How the V60 brews

The V60 takes its name from its shape: a V-shaped cone at a 60 degree angle. The cone builds a deep coffee bed and channels water toward a single large hole at the bottom, which means the dripper itself does almost nothing to restrict flow. Brew time is set by your grind size and how fast you pour, not by the brewer. Pour quickly for a lighter, more delicate cup, or slowly for more contact time and more body.

The spiral ribs running up the inside wall keep most of the paper filter off the plastic, so air can escape as the coffee bed swells and water can move down the sides as well as through the centre. It is a brewer that rewards a steady pour, which is why a hand grinder with an even particle distribution like the 1Zpresso Q Air and a scale you can read mid-pour make a bigger difference here than on most other brewers.

Choosing between 01 and 02

Size 01 suits doses of roughly 12 to 20 g and brews of up to about 300 ml, so it is the one to pick if you brew a single mug and nothing larger. Size 02 handles roughly 18 to 30 g and brews comfortably up to 500 ml, which covers one large mug or two normal cups. The 02 is the more common size and its filters are easier to find, which is worth factoring in. If you own an 01 and only have 02 filters on hand, the larger paper works in the smaller cone: fold the excess over the rim before rinsing.

Plastic compared to ceramic and glass

Plastic has very little thermal mass, so it barely draws heat out of the brew and does not need preheating the way ceramic does. Ceramic holds a stable temperature better once it has been warmed through, but an unheated ceramic dripper costs you more heat at the start of a brew than plastic ever does. Plastic also survives travel, weighs almost nothing and costs the least of the three. The trade-offs are cosmetic: the lighter colours stain over time with regular use, and plastic looks less impressive on a counter. Hario’s manual lists a heat tolerance of 90 °C, which is a conservative figure set well below the point where the material deforms, so brewing with just-boiled water is normal use.

Brewing with the V60

A 1:16 ratio, a medium-fine grind and a total brew time of around three minutes is a reasonable starting point. Adjust grind first, pour rate second. Weighing the brew as it runs makes the adjustments far easier to repeat; a scale with a flow-rate readout such as the BOOKOO Themis Ultra is wide enough to sit a dripper and server on directly.

Specifications

What’s in the box

• Hario V60 plastic dripper in your chosen size
• V60 plastic measuring spoon
• Paper filters not included