V60 Guide: Pour Over Coffee Step by Step

A cone, a paper filter, hot water – pour over doesn't need much more than that. And yet your first cup often tastes thin, the second bitter, and somewhere in between you start wondering what everyone sees in this method. This guide takes the guesswork out of it: a recipe to get you started, the numbers behind it – and the adjustments you can use to tune everything to your taste.

One thing up front: there's no right or wrong here. All the numbers in this article are starting points, not rules. If your coffee tastes better to you with a different ratio, a different grind size or without a scale at all, then that's the better coffee for you. End of story.

What is pour over – and what makes the Hario V60 special?

Pour over means you pour hot water by hand over freshly ground coffee, and the coffee runs through a paper filter into a carafe. With the Hario V60, this happens in a cone with a 60-degree opening angle – hence the name – with spiral ribs on the inner wall and a single large hole at the bottom. Because this hole barely slows the flow, it's mainly you who sets the pace: through the grind size and how fast you pour.

Anatomy of the Hario V60

Coffee bed, i.e. the wet ground coffeePaper filterBrewed coffeeSteam

What the labels mean: The coffee bed is the wet ground coffee in the filter. The ribs on the inner wall keep the paper away from the wall so that air can escape as the bed expands while you pour. The single large hole at the bottom barely slows the flow – you set the pace through grind size and pouring speed. The finished coffee ends up in the carafe.

Schematic cross-section, not to scale — only the opening angle is drawn exactly (60.0°). Source: Hario (global.hario.com/v60): 60° cone, ribs up to the top edge, a single large hole. The V60 was launched in 2004.

Hario launched the V60 in 2004. The ribs aren't there for decoration. They keep the paper away from the wall so that air can escape while the coffee bed expands as you pour. According to the manufacturer, the large hole is meant to allow a flow similar to the classic cloth filter, without the dripper itself holding back the water.

That's exactly what sets it apart from a Chemex or an AeroPress: the V60 gives you a lot of control and is a little less forgiving in return. You might find that demanding – or a lovely little morning ritual. Both are completely fine.

What coffee-to-water ratio do you need for the V60?

A common starting point for pour over is 60 grams of coffee per litre of water, which gives a brew ratio of 1:16.7 – one part coffee to just under 17 parts water, both measured by weight. For a large cup, that's about 15 grams of coffee to 250 grams of water. From there, head in whichever direction you enjoy: more coffee makes the cup denser and sweeter, less makes it lighter and more appealing to tea drinkers.

One part coffee, how many parts water?

1 part coffee (by weight)1 part water, same weight

All three rows are calculated for 250 g of water — about what fits in a large cup. Rounded to whole grams, the same three rows appear in the table below this graphic.

SCA 310-2021 is a test standard for home filter coffee machines; the 55 g per litre it specifies corresponds to 1 : 18.2.

A quick look at the sources shows that there's no universal truth here. The frequently quoted 55 grams of coffee per litre of water come from the SCA 310-2021 standard – as a fixed test condition under which home filter coffee machines are certified, not as a taste recommendation. Converted, that's 1:18.2, a touch lighter than our starting point and no contradiction of it. Hario, for its part, gives no fixed ratio at all in its own instructions, but rules instead: for the bloom, twice as much water as coffee, then four times as much for each pour, with a total time within three minutes. Two reputable sources, two completely different approaches – good evidence that this really is about your taste.

Amount	Coffee	Water	Ratio
One cup	15 g	250 g	about 1:17
Two cups	24 g	400 g	about 1:17
Stronger	17 g	250 g	about 1:15
Lighter	14 g	250 g	about 1:18

How fine should the coffee be ground for the V60?

For the Hario V60, you grind medium-fine: coarser than for espresso, finer than for French Press. Hario itself refers to a medium-fine grind in its product instructions. Many people find it helpful to picture coarse sand or table salt – but that's a memory aid, not a measurement. In numbers, the usual guideline values are around 400 to 800 micrometres particle size; a micrometre (µm) is one thousandth of a millimetre. Different sources vary considerably, because each measuring method counts something different – there's no standard for this.

Grind size compared

All three panels show the same section, about 18 mm wide – the scale bar at the bottom left applies to all three. So the particle sizes are correct relative to each other. µm stands for micrometre: one thousandth of a millimetre.

Espresso

fine
200–400 µm

V60

medium-fine
400–800 µm

French Press

coarse
800–1200 µm

GuidelineThe micrometre figures are guideline values from grinder and sieve comparisons, not a standard – different sources give between 400 and 950 µm for the V60, because each measuring method counts something different. The particles are simplified as circles here; real coffee particles are angular.

The more honest measure is the drawdown time. If your coffee runs through in under two minutes, the grind was too coarse. If the water is still sitting in the filter after four minutes, it was too fine. And because every grinder uses its own scale, the number on your neighbour's dial tells you precious little about yours.

More important than the exact grind size, by the way, is that you grind fresh in the first place. Pre-ground coffee loses its aromas within days – a solid hand grinder makes a more noticeable difference to your cup than switching from a good dripper to a very good one. You'll find an overview among our coffee grinders.

How hot should the water be for pour over?

90 to 96 degrees Celsius – this range comes from the SCA 310-2021 standard. And because it's misquoted almost everywhere, we'll tell you straight away what it really is: a test standard for home filter coffee machines, not a brewing guideline for pour-over drippers. It requires a certified machine to reach 90 to 96 degrees in the coffee bed – measured at the top, in the centre. Even so, the range works well as a guide. In practice, that means for you: bring the water to the boil, let it stand briefly, start pouring. Depending on the kettle and the room temperature, you'll get there after roughly half a minute to a minute – estimated, not measured: this rule of thumb comes from experience in our courses and isn't a measured value for your kitchen. A thermometer takes the guesswork out of it, but you don't need one.

Brew temperature

90–96 °C range that SCA 310 requires of certified filter coffee machinesour starting point in this recipe: around 93 °C

The temperature is measured at the top, in the centre of the coffee bed — as SCA 310-2021 prescribes for testing home filter coffee machines.

That cooler water tastes flatter and less sweet is based on experience and isn't written in any standard.

As a rule of thumb from practice: light roasts and dense beans tend to cope better with the upper end, while darker roasts taste rounder and less sharp to many people at the lower end. That's practical experience from everyday brewing, not a standard – try it out with your beans.

How do you brew pour over step by step?

The following recipe is a deliberately simple starting point for one cup in a Hario V60 size 01 or 02. You'll need 15 grams of coffee, 250 grams of water at about 93 degrees and around three minutes. Everything else falls into place as you drink.

The brewing process at a glance

BloomPour 1Pour 2Drawdownthe red line tracks the time

The red line runs in time-lapse — in reality the whole process takes three and a half minutes. Bloom amount, bloom duration and total time are established practical values in the specialty coffee scene, not a standard. Hario itself says: bloom with twice the amount of water, wait 30 seconds, total under 3 minutes.

The figures for bloom amount, bloom duration and total time are established practical values from the specialty coffee scene and don't come from a standard. In its own instructions, Hario says: for the bloom, twice as much water as coffee, then wait 30 seconds, four times the amount of water for each further pour, with a total time within three minutes.

Why do you let the coffee bloom first?

Freshly roasted coffee contains trapped carbon dioxide from roasting – depending on the roast level, measurements found around 2.7 milligrams per gram in a light roast and 8.5 milligrams per gram in a dark roast. For 15 grams of coffee, that's about 40 to 130 milligrams of gas. On first contact with water, this gas escapes, the coffee bed rises and visibly foams up – that's the bloom. If you give it 30 to 45 seconds, the water can then run through the bed more evenly instead of having to push its way past rising gas bubbles.

What happens during the bloom

Bubble = carbon dioxide (CO₂) from roastingCoffee bed, i.e. the wet ground coffee

The numbers behind it: 2.7 to 8.5 milligrams of CO₂ per gram add up to about 40 to 130 milligrams of gas for 15 g of coffee. The 45 g of bloom water is roughly three times the amount of coffee. And “afterwards” means: the water runs through the bed more evenly instead of pushing its way past rising bubbles.

Extraction here means: the water dissolves the flavour compounds out of the ground coffee. CO₂ content: Coffee Excellence Center Zurich 2016 — 2.7 mg per gram for a light roast, 8.5 mg for a dark roast. Whether the bloom makes the cup better is debated — what's documented is the degassing, not the taste.

How much the bloom actually changes the finished cup is judged quite differently in the coffee world – especially with older beans that hardly release any gas. But it always has one nice side effect: from the foaming you can see at a glance how fresh your coffee is.

How long should a V60 take to draw down?

For one cup with around 15 grams of coffee, most recipes land at a total time of 2:30 to 3:30 minutes, counted from the first drop of water. Hario's own instructions give a total time within three minutes. If it runs through much faster, the grind was usually too coarse; if it takes noticeably longer, it was too fine.

The important thing here: the time isn't a goal in itself. It's your best clue to what the grind size is doing. If your cup tastes excellent after a four-minute drawdown, you haven't done anything wrong – you've found your recipe.

What should you do if your coffee tastes sour or bitter?

If the coffee tastes thin, sharply sour and short, it's usually under-extracted – too little of what's in the ground coffee has ended up in the water: grind finer, brew hotter or pour more slowly. If it tastes bitter, dry and heavy, it's usually over-extracted, meaning too much has been dissolved: grind coarser, brew cooler or pour faster. Only ever change one thing per brew, otherwise you won't know in the end what made the difference.

Sour or bitter – what's causing it?

classic target window 18 to 22%the arrow moves — this is where you nudge your brew

To the left you move by: grinding coarser · cooler water · pouring faster. To the right by: grinding finer · hotter water · pouring more slowly. On the left the coffee tastes thin, sharply sour and watery; on the right bitter, dry and astringent.

What the axis measures: extraction yield = dissolved solids in the drink divided by the coffee dose. The 18–22% window goes back to measurements by E. E. Lockhart at the Coffee Brewing Institute, published in 1957, and still appears in the SCA Brewing Control Chart today. This used to say “at MIT” – the sources don't support that: MIT is where Lockhart's academic career was based, but the coffee research took place at the Coffee Brewing Institute. The SCA itself is working on a new version.

What you taste	Probably	What you can adjust
Thin, sharply sour, watery	under-extracted	grind finer, more coffee, hotter water, pour more slowly
Bitter, dry, astringent	over-extracted	grind coarser, cooler water, pour faster
Runs through in under 2 minutes	Grind too coarse	one step finer
Still standing after 4 minutes	Grind too fine	one step coarser

And one caveat that often gets lost: not all acidity is a flaw. Light roasts from Ethiopia or Kenya naturally bring a lively, fruity acidity – you don't want to brew that away. If this style simply isn't for you, it's not your technique, it's the bean. In that case, try a slightly darker roast from our coffee beans.

Do you really need a scale and a gooseneck kettle?

You don't need either. You can make excellent pour over with a spoon and an ordinary kettle, and plenty of people have been doing just that for decades. What a scale changes isn't the quality of a single cup but repeatability: you can brew again whatever you enjoyed yesterday.

The gooseneck, on the other hand, changes how precisely you pour. A wide spout produces a gush that churns up the coffee bed and flushes through it unevenly; a narrow spout gives you a fine stream you can control. If you want to start with one thing, get the scale first.

What equipment do you need to get started?

A complete pour-over starter setup consists of four things: dripper, paper filters, grinder and scale. Dripper and filters together cost less than a meal out – the grinder is where it's most worth spending a little more. The Hario V60 Craft Coffee Maker Set brings dripper, carafe and filters together in one pack, which makes it the easiest way to start.

You'll find everything else under Filter Equipment and in the Hario collection. If you'd rather brew alongside someone than read your way through recipes: in our showrooms in Bern and Zurich the drippers are right at hand, and in our workshops that's exactly what we do all morning.

Frequently asked questions about pour over and the Hario V60

How much coffee do I need for one cup of V60?

For a cup of around 250 millilitres, 15 grams of coffee is a good starting point, which is roughly 1:17. If you like it stronger, go up to 17 grams; if you prefer it lighter, go down to 14 grams. It's better to weigh your coffee than to measure it with a spoon – beans vary in density depending on the roast.

Do I need to rinse the paper filter before brewing?

Rinsing isn't essential, but it has two real benefits: it preheats the dripper and carafe, and it rinses the papery smell out of the filter. Whether you can actually taste the paper in the finished cup is something experienced coffee drinkers judge differently – but either way, the dripper is preheated.

What grind size do I need for the Hario V60?

Medium-fine, so coarser than espresso and finer than French Press; as a guideline, around 400 to 800 micrometres particle size. Hario itself specifies a medium-fine grind in its product instructions. The most reliable test is the drawdown time: under two minutes is too coarse, over four minutes is too fine.

How hot should the water be for the V60?

The SCA 310-2021 standard gives a range of 90 to 96 degrees Celsius, measured at the top, in the centre of the coffee bed. Worth knowing: this is a test standard for home filter coffee machines, not a rule for pour-over drippers – even so, it works well as a guide. Boiling water that has stood for half a minute to a minute usually lands right in the middle of this window. A thermometer is handy, but not a must.

What's the difference between the V60 and the Chemex?

Both are pour-over drippers, but the Chemex uses a much thicker paper and lets the coffee run through more slowly, which makes the cup clearer and lighter. The V60 works with thinner paper and a large outlet and gives you more control over the pace. Which style is better simply depends on which one you prefer to drink.

Can I make pour over without a scale?

Yes. A level tablespoon of coffee beans is roughly 7 to 8 grams, and most cups hold 200 to 250 millilitres – that will get you close enough. The 7 to 8 grams are estimated, not measured: how much fits on a spoon depends on the roast level, the size of the beans and the spoon. A scale doesn't make your coffee better, it makes it repeatable – and that's exactly where its value lies.

How long does pour over coffee stay good?

It tastes best in the first 15 to 30 minutes, while it's still warm and the aromas unfold as it cools – based on experience from our courses, not a measurement. In an insulated carafe it stays drinkable for longer, but gradually loses clarity. You shouldn't leave it standing on a hot plate – it turns bitter there within a short time.

And now: just brew

Take the recipe, brew yourself a cup and drink it in peace. If you enjoy it, you've found your recipe. If not, adjust the grind and try again tomorrow – that's all there is to it. We're United by Coffee, and the only measure that counts is in your cup.

Sources for the figures in the graphics: SCA Standard 310-2021 “Home Coffee Brewers” – test standard for home filter coffee machines, brew temperature 90–96 °C at the top in the centre of the coffee bed, test ratio 55 g of coffee per kilogram of water, target strength 1.15–1.55% dissolved solids. Hario, global.hario.com/v60 – 60° cone, ribs up to the top edge, one large hole, V60 since 2004, bloom time 30 seconds, total time under three minutes. Coffee Excellence Center Zurich 2016 on the CO₂ content of roasted beans. SCA Brewing Control Chart after E. E. Lockhart for the 18–22% extraction window – Lockhart was director of the Coffee Brewing Institute, founded in the early 1950s by the National Coffee Association and the Pan American Coffee Bureau; the related paper “The Soluble Solids in Beverage Coffee as an Index to Cup Quality” was published in 1957. This used to say “MIT”. The sources don't support that, and they aren't consistent: the SCA names MIT as the place where Lockhart earned his doctorate in 1939 and later taught, while other accounts don't mention it at all – none of them places the coffee research there. More detail in our article on the history of filter coffee. The grind size micrometre figures are guideline values from grinder and sieve comparisons and not a standard – the sources differ from one another.

You'll find more on the topic in our articles on the history of filter coffee, on specialty coffee and – when it gets hot outside – on cold brew with Hario equipment. If you'd rather fine-tune your espresso, our barista course in Zurich is a good place to start.