V60 Guide: Pour Over Coffee Step by Step
A cone, a paper filter, hot water – that's really all pour over needs. And yet your first cup often tastes thin, the second one 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 levers you can use to dial everything in to your own taste.
One thing upfront: there's no right and no wrong here. Every number in this article is a starting point, not a rule. If your coffee tastes better to you with a different ratio, a different grind size, or no scale at all, then that's the better coffee for you. End of discussion.
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 inside 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
Hario launched the V60 in 2004. The ribs aren't decoration. They hold the paper away from the wall so air can escape while the coffee bed expands during pouring. According to the manufacturer, the large hole is meant to allow a flow similar to the classic cloth filter, without the dripper itself slowing the water down.
That's exactly where the difference lies compared to a Chemex or an AeroPress: the V60 gives you a lot of control and forgives a little less in return. This can feel demanding – or like a lovely little morning ritual. Either way is 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 liter of water, so roughly 1:16 to 1:17. For one large cup, that's about 15 grams of coffee to 250 grams of water. From there, you move in whichever direction tastes best to you: more coffee makes the cup denser and sweeter, less makes it lighter and more tea-drinker-friendly.
One part coffee, how many parts water?
That there's no universal truth here becomes clear just by looking at the sources. The Specialty Coffee Association states 55 grams of coffee per liter of water in its standard for household coffee makers. The manufacturer's own Japanese instructions work with 10 to 12 grams per 120 milliliters, which is noticeably stronger. Two credible sources, two different answers – pretty good proof that this really is about your own taste.
| Amount | Coffee | Water | Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| One cup | 15 g | 250 g | about 1:17 |
| Two cups | 24 g | 400 g | about 1:17 |
| Bolder | 17 g | 250 g | about 1:15 |
| Lighter | 14 g | 250 g | about 1:18 |
How fine does the coffee need to 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 picture coarse sand or table salt – but that's a memory aid, not a measurement.
Grind size compared
The more honest measure is brew time. If your coffee runs through in under two minutes, it was too coarse. If the water is still sitting in the filter after four minutes, it was too fine. And because every grinder scales differently, the number on your neighbor's dial tells you very little about yours.
More important than the exact grind size, by the way, is that you grind fresh at all. Pre-ground coffee loses its aromas within days – a solid hand grinder changes the cup more noticeably than switching from a good dripper to a very good one, and you'll find an overview among our coffee grinders.
How hot should the water be for pour over?
90 to 96 degrees Celsius is the range the Specialty Coffee Association sets for brew temperature in the coffee bed in its SCA 310-2021 standard. In practice, that means for you: boil the water, let it sit briefly, then pour. Depending on your kettle and room temperature, that's usually reached after about half a minute to a minute – a thermometer takes the guesswork out, but it's not required.
Brew temperature
As a practical rule of thumb: light roasts and dense beans tend to handle the upper end well, while darker roasts taste rounder and less sharp to many people at the lower end. This is everyday experience, not a standard – try it out on your own beans.
How do you brew pour over step by step?
The following recipe is a deliberately simple starting point for one cup in the Hario V60 size 01 or 02, using 15 grams of coffee, 250 grams of water at about 93 degrees, and around three minutes of time. Everything else works itself out once you start drinking.
The brew timeline at a glance
Basic V60 recipe – one cup
- Insert and rinse the filter. Place the paper filter in the dripper, rinse it thoroughly with hot water, and pour the rinse water out of the carafe. This preheats the dripper and carafe and rinses out the paper smell.
- Grind and add the coffee. Grind 15 g medium-fine, add it to the filter, and gently shake the dripper horizontally until the bed lies flat.
- Bloom. Tare the scale, start the timer, and pour about 45 g of water over roughly 10 seconds so that all the grounds are wet. Let it bloom for 30 to 45 seconds.
- First main pour. Pour in slow circles from the inside out until you reach 150 g. Avoid the edge so no grounds stick to the filter wall.
- Second main pour. When the water has almost drained, continue pouring the same way up to 250 g.
- Let it drain. The filter should be empty overall after about 2:30 to 3:30 minutes. At the end, tap the dripper gently once so the bed settles evenly.
- Swirl and pour. Swirl the carafe once – the coffee separates slightly while draining. Then pour and let it cool for a minute; many aromas only show themselves after that.
The figures for bloom amount, bloom time, and total time are established practical values from the specialty scene and don't come from a standard. Hario itself states about 30 seconds of bloom time and a total time within three minutes in its product instructions.
Why do you let the coffee bloom first?
Freshly roasted coffee contains carbon dioxide bound during roasting. 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 flow more evenly through the bed afterward, instead of pushing its way past rising gas bubbles.
What happens during the bloom
How much the bloom actually changes the finished cup is genuinely assessed differently across the coffee world – especially with older beans that barely release gas anymore. But it always remains a nice side benefit: the foaming lets you see at a glance how fresh your coffee is.
How long should a V60 take to drain?
For a cup with about 15 grams of coffee, most recipes land at 2:30 to 3:30 minutes total time, counted from the first drop of water. The manufacturer's own instructions state a total time within three minutes. If it drains noticeably faster, the grind was usually too coarse; if it takes noticeably longer, it was too fine.
What matters here: time isn't a goal in itself. It's your best clue as to what the grind is currently doing. If your cup tastes outstanding after a four-minute drawdown, you haven't done anything wrong – you've simply found your recipe.
What to do if the coffee tastes sour or bitter?
If the coffee tastes thin, sharply sour, and short, it's usually underextracted: grind finer, brew hotter, or pour slower. If it tastes bitter, dry, and heavy, it's usually overextracted: grind coarser, brew cooler, or pour faster. Always change only one thing per round, otherwise you won't know in the end what actually made the difference.
Sour or bitter – what's causing it?
| What you taste | Likely cause | What you can adjust |
|---|---|---|
| Thin, sharply sour, watery | underextracted | grind finer, use more coffee, hotter water, pour slower |
| Bitter, dry, astringent | overextracted | grind coarser, cooler water, pour faster |
| Drains 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 overlooked: not every acidity is a flaw. Light roasts from Ethiopia or Kenya naturally bring a lively, fruity acidity with them – and you don't actually want to brew that away. If this style simply isn't for you, it's not your technique that's the issue, but the bean. In that case, try a slightly darker roast from our coffee beans.
Do you really need a scale and a gooseneck kettle?
Neither is strictly necessary: excellent pour over is possible with just a spoon and a regular kettle, and plenty of people have been doing exactly that for decades. What a scale changes isn't the quality of a single cup, but repeatability – you can brew again whatever tasted good to you yesterday.
The gooseneck spout, in turn, changes how precisely you can pour. A wide spout produces a surge that stirs up the coffee bed and rinses through it unevenly; a narrow spout produces a fine stream you can control. If you want to start with just one thing, get the scale first.
What equipment do you need to get started?
A complete pour over starter setup consists of four parts: dripper, paper filters, grinder, and scale. The dripper and filters together cost less than a restaurant meal – with the grinder, it's usually worth spending a bit more. The Hario V60 Craft Coffee Maker Set comes with a dripper, carafe, and filters in one package, making it the simplest way to get started.
Everything else is available from us under Filter Equipment and in the Hario collection. If you'd rather brew alongside someone instead of reading your way through recipes: in our showrooms in Bern and Zürich, the drippers are ready to hand, and in the workshops we spend the whole morning doing exactly that.
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 about 250 milliliters, 15 grams of coffee is a good starting point, which works out to roughly 1:17. If you like it bolder, go up to 17 grams; if you like it lighter, go down to 14 grams. It's better to weigh the 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 mandatory, but it has two solid benefits: it preheats the dripper and carafe, and it rinses the paper smell out of the filter. Whether you can actually taste the paper in the finished cup is judged differently by experienced drinkers – but either way, the dripper ends up preheated.
What grind size do I need for the Hario V60?
Medium-fine, so coarser than espresso and finer than French press. Hario itself states a medium-fine grind in its product instructions. The most reliable test is brew time: under two minutes is too coarse, over four minutes is too fine.
How hot can the water be for the V60?
The SCA 310-2021 standard states a range of 90 to 96 degrees Celsius for brew temperature in the coffee bed. Boiling water that has sat for half a minute to a minute usually falls right in the middle of this window. A thermometer is convenient, but not a must.
What's the difference between the V60 and the Chemex?
Both are manual filter methods, but the Chemex uses noticeably thicker paper and lets the coffee drain 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 milliliters – that gets you pretty close. 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. In an insulated carafe, it stays drinkable longer but gradually loses clarity. Leaving it on a hot plate isn't a good idea – 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 like it, you've found your recipe. If not, adjust the grind and try again tomorrow – it's really that simple. We're United by Coffee, and the only measure that counts is in your cup.
More on this topic is available in our article about the history of filter coffee, about Specialty Coffee and – when it gets hot outside – to Cold Brew with Hario Equipment. If you'd rather tinker with espresso, you'll find your starting point in our barista course in Zürich.
