Scuttlebutt Guide to the V60
Brewing coffee in the morning is a ritual for me and Mike at home. Each brewing method has a purpose, and for our every day morning cup around 6AM (fingers crossed our toddler is still asleep) we use the V60 pour over. Its artful design and ability to produce an incredibly smooth cup of coffee is unparalleled. It may seem intimidating at first, but it’s essentially a manual version of a regular coffee machine, with much more control over the parameters.
The V60 is named as such due to the 60 degree angle of its cone shape. It was designed by Hario, a Japanese glass company founded in the 1920s. Originally, the company produced chemical glassware using 100% natural minerals. Hario perfected their products to become heatproof and environmentally friendly, and in the 1950s they launched their first coffee product – the syphon. The V60 didn’t come until much later, but is now their most popular item, and for good reason.
The process requires some concentration if you really want to get into the pouring, but I honestly use it while multi-tasking and it still turns out great. You can also purchase a plastic one from us at Scuttlebutt, and travel with it as a great light weight option to make coffee anywhere.
I’ve written our general process below, but if you have any additional questions, we always love to chat coffee methods at Scuttlebutt, and coffee bean selection too! We sell ceramic and plastic V60s, V60 filters, and glass serving jugs at Scuttlebutt, and they make the perfect gift for any coffee lover!
Ingredients
20g fresh coffee (buy a scale, already!)
300g or ml filtered water
The V60 is versatile and perfect for experimentation. Be sure to ask your barista (hey, that’s us!) if they have beans roasted ideally for pour-over brewing (which will be different from espresso beans).
Equipment
V60
Glass range server (optional – you can just place the V60 directly on top of your coffee cup)
Pouring kettle (optional, but highly recommended because it helps to pour the circular motion that is recommended for the V60, and also because it looks super cool)
V60 paper filter
Scale (invest in one! but if you haven’t yet, 20g of coffee is just under two “scoops”)
Measuring cup for the water if you don’t have a scale
Coffee grinder (whole bean and grinding fresh definitely preferable!)
Coffee cup
Method
Weigh out 20 grams of beans and grind fresh. Seriously, it makes a world of a difference to grind the coffee beans immediately before brewing.
Heat filtered water to approximately 90C (just under boiling). You can bring the water to a boil in a kettle or on the stove top and then let the water cool for about a minute while you grind the coffee.
Place the V60 on top of your glass server or coffee mug. Fold the edge of your filter paper.
Place the filter paper in the V60. Rinse the filter paper with hot water by pouring around all the way around – this step not only ensures that you’re rinsing the paper of any flavors, but you’re also warming up the V60 by running the hot water through it, which assists in a smooth brewing process.
Dump out the rinse water from the server or mug.
Place the V60 back on top of your glass server or coffee mug. Add your freshly ground coffee to the center of the rinsed filter paper.
At this point, I place the V60 and coffee mug on top of my scale and zero the scale out. I prefer to pour the water using my kettle with a spout, and measure the water in weight vs. pouring from a measuring cup.
Start your timer, and slowly begin your first pour. Pour the water in a circular motion, starting from the outer rim and moving steadily inwards, attempting to wet all the grounds. Perform this initial pour, of the first 50g water, over 30 seconds. This is when the “bloom” happens – if your coffee is fresh, it will bubble up and release CO2 as the hot water hits the coffee grounds.
Allow the first 50g water to filter through for up to a minute, and then begin your steady second pour. Pour the remaining 250g water steadily over 2.5 to 3 minutes.
Remove your V60 from the server or mug, compost the coffee grounds, and enjoy your fresh cup of pour-over coffee!
