Pour-over (V60)

Our café method for a clean, sweet and floral cup: 20 g of coffee, 320 g of water and about three and a half minutes. This is how we brew every V60 at the brew bar.

Dose:        20 g coffee
Water:       320 g, filtered (ratio 1:16)
Temperature: 96 °C / 205 °F
Grind:       medium, like coarse sea salt
Time:        3:00–3:30 total (pour finished by 2:30)

Copy the brew card above and keep it next to your kettle, or stick it on the fridge.

What you need

A V60 or similar cone dripper, a paper filter, a gooseneck kettle, a scale, a timer and 20 g of freshly ground coffee. We like our Ethiopia Guji Hambela here: it is clean, floral and forgiving.

Step by step

1. Rinse the paper filter with hot water to remove any papery taste and warm the dripper, then discard the water.
2. Add 20 g of coffee ground to the texture of coarse sea salt and shake it level.
3. Bloom: start the timer and pour 40 g of water at 96 °C. Swirl gently and let it bloom for 40 seconds while the gas escapes.
4. Pour slowly in small circles, avoiding the paper, up to 200 g by 1:15.
5. Keep pouring gently up to 320 g in total, finishing by 2:30.
6. Give the dripper a gentle swirl to flatten the bed, let it drain (around 3:00 to 3:30) and taste while it is still warm.

Watch the technique

James Hoffmann, World Barista Champion, shows his V60 method in detail: it is very close to ours, with a slightly bigger dose. Watch how he swirls rather than stirs.

The Ultimate V60 Technique — video by James Hoffmann, on his YouTube channel.

Troubleshooting

• Sour and thin? Grind finer, or check that your water is hot enough.
• Bitter and dry? Grind coarser or lower the temperature by two degrees.
• Drains too slowly (over 4:00)? Your grind is too fine or you poured onto the paper and clogged it.