The V60 Pour Over Method – invented by Hario in Tokyo – is our favourite method for light and medium roasted Arabica coffees. Therefore, our daily brewing device at Bộ Lạc. The brewer is designed for high thermal conductivity which, due to better heat retention, leads to a better extraction of the coffee grounds. We also find that due to the paper filtration, this handsome brewer provides the cleanest, smoothest and brightest cup which allows the quality of the individual coffees to stand out and represent their terroir in a crisp and clean fashion. We find the best balance in sweetness, body and acidity when we brew with the V60.
A brewing device that is absolutely worth having in your tool kit. Drinking delicious pour over coffee every morning, just like in a specialty coffee shop, but for a significantly lower price and in the comfort of your own kitchen. A real treat!
Find our ‘V60-favourites’ in our store:
Natural Arabica by Culture Bean & Washed Arabica by Zanya
The Bộ Lạc Recipe (for 2 Cups)
Brewing a V60 has various approaches with different results in the cup. At Bộ Lạc we created our own brewing method which we find works best for our coffees. This recipe is easily scalable, best, if you have your own burr-coffee-grinder and a kitchen scale at home, which we recommend. It makes your life much easier and repeating a brew that you really enjoyed, will be much easier too. In this article we will guide you through your brew with your home Barista-kit and also introducing you to a simple method in case you are missing some parts of the equipment.
The coffee-to-water-ratio in our recipe is 1:15 and can be adjusted to your taste. 1:14 or 1:16, if you prefer a thicker or thinner body & mouthfeel.
The full V60 kit
| The simple V60 brew
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Coffee
20g (2 Tbsp) coffee, medium ground
Water
300ml of drinking water (We often use a mix of Vinh Hao and La Vie water, which comes close to the ideal water for brewing according to SEA standards) Water makes up 98% of our coffee, so it is important to have good quality water for the best extraction and flavour result.
Note: By boiling the water and rinsing your filter you will lose some water before the actual brew. Make sure to heat an extra 50 – 100ml.
Temperature
93 – 97°C
Brew Time
2:30 – 3:30 min
Step 1:
Insert the paper filter into your V60 and place it on top of your cup, glass or carafe.
Step 2:
Bring the water to a boil and rinse your paper filter thoroughly to avoid a papery taste in your coffee. Don’t forget to discard the water into the sink before you start brewing your coffee.
Step 3:
Measure 20g of coffee and grind on a medium grind setting. Smelling the aroma of your freshly ground coffee is very satisfying and probably our favourite part of the brewing experience. If you do not have a grinder yet, use 2 tablespoons of ground coffee. (Our coffees are ground suitable to your home brewing device. Please make sure to select when ordering)
Tip your coffee into the filter and give it a gentle shake to level the grounds. Use your spoon to make a little crater in the middle of your coffee bed in order to help the coffee to get equally saturated later on.
Step 4:
Boil up the water in your kettle again and wait for about 20 seconds to let the water cool down slightly. Having a thermometer is quite helpful and will allow you to be more consistent in your day to day brewing.
Step 5:
Start your timer and pour about 40g of the hot water over the coffee grounds. Give the V60 brewer a couple of swirls to get all the coffee nicely saturated. This stage is called “the pre-bloom”. The idea is to get all the grounds wet and let them degas for about 30 seconds. You may see little bubbles come up to the surface, which is CO2 which is trapped inside the beans during the roast. Avoid bitterness by pre blooming your coffee.
Step 6:
Go ahead and pour another 120g of water in a slow and circular motion over the coffee bed. Do not pour too aggressively as it would disrupt the coffee bed and allow channels of water to flow through without extracting your coffee.
The gooseneck kettle is an amazing tool to make your pour quite equal and gentle.
If you are pouring straight from your larger water kettle, try to pulse the pour a bit. We recommend using a spoon and to slowly pour the water over the spoon into the V60. That way you will not disrupt the coffee bed too much and you will have a better result in the cup later on. It’s worth it.
Step 7:
Wait for a few seconds and pour the last 140g of coffee in the same circular fashion into your brewer. Finish with a last gentle stir on the surface to allow some last bits of coffee to settle down into the coffee bed.
Step 8:
Take your time and smell the coffee while it drains through the filter. The goal is to finish the brew within 2:30 – 3:30 minutes total. If the water is still not fully drained, remove the brewer after latest 4 minutes, to avoid over extraction and bitterness. If this keeps happening, you may need to grind the coffee a little coarser.
Ideally you’d be finding a flat coffee bed on the bottom of the paper filter after your brew. An indicator that you have mastered your brewing and extracted the coffee evenly. Remove the whole brewer and discart paper filter. You can use the coffee grounds as plant fetilizer or make coffee-scrub from it, if you like.
Step 9:
Stir or swirl the coffee inside your coffee mug or carafe. This will round up the flavour and allow the coffee to cool down a little bit. The best time to start enjoying your coffee is after about 5-10 minutes when the sweetness and floral notes become more vibrant in the cup. When freshly brewed there is not much to taste but bitterness.
What could have gone wrong?
In case the coffee bed is a bit unequal and messy after your brew or you struggle to hit the right time markers, don’t worry too much. Adjust one variable at the time and brew again to compare the results. Making great Pour Overs may take some practice and will be super interesting as your brewing technique evolves. Feel free to play around and try what works best for you.
- If the water drains through the filter too quickly, you may need to pour a little bit more gently next time or try to adjust the grind a bit finer. In case you bought pre ground coffee through our website, please contact us to adjust the grind size upon delivery next time.
- If the water drains too slowly, you can pour a little bit more aggressively or try to grind coarser. Again, please contact us to adjust the grind for you.
- If the coffee is too thin or too thick for your taste, adjust the coffee-to-water ratio and see if you find a better result for your taste.
- Dial in your own best recipe suitable to your equipment over time and brew the coffee to your preference. Feel free to share your profile and thoughts on coffee brewing in the comment section down below. We appreciate your thoughts!
In case you need help to find a better brewing solution, please don’t hesitate to contact us.
We support you on the way to the best cup possible.