Hario V60 Brew Guide: Master This Iconic But Tricky Pour Over

If you’ve just switched from your old French press or automatic dripper to this iconic pour over, we’re not going to lie: brewing with the Hario V60 isn’t the simplest method. Still, there’s a big reward at the end of its steeper learning curve. How does total control over your brew sound? 

Let’s make things a bit easier for you with this step-by-step Hario V60 brew guide.

How to brew with the Hario V60: the complete Hario V60 brew guide for beginners

Get your equipment ready:

• Hario V60 dripper
• Hario V60 paper filters
• Gooseneck kettle
• Scale
• Timer, unless it’s integrated with the scale
• 20g of medium-fine coffee grounds
• 300g of water for the recipe, plus a bit more to pre-wet the filter
• Spoon (optional)
• Mug

Our recipe is intended for one person and using the Hario V60 01. If you own the 02 or 03 and want to brew more coffee, just multiply the ingredients while keeping the ratio consistent.  

1. Boil the water

Bring the water to a temperature between 195 and 205°F with a variable-temperature kettle, or use a thermometer to check it. If you haven’t got either, wait around 30 seconds after boiling it.

2. Pre-wet the filter

After inserting the filter inside your Hario V60 and placing it on top of a mug, soak it with hot water to avoid a papery taste. Filling up the mug will also help keep the coffee piping hot. Remember to discard it!

3. Prepare the scale

Place your Hario V60 and mug onto the scale and tare it to zero, add 20g of coffee grounds, and spread them to facilitate an even extraction.

4. Let your coffee bloom

Start the timer. Pour just enough water to cover the grounds and wait 30 seconds before giving them a little swirl or stirring them with the spoon. This allows them to release the trapped CO2 that would otherwise compromise the brewing process when you use fresh coffee. Still using stale store-bought grounds? Do yourself a favor and grab some freshly-roasted coffee. 

5. Pour the water and agitate the grounds

Avoiding the edges, start pouring the water in steady circular motions to agitate the grounds and disrupt the coffee bed. If you don’t, the brewing process will be slow and result in a bland taste. Too roughly? You can create channels and pockets of air that lead to under-extracted bits. Don’t be too stressed about it, though: practice makes perfect! 

As for quantities, you should aim to reach around 60% of the total water weight in 30 seconds. In our case, that’s when the scale reaches 180g.

6. Pulse-pour in a gentler way

Your Hario V60 will now be pretty much full. To maintain the temperature consistent and ensure an even extraction, keep it topped up by pulse-pouring the rest of the water in a gentler way over around 30 seconds.

Once that’s done, give it a stir in both directions (creating a continuous swirling motion could affect the flow rate) and let it drip. The total brew time will depend on the quantities used, but it should be between 2 and 4 minutes.

7. Tweak it 

If your coffee tastes too bitter, try a slightly coarser grind, a lower water temperature or gentler pouring, next time. Too weak and sour? Opt for finer coffee grounds, a higher temperature or harder agitation. Only change one variable at the time to know what’s working and what isn’t.

We can’t stress this enough: do not be discouraged if it doesn’t come out perfectly! Brewing with the Hario V60 is harder than most coffee makers, but it’s simply a matter of practice, especially when it comes to the pulse-pouring part. 

We’re sure that, with this Hario V60 brew guide, you’ll get there in no time. Have you got the best coffee for it, though?