The Hario V60 is my single cup brewing contraption of choice. I brew myself 3 cups of coffee a day by hand using one of these combined with my Baratza Encore grinder, a simple kitchen scale, an electric kettle, and of course a fresh batch of my own coffee beans. Here is the recipe I use for brewing with a Hario V60. Print this out and stick it on your fridge!
Brewing a Single Cup of Coffee with the Hario V60
- Preparation: Start by heating your water to between 195°F to 205°F (202 is my preferred temp). While the water is heating, measure out 20 grams of your favorite Noted Coffee Roasters whole bean coffee. Also calculate your ideal water to coffee ratio (mine is 17:1), which usually is anywhere from 13:1 to 22:1 depending on the drinker. This recipe assumes 17:1 so adjust the final weight accordingly.
- Grind Your Beans: Using a ceramic burr grinder, grind the coffee beans to a medium-fine consistency, close to table salt. On my Baratza Encore it is between settings 10 and 14.
- Set Up the V60: Place your Hario V60 on top of a mug or carafe and insert a filter into the V60 cone. Pour some hot water through the filter to preheat your mug and to get rid of any papery taste from the filter. Discard the rinse water from your mug.
- Weigh and Add Coffee: Place the mug and V60 on your kitchen scale and tare it to zero. Add the ground coffee to the filter.
- Bloom: Start your brew timer and slowly pour about 40 grams of hot water over the coffee grounds, ensuring all the grounds are saturated. This allows the coffee to “bloom” for about 30 seconds, releasing any excess gases. Depending on the roast date and the roast degree you may want to tweak the bloom time. I find 40 seconds better when brewed within one week of roasting, while 25 seconds works great for a darker roast or coffee older than 3 weeks.
- Continue Pouring: After the bloom, continue to pour the remaining water in slow, concentric circles or gentle zigzags, adding about 40-60 grams of water at a time every 20-30 seconds and keeping the water level consistent until you reach about 360 grams of total water (for a 1:17 coffee to water ratio). Aim to complete the final pour by the 2:30 mark.
- Final Brew Time: Allow the water to drip through the coffee grounds. Your final brew time should be around 4 minutes for most roasts, or may exceed 6 minutes for some (my Kenya is best right around 7 minutes). Many people recommend a sub 3 minute brew, but I would only recommend that if you dislike body in your coffee and seek primarily high notes (no judgement, everyone has their own preferences!)
- Enjoy Your Coffee: Once the brewing process is complete and all the water has filtered through, discard the used grounds and filter and slowly enjoy your coffee. Don’t forget to note any imperfections – too weak, too bold, too sour, too much body? You can tweak all of these attributes by adjusting your grind coarseness, brew time, and coffee to water ratio.
The key to getting the best cup with a Hario V60 is trial and error and fine tuning. Comment below or reach out with any questions, or any extra tips of your own!