# V60 - How to make amazing brewed coffee for under £50 and the V60 golden ratios!



## big dan

I am super stoked that I have now found a consistent method to make a great V60 so I thought I would write this post.

A lot of us get seduced into the art of Espresso and are told in the beginning that is a lot cheaper to make coffee with a pour over method.

This usually involves a few attempts at a V60 or similar and the results seem to be varied and with a lot of bitter or under/over extracted cups.

We then go back to the espresso and get upgraditus and with regimented processes and ratios manage to get close to that god shot.

I have moved back to brewed coffee as sometimes I want a longer drink, like a nice lazy Sunday morning coffee. So I started to apply my knowledge of espresso brewing to pour over coffee.

I do not claim to be an expert or know all the technical details but I have managed over the last month to have consistently brilliant brews from my V60 and I'm hoping to pass the knowledge on!

Pour over coffee seems to be more art than science, pour slowly, pour in concentric circles, try and get the slurry to spin at the end, don't over agitate.

Wait 30 seconds between pours, put a divot in the coffee grounds, the list goes on and on!

So I applied the rules of espresso. Essentially there are:

Water with the correct mineral content and temperature is forced through a certain weight of coffee ground to a specific size at 9 bar pressure for a set amount of time to produce a certain

volume/weight in the resulting cup.

Well pour over techniques have most of this. We can use filtered water that has been boiled and then cooled to the right temperature, we can grind the coffee to the right coarseness and

we can use the standard brew ratio of 60g of coffee per 1 litre of water. We can weigh the water going in and the output in the cup. BUT there is one thing missing, the pressure of the water.

We obviously don't force the water through with a pump like an espresso but I found something interesting from my investigations.

If you make a single cup (200ml) in a V60 Size 2 the way the cone is shaped it is difficult to extract evenly. This is because the bed of coffee is not deep enough so when you pour the water

in it punches a whole in the middle and pushes the grinds to the side. The water flows through too quickly and you are left with grinds "high and dry" on the filter paper. You can try multiple pouring

techniques but I found these inconsistent. So how do we know what the right size of grounds is compare to the size of the cone? Well by trial and error I have found this: The V60 works best if you make

double the volume of the cone. For example the Size 1 holds about 125ml when full and the size 2 holds about 200ml. This means that the Size 1 works best to make 250ml and the size 2 to make 400ml.

This is because you have a larger bed of coffee you can control the extraction more evenly. Essentially you are doing 2 fills of the cone but rather than split it into 2 separate pours you will do one long

pour that keeps the cone filled about 2/3 for most of the brew allowing the coffee to extract more evenly.

*So here is the method:*


Tools: Kettle, Scales, Pouring Kettle, V60 Size 1, bleached white Hario filters size 1, grinder

Use 60g/L for your coffee ratio and divide the amount of coffee you wish to produce by 2 to get which V60 size to use. So I want to make a 250ml mug of coffle. That's a ¼ of a litre so I will use 15g of medium course ground coffee. 250ml/2=125ml which is exactly the volume of the size 1 V60.

I place my pouring kettle onto the scales and tare them. Once the kettle has boiled I pour in 250ml of water into the pouring kettle using the liquid weight setting on my scales.

I grind the coffee medium course and rinse out the filter and then add the coffee making sure the grounds are level.

I pour just enough water to wet the coffee and let it bloom for 30 seconds.

I then do a long slow pour of the remaining water moving in concentric circles. I tend to keep my arms still and rock gently on my heels to effect this. If there are any grounds that are floating on the surface I try and paint over them with the water to make sure all the grounds are wet and lightly agitated.

This pour should last about 45-60 seconds. The coffee may continue to bloom a little but the main thing here is that as water is flowing through to the cup you are topping it up so for about a minute and a half all of the grounds are wet and the cone 2/3s full. Only once you have finished pouring will any grounds be left "high and dry" and these will only be for about 20 seconds or so as the final water drips through to the cup. Total brew time is around 2 minutes, but this can vary depending on your grind size.


Every coffee I have made with this method has been excellent, no bitterness or under/over extraction. You can play with the grinds but I would suggest going courser and then slowly getting finer until you hit your sweet spot.

*Equipment Required for under £50*

(note I have not included links as there are many sources you can get these from including the site sponsors)

You can get more expensive equipment but if you are on a budget then this would do fine!


V60 Size 1 in plastic - £5

Size 1 Filter Papers - £2

Tiamo Gooseneck Pouring kettle - £17

Hand grinder (Rhino, Hario etc) =- £22 and up

Scales (you probably already have some, if not add another £10+)

Total: £46 and add a bag of beans and for £50 you are ready to rock your tongue with some amazing tasting coffee!


For those of you that have your own methods and are happy with them this is not meant to change your mind!

But I wish I had known some of these things when I started out with my V60. I now have 2 rock solid ratios that allow me to always get a good coffee.

*
"60g/L of coffee" and "V60 Size = 1/2 the amount of coffee I want to make"*

Please feel free to comment or ask any questions or just tell me I'm wrong! A lot of study and experimentation has gone into this. Will make a video of this as well so it all makes sense!


----------



## DoubleShot

@big dan

Can see you tempting to make me a new v60 owner on the basis of this thread, much like you did on the excellent Clever Coffee Dripper one! 

Photos if/when you get a chance please.

Many thanks.


----------



## truegrace

I'm tempted as well ad looking for another method for holiday other than French press.


----------



## aaroncornish

Very useful post indeed.

What water temp are you using?


----------



## fatboyslim

12g perger method works a treat for me. Getting much better clarity in the cup using the new hario misarashi papers.


----------



## DoubleShot

Other than aesthetics and possibly longevity, what if anything, would be the difference between a cheap 'n' cheerful plastic v60 compared to a ceramic one? Taste in the cup any different?


----------



## YerbaMate170

DoubleShot said:


> Other than aesthetics and possibly longevity, what if anything, would be the difference between a cheap 'n' cheerful plastic v60 compared to a ceramic one? Taste in the cup any different?


I too, would like to know this.


----------



## jlarkin

I think it'd affect temperature loss. The ceramic one should lose less heat and more heat, whilst brewing, should be leading to more tasty


----------



## risky

fatboyslim said:


> 12g perger method works a treat for me. Getting much better clarity in the cup using the new hario misarashi papers.


12g perger for me too. Easy, repeatable, tasty.


----------



## jlarkin

12g / 200ml?


----------



## big dan

I remember one of Matt Perger's earlier V60 methods but his 12g recipe has been removed due to copyright violations (music used i'm guessing). I remember one of his earlier methods being the best i had tried. For me though i wanted a way to understand why some methods work and others don't and how to keep a consistent taste when making smaller or larger amounts. Primarily at the weekend when i want a nice jug of coffee over a single mug!

Water temp - Very unscientific, but i usually let the kettle settle down for 30 seconds after boiling, then transfer to the buono pouring kettle. Then i get everything ready so i'm guessing about 90 seconds off the boil before i pour. I like to enjoy the taste of the coffee as it cools.

Agree with the ceramic posts as well, holds the heat better, but i cannot comment on taste as i don't own one!

Photos/Video to follow. Glad this can be of some use to people!









For those intrigued by Mat Perger's method i did find a working link HERE


----------



## risky

jlarkin said:


> 12g / 200ml?


Yup.

50g in for 30s bloom and 'stir it like a bandit'

50g in at 30s

100g in at 1minute

Should be all over at 2m30 I believe.

As big Dan pointed out the video is still available. Just Google 'perger v60'


----------



## fluffles

I do like perger except I only add in 50g increments, so I have a final addition of 50g at 1m30s. I find this reduces my high and dry grounds by not letting the water level climb so high


----------



## Jedi oh

I have just purchased a v60 so will use this as a comprehensive guide. I'll let you know how it goes.

Cheers.


----------



## Jedi oh

Just tried this on my new V60 but think I was almost setting myself up for a fail. In a rush to get to work but wife encouraged me to have a go. It was ok but a bit cool. I need to try when I have more time, and need a pouring kettle!


----------



## aaroncornish

fluffles said:


> I do like perger except I only add in 50g increments, so I have a final addition of 50g at 1m30s. I find this reduces my high and dry grounds by not letting the water level climb so high


Great idea, I will try this tomorrow. I do get a few high and dry after the 100g pour


----------



## fatboyslim

fluffles said:


> I do like perger except I only add in 50g increments, so I have a final addition of 50g at 1m30s. I find this reduces my high and dry grounds by not letting the water level climb so high


I do the exact same. I try to add up to around 160g then "tap dat" followed by a gentle swirl of the v60, then add last 40g.


----------



## fluffles

fatboyslim said:


> I do the exact same. I try to add up to around 160g then "tap dat" followed by a gentle swirl of the v60, then add last 40g.


A swirl is a good way of washing down any bits stuck to the side


----------



## roaringboy

DoubleShot said:


> Other than aesthetics and possibly longevity, what if anything, would be the difference between a cheap 'n' cheerful plastic v60 compared to a ceramic one? Taste in the cup any different?


I have both a plastic and ceramic. The ceramic holds temp much much better - the plastic one is cool almost immediately after brewing, whereas the ceramic is still hot to the touch. Never done a side-by-side as I have one at work and one at home - maybe i'll take the plastic one home at the weekend and test them out if I get time.


----------



## DoubleShot

@roaringboy

Would be great if you do get a chance to do a side-by-side taste test and post your findings.

Thanks.


----------



## Jedi oh

I have the plastic one and find it cools rather quickly. I may try warming it before use with some boiling water to see if that helps.


----------



## roaringboy

I generally do this by putting the filter in and rinsing it with boiling water before I add the coffee. Or do you mean actually submerging the V60 in boiling water for a while before you do anything else? This might help but still don't think it will hold the heat for long.



Jedi oh said:


> I have the plastic one and find it cools rather quickly. I may try warming it before use with some boiling water to see if that helps.


----------



## Mrboots2u

there are a ton of different methods for V60 , i wold be over concerned about heat loss from a v60 , this is pour over not immersion brewing . Finding a recipe you can repeat, and getting the grind right to drive that recipe is key ..


----------

