Paper Filters

The filters for the V60 are proprietary and made to fit the shape of the dripper perfectly. Fortunately they widely available and inexpensive. Just be sure you buy the correct size to match the size of your dripper.

Scale

Using a scale to weigh the coffee as well as the water provides a high degree of precision and consistency from cup to cup. A small kitchen scale is inexpensive and can be handy for baking and cooking in general.

1. Heat the water

Obviously, a good cup of coffee requires good water. Water straight from the tap probably isn’t the best option. Most refrigerators these days have filtered water available. If that’s not an option, use a pitcher filter, like Brita, or bottled water.

If using a scale, there’s no need to weigh the water at this point. Just heat a sufficient amount of water for the amount of coffee to be brewed, plus a little extra to pre-wet the paper filter.

The desired temperature for the water is between 195 and 205 degrees Fahrenheit. No thermometer? No problem. Heat the water until it begins to boil, then let it set for 30-45 seconds.

2. Grind the coffee

It’s perfectly alright to use pre-ground coffee, but for the absolute best coffee experience there is no substitute for freshly ground coffee. For a pour over, the grind should be between fine and medium, about the same texture as sugar.

The amount of coffee per cup is really a matter of personal preference. A good starting point is to use 60g of coffee per liter of water. If your coffee is consistently too strong or weak, adjust the ratio. (Check out our blog post about grind size and how it affects the strength of coffee).

Starting with 500 ml of water (which conveniently weighs 500 grams) and 30 grams of coffee and will produce almost exactly 16 oz of coffee which fits perfectly into that travel mug you use on the way to work.  

If not using a scale and you prefer measuring by volume, start with 1 scoop of coffee per 1 cup of water. 

3. Fold and rinse the filter

Fold the paper filter along the seam and put it into the V60. Once the water in the kettle is starting to get warm, use a little bit to wet the filter to rinse rinse away the papery flavor that the paper filter would otherwise impart to the coffee. Discard the rinse water. 

4. Add the coffee

Now pour the ground coffee into the filter and give it a slight shake to level it off.  With a finger or spoon, make a small well in the center of the grounds. This will help ensure that all the grounds are wet evenly when the water is added.

5. Wet the grounds

Set the V60 dripper on a mug or carafe, then set it on the scale. Tare the scale (zero it out) to get an accurate weight of the water that will be added. 

Once the water has reached the desired temperature, start the timer. (A timer is helpful, but not essential.) Gently pour a small amount of water over the coffee grounds to wet them evenly. Aim for using twice the weight of water as coffee. If using 30 grams of coffee, add 60 grams of water.  The precise amount for the initial wetting of the grounds isn’t critical, so don’t worry if you use a bit more or less. The important point is to wet the grounds evenly.

6. Wait for the bloom

One of the by-products of coffee roasting is CO2, which is trapped in the coffee beans until it is released during brewing in a process called “blooming.” Once the grounds are wet, let them sit for 30-45 seconds to allow the CO2 to escape. The bed of grounds will swell up and bubble a bit as the CO2 is released.

7. Pour in the remaining water 

Now pour the rest of the water over the grounds moving in a slow, circular motion while spiraling into and out of the center of the grounds. 

If it looks like the coffee is fizzing up, it’s just more CO2 escaping. 

Keep slowly adding water until the scale reads around 300 grams. The timer should be about 1:15 at this point. Stop pouring for a moment and give the V60 a slight swirl to gently agitate the grounds and clean off the sides of the paper filter.

 Next, using the same spiral motion, add the remaining 200 grams of water. When all 500 grams of water have been added, give the V60 one final swirl or use a spoon and gently stir the water in the filter.

All that’s left to do now is wait for the water to finish dripping down through the bed of grounds into the mug or carafe.

Summary 

The entire brewing process from bloom to done will take about four minutes. If it takes significantly more or less time, try adjusting the grind size. A finer grind will increase the brew time and a courser ground will speed it up. You should be left with a nice flat bed of grounds at the bottom of the V60 and a delicious brew in the mug below.

Once you’ve made a few pour overs, you’ll go through these steps like a professional barista!

Here’s a quick summary of the major steps:

1. Heat 500 ml water (plus a little extra) to195-205 degrees.

2. Set the V60 dripper on mug or carafe with rinsed filter.

3. Add 30g ground coffee.

4. Add 60g water. Wait 30-45 seconds.

5. Add 240g water and swirl.

6. Add 200g water, swirl and wait until dripping stops.