around the texture of table salt. If the brew drains too fast and tastes sour, go finer; if it's slow and bitter, go coarser.
What water temperature should I use for pour-over?
Around 90–96 °C — just off the boil. Lighter roasts like the hotter end; darker roasts prefer the cooler end.
Why do you bloom the coffee?
Fresh coffee is full of CO₂, which repels water and brews unevenly. The 30–45-second bloom lets that gas escape so the rest of the water can extract evenly.
Found a coffee you love brewing? On Vereda you can see which roasters made it and which cafés are pouring it right now. Explore on Vereda →
