Everyone has stood in the kitchen trying to work out how to make a genuinely good cup of coffee, for themselves or for somebody else. Different coffees, ground or whole bean, one spoon or two. Good. Experimenting teaches you plenty, and today’s piece of kit is built for exactly that.
Who came up with it
The V60 is made by the Japanese company Hario, a former glassworks that is now one of the biggest names in coffee and tea equipment. There are dozens of drippers out there. There is only one V60.
It goes by more than one name
The V60 comes in three sizes: 01, 02 and 03. The 01 is the smallest and suits about 200 ml of brewed coffee. The 02 is the middle size and the most popular, and it will handle anything from 250 ml up to 600 ml. The largest, the 03, is for anyone who needs to brew more than 300 ml in one go. I would take the 02. It is the most versatile of the three: one cup for yourself, or a brew for three friends.
It also comes in four materials.
Plastic: cheapest, good quality, and you will not smash it.
Ceramic: mid price, good quality, can chip or crack.
Glass: mid price and up, good quality, looks beautiful, needs care.
Metal: expensive, good quality, some very handsome designs.
Plastic gives the best value of the lot. It insulates about as well as ceramic and costs a fraction of the price.
Where to start
The price and the performance together make the V60 an excellent starting point, and a good base before you move on to other brew methods.
The recipe
V60 dripper
filter
18 g of coffee
280 ml to 320 ml of water
grinder
scale
server (the vessel the coffee drips into)
Heat the water to 92°C.
Grind 18 g of coffee to medium.
Put the filter in the dripper.
Rinse the filter through with boiled water.
Tip that water out of the server.
Add the ground coffee to the V60, keeping it off the sides of the paper.
Pour 50 g of water over it, slowly.
Wait 30 seconds.
Carry on pouring slowly up to 150 ml.
Keep the water at roughly the same level in the cone until the whole dose has gone in.
Give the dripper a swirl.
Wait for it to drain. If it looks like taking longer than 3:30, lift the dripper off the server and stop there.
Pour the coffee out.
Enjoy it.
Too watery? Grind finer.
Too bitter? Grind coarser, or drop the water temperature.
Video
