If you’re going to invest in a pour over brewer, many would recommend that you make it a Hario V60. We agree, the Hario V60 pour over is one of the best cups of coffee you can make, and a single cup brew is quite easy if you have a Hario V60 01 (that’s their smallest, single-cup size).
We’ve been brewing with the same Hario V60 for nearly a decade, and this is still the recipe we use most mornings.
Because we’re well aware of the hassles of recipe sites (too much story, too little ingredients and steps), we’ll put our Hario V60 recipe first (after modest but necessary preamble).
- 20g whole-bean coffee
- 320g water
- 205°F water temperature
- Medium-fine grind
- 50-70g bloom for 30 seconds
- Three additional pours
- Total brew time: about 3 minutes
Keep reading for a longer take on why a Hario V60 coffee brewer, how it compares to other coffee brewing methods and more.
Our go-to Hario V60 recipe at a glance
| Coffee | Water | Brew ratio | Water temperature | Grind size (Baratza Encore) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20g | 320g | 1:16 | 205°F (96°C) | 16 |
Materials needed to brew Hario V60 pour overs
Useful and (nearly necessary) tools for our Hario V60 brew guide are:
- A Hario V60
- Hario V60 filters
- Your coffee grinder of choice (ours is the Baratza Encore, but many prefer OXO coffee gear)
- A coffee scale (unsurprisingly, we’re into the Hario V60-Brand Drip Coffee Scale and Timer). An upgrade option is the Acacia scale
- An electric pour-over, ‘gooseneck’ kettle, preferably with temperature settings (such as the Bonavita or the Fellow Stagg Kettle)
- A decanter or carafe (we like the Hario brand, no surprise?)
- A mug (preferably a double-walled glass mug) into which you’ll pour your delicious coffee
How to brew the V60
The most important element of coffee brewing of our Hario V60 recipe is going to be the pour over ratio for coffee and grind size. If you know those (and understand what they mean and how to use a Hario v60), the rest is silly details.
Coffee ratio for a V60: Not too strong
We’ll be using a 16:1 coffee-to-water ratio for our Hario V60 brewing instructions. This means we’ll multiply the weight of our coffee beans by 16 to determine the total weight (or volume) of water we need for brewing.
If you don’t have a kitchen scale, you can guesstimate that, but a scale is vital to precise coffee brewing.
We actually recommend the Hario V60-Brand Drip Coffee Scale and Timer for brewing delicious coffee at home; we find it easy to use and more precise at the gram-level than another kitchen favorite of ours, the OXO Good Grips Stainless Steel Scale.
Here’s a quick brew V60 coffee ratio table of some bean-and-water-volumes (all will match our 16:1 water-to-coffee ratio).
| Grams of coffee | Grams (or mL) of water |
| 10 | 160 |
| 12 | 192 |
| 14 | 224 |
| 16 | 256 |
| 18 | 288 |
| 20 | 320 |
For more about ratios, jump to that section in our explanations section.
Grind size for V60
The best grind size for a V60 recipe will depend a lot on your grinder.
Generally speaking, the right Hario V60 grind size is medium-fine, similar to sea salt. This allows for optimal water flow and extraction of flavors from the coffee grounds.
We have a Baratza Encore (our in-depth review here) in our household, and we use the 16 grind size for V60 brewing. This is a little bigger than what we use for the AeroPress, a little smaller than what we use for the Kalita Wave.
A word of caution: Don’t just apply this “16” setting to your own coffee grinder, unless it is also the Baratza Encore. On the plus side, since the Hario V60 is so common, your scale’s manufacturer’s recommendations might include a specific setting combination for the V60. Start there as your base coffee grind for V60 and then hone in if you don’t quite love it.
Opting for a medium grind is a great way to achieve a delicious cup of coffee with your Hario V60.
» Learn more: The 10 best books about coffee we’ve found
Basic steps for all Hario V60 recipes
Alright, time to get to the heart of our Hario V60 brew guide. We’ve kept you waiting long enough, and delicious coffee awaits!
- Grind 18 grams of coffee beans to a 16 size on your Baratza Encore. (As noted above, see your manufacturer recommendations if you’re using a different coffee grinder.)
- Bring a kettle of water to 205F (96C). For 18 grams, you’ll want to have heated about a half-liter. (I prefer too much to too little) Read our review of the Fellow Stagg Kettle »
- Prepare your brew-stack. For me, with a Hario V60 01, that’s almost always a scale, topped with a double-walled glass mug, my plastic Hario V60, and then my filter. If you’re brewing for many, you’ll probably put it above a pitcher (or carafe, if you’re fancy) of some kind.
- Pour a little bonus water through your brew-stack. You’re doing this to wet the filter, and wash away any paper-y taste it has.
- Throw out your water, and add the ground coffee to the filter. I always double-check my ground-coffee-weight here by taring the scale before this step, and after, but that’s a little excessive.
- Zero-out (tare) the scale, and bloom your coffee. This means pouring a little water (50-90g) over the coffee, and stirring with a spoon (or in my case, a AeroPress stir stick). Again, stirring isn’t required, but most people who I’ve consulted on this matter think it’s good but fussy. Now wait a bit to make sure all the ground are saturated.
- Now, pour the rest of your water volume. If your tare before adding any water, you’ll target 288 grams. (That’s 18g of coffee multiplied by our brew-ratio of 16, for those keeping track at home.) Pour methods can be complex, but in general: don’t pour in a single place, don’t pour all at once, and don’t pour too close to the edge. Fancy spirals vs letters vs whatever debates are explored a bit more below.
That’s the end of our Hario V60 instructions. But if you want more detail or some related thoughts, keep reading. 🤓
Vital concepts about Hario V60 coffee making
We’ll just cover a lot of things I didn’t feel we needed to cover in depth above but that’ll be quite important for someone brand new to brewing with the V60 pour over method.
Hario V60 recipe water pouring instructions
The thing I most quickly moved over (in #7 above) is how to pour. But it’s kind of the most mystically and possibly-complicated part of a pour over brew instruction, Hario V60 or otherwise. The primary thing I’ll say: if you’re doing the pouring thoughtfully and by hand, you’ll probably be fine.
In general, though, recommendations will be that you pour water in small 50-100mL (or gram) pulses. This matches pretty well how I make myself a pour over. Short of an auto-drip pour over system (which exist, we reviewed the OXO), that’s the most even and easy way to do it.
So if I’m aiming for the 288mL serving we specify above, I’ll probably pour about 70mLs for the bloom (step #6 above). Then for the remaining 218 grams, I’ll do roughly three pours about 70 grams each, starting in the middle and kind of circulating out. But I’m not dogmatic about it. Sometimes I’ll spell out my name, “coffee,” or some other word with the pours. Sometimes I’ll pour two small ones, then get distracted, then pour 120mL. It’s not hugely important to the final cup, in my judgement.
In addition to pulsing, I do also generally think you want to make all the grounds wet all the time, and never let them run dry. This in generically the reason people advocate for swirls about 30 seconds apart in time. It’ll be the most even and effortless process. So if you’re new and just figuring out how to use a Hario V60, that’s probably the best way to pour your water.
If you’re deciding between pour-over brewers, you may also want to compare the Hario V60 versus the Kalita Wave, which is our other favorite manual brewer.
More about coffee ratios and which to pick for a Hario V60 brew
In the recipe above, and in my day-to-day brewing this V60 coffee recipe, I’ll always have a 16:1 water to coffee ratio. That means that at 20g coffee, I’ll use 320 grams water. If I were to brew just 10g coffee (I never do), I’d use 160 grams of water. Because fractional grams and non-10 numbers can be harder, I’ll sometimes use a calculator or the Drip iPhone app to do the math. It’s early when I make coffee (and I haven’t had my coffee). Don’t judge my math skills! 😝
So this 16:1 ratio is important to the recipe. But it’s not set in stone. Some other nerds will brew a V60 pour over with a 17:1, 15:1 or even further afield numbers. The basic question on brew ratio is: How watery do you like your coffee? The lower your ratio, the finer your grounds, and the more quickly water can flow through the coffee — leading to a watery-er cup (and under-extraction).
If you’re new to this, I’d say start with our 16:1 as your coffee brew ratio, but don’t hesitate to branch out from that. All that matters for you brewing your Hario V60 is your personal preferences about that cup.
Understanding Hario V60 sizes and coffee volume
We’ll cover this in more in our forthcoming Hario V60 review, but the Hario brewer comes in two sizes: an 01 and an 02. As you might guess, the 02 is for more coffee (generally, more people) than the 01.
Our recipe is written for the Hario V60 01 I brew with regularly. If it matters to you, mine is white and plastic. But if you’ve got a Hario V60 02, as I outline above, your brew instructions are the same. Use a 16 grind size on the Baratza Encore (or comparable on your grinder), and a 16:1 brew ratio. I’d use a V60 01 for a single-serve brew, and an 02 for up to about 750mL of coffee. Generally I see people saying that they think that max water they’ll put through the 01 is about 350mL, which feels right to me.
Which material is best for a Hario V60?
I saw Scott Rao (a bit of a luminary in nerdy-coffee circles) explain that plastic is the best for a V60 right before I bought mine. So I bought the plastic one. It was cheaper too.
Materials shouldn’t matter much for Hario V60 brew instructions though. If that’s true, why does Scott say plastic is best? Simply: plastic is less thermally conductive than glass, ceramic, or (especially) metal. So you should get the warmest coffee in your finished cup with a plastic V60. Nothing more than that.
For the nerds, here’s the video with that observation (and his brew instructions):
V60 troubleshooting
| If your coffee tastes… | Try this |
|---|---|
| Sour | Grind finer |
| Bitter | Grind coarser |
| Weak | Add more coffee |
| Too strong | Add less coffee |
| Flat | Use fresher beans |
| Slow to drain | Grind coarser |
Alternatives to a Hario V60 pour over brewer
There are lots of other ways to make pour-over coffee. We’ve reviewed two: the OXO Auto-Drip coffee brewer and the Kalita Wave.
Both brew about as well, and which you choose to get is just a matter of personal preference.
We use the V60 more for single cup brews, and the Wave more for batches. But that’s because I have the Hario V60 01 versus the 02 (which holds more coffee). Plus, we have the Kalita Wave 185, which is the bigger of its two sizes.
It’s held up, too. We’ve been using the same Kalita Wave for almost 10 years.
That said, we really don’t see a huge differences in the cup between the Wave versus the OXO versus the V60. Each can produce excellent coffee.
FAQs on Hario V60
Is a Hario v60 dishwasher safe?
Yes, generally speaking, you can toss your Hario V60 brewer into the dishwasher without much further consideration.
What size filter for a Hario v60?
The size of your Hario V60 filter will depend on the size of the dripper you have.
- Size 01 paper filters → fits a V60 01 dripper (about 1–2 cups).
- Size 02 paper filters → fits a V60 02 dripper (about 1–4 cups; most common).
- Size 03 paper filters → fits a V60 03 dripper (about 1–6 cups).
Can you use Melitta filters in a Hario v60?
Yes, but we wouldn’t recommend it.
Melitta #4 or #6 filters technically work in a Hario V60, but only after some folding and adjustments. The Hario V60 requires a conical shape whereas Melitta filters are flat-bottomed. In order to make it work, you need to fold the basket into more of a cone shape.
IMO, just buy the right V60 filters (they’re not expensive).
Our V60 recipe is your starting point for Hario coffee
To Brew V60 is one of my little daily pleasures. I think it makes great coffee, quickly enough for me, and without much fuss.
If you’re brand new to pour-over coffee, start with the 16:1 ratio, an 18-20g dose, and a medium-fine grind. Brew that recipe five or six times before changing anything.
People swear by their AeroPresses, and those absolutely have their time and place (especially for travel), but I’m a pour-over man, and I love the results of this V60 coffee brewing recipe almost every time. Even when I think my beans are a little too old. And that’s an accomplishment.
Recap of recommended Hario pour over V60 brewing materials:
- Hario V60
- Hario V60 filters
- Your coffee grinder of choice (ours is the Baratza Encore, but many prefer OXO coffee gear)
- A coffee scale (unsurprisingly, we’re into the Hario V60-Brand Drip Coffee Scale and Timer). An upgrade option is the Acacia scale
- An electric pour-over, ‘gooseneck’ kettle, preferably with temperature settings (such as the Bonavita or the Fellow Stagg Kettle)
- A decanter or carafe (we like the Hario brand, no surprise?)
- A mug (preferably a double-walled glass mug) into which you’ll pour your delicious coff
