Pour-Over Brew Guide

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Pour-Over Brew Guide

The V60 is our daily driver. There's a lot of great information and recipes out there, but here's our take on the classic brewer.

Brew Overview

Coffee: 15 grams, medium-fine grind
Water: 250 grams @ 200-205° F
Ratio: 16.67:1 (Water to Coffee)
Brew time: 2:45-3:00 

Brew Equipment

V60 + V60 filter
Gooseneck Kettle
Burr Grinder
Scale
Timer

Prep

  1. Fill and start heating your kettle
  2. Weigh out 15 grams of coffee and grind to medium-fine, about the consistency of sea salt. 
  3. Fold the filter along its seam, open up and insert into the brewer. Place brewer atop your mug/carafe and place everything on top of your scale.
  4. Rinse the filter with water right off the boil. This helps to eliminate the paper taste out of the filter and preheats the brewer and mug/carafe. Discard rinse water.
  5. Tare the scale and add coffee grounds into the V60. Take note of the weight, as the weight you get out of your grinder may be different than what you put in. Adjust as needed. Gently shake or tap the V60 to level the grounds out. Now you’re ready to start brewing.

Brewing

  1. Start your timer and pour 30 grams (2x the amount of grounds) of hot water in a controlled circular motion, ensuring to evenly saturate all the grounds (by this time, the water temperature should have dropped to around the correct temp). You can give the V60 a little swirl to ensure full coverage.
  2. Wait 30-45 seconds for the coffee to degas and “bloom”. This ensures even extraction.
  3. After the bloom, continue to pour the water in a spiraling motion, from the center to the outside and back in again. Continue pouring in this motion until you’ve poured to 100 grams (including the bloom). Pause for around 10 seconds to let the bed settle and water draw down a bit.
  4. Continue pouring 50 grams of water at a time and pausing in the same manner as above—150 grams, pause; 200 grams, pause; and finally, 250 grams. Aim to finish pouring around 2:15. 
  5. Once you’re done pouring, give the V60 a gentle shake/tap/swirl to free up any grounds clinging to the filter walls. 
  6. The water should be done drawing down around 3:00. You’ll want to see a nice flat, even bed of grounds. Discard filter/grounds, give your coffee a little stir. Give it about a minute or so before you start sipping and enjoy the different phases as the coffee cools and evolves! 

Some other thoughts

If your brew time is shorter, try going a bit finer on your grind. Conversely, if your brew time is longer, try going a bit coarser. Generally speaking, an under-extracted cup might be sour, missing sweetness, weak. An over-extracted cup might be bitter or astringent, lacking clarity. Of course, if your brew time is different but you like the end product, then that’s what matters most. 

Water temperature also has an effect on brew time and flavor. Hotter water will draw down quicker and promotes more extraction. If you're brewing a light roast, hotter water may give you a richer, more 3D brew, whereas slightly cooler water might let more nuance come through on a darker roast. Again, let your taste guide you.

The chemistry of the water has a significant effect on the coffee. For best results, we recommend using reverse osmosis or distilled water with Third Wave Water (pre-dosed minerals) added. This will ensure optimal and consistent mineral content.

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