What is the standard V60 recipe?
Quick answer
15 g coffee, 250 ml water (1:16), medium-fine grind, 30 s bloom with 30 g water, then two pours finishing around 2:50 total brew time. Water 94 °C. Adjust grind so drawdown doesn't stall past 3:30.
What equipment do you need
You don't need much, but each item matters:
- V60 dripper — Size 01 brews 1 cup (up to ~300 ml); size 02 handles 1–4 cups and is more forgiving with larger doses. Start with 02 if unsure.
- Gooseneck kettle — The narrow spout lets you control exactly where water lands. A regular kettle pours too fast and floods the bed unevenly.
- Scale with a timer — Pour control by feel is unreliable. A cheap scale that reads in 0.1 g increments is enough.
- Tabless V60 paper filters — Hario's own filters fit best. Rinse them before brewing to wash out paper taste and pre-heat the dripper.
- Burr grinder — Blade grinders produce uneven particles that cause mixed extraction. Any entry-level burr grinder (hand or electric) is a step up.
That's the core kit. A dedicated V60 server is nice but a mug works fine.
Why V60 is picky — and worth it
The large single hole and ribbed cone give you full control over flow rate. Nothing is fixed for you the way it is with, say, an AeroPress. That's both the challenge and the reward.
When grind size and pour rate match, the V60 produces a clean, bright cup that shows off a coffee's character better than almost any other method. It's why specialty cafes use it for filter flights — you taste the coffee, not the brewer.
For beginners, that same control makes it a fast teacher. Every cup tells you something: too slow means grind too fine, too fast means too coarse, bitter means over-extracted, weak means under. You get direct feedback and a clear lever to pull. After a few weeks you'll understand extraction better than most people who've been drinking coffee for years.
Grind size matters most
Target: medium-fine — finer than drip coffee, coarser than espresso. On most hand grinders this is around 20–25 clicks from zero. On a Baratza Encore, try setting 15–18.
How to tell if your grind is off:
- Drawdown finishes before 2:00 → too coarse. The water moves through too fast and under-extracts. Go finer.
- Drawdown stalls past 3:30 or water pools on top → too fine. The bed is restricting flow and over-extracting. Go coarser.
- Brew time lands between 2:30–3:10 → you're in range. Taste it before adjusting further.
Adjust one step at a time. Grind size affects extraction more than any other variable, so change it before touching dose or temperature.
Step by step
- Fold filter, rinse with hot water, drain, and discard rinse water.
- Add 15 g grounds, create a shallow well in the center.
- Bloom: pour 30 g water, fully saturating the grounds, swirl gently, wait 30 s.
- Pour to 120 g total by ~1:15, pouring in slow circles from center out.
- Pour to 250 g total by ~2:00, same technique; let it drain.
- Target total draw-down done by 2:50. If it stalls past 3:30, go one notch coarser next time.
V60 recipe variations
The standard 15 g / 250 ml (1:16) recipe is a good baseline for medium roasts. Here are common adjustments:
| Situation | Dose | Water | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard cup | 15 g | 250 ml | Starting point for most coffees |
| Larger cup | 20 g | 320 ml | Scale up, keep the same ratio and timing |
| Light roast | 15 g | 250 ml | Grind slightly finer, water to 96 °C |
| Dark roast | 15 g | 250 ml | Grind slightly coarser, water to 90–92 °C |
| Stronger preference | 15 g | 225 ml | 1:15 ratio; richer, less clarity |
| Lighter preference | 15 g | 270 ml | 1:18 ratio; more delicate |
When scaling up to 20 g, keep the same three-phase structure — bloom at 2× coffee weight (40 g), then split the remaining water into two pours. Total time should still land around 3:00–3:20.
Troubleshooting
The drawdown stalls and water pools on top. Grind is too fine. Go one notch coarser. Also check that you're not pouring too aggressively — pouring too fast in the same spot can compact the bed mid-brew.
The cup is bitter. Over-extraction. Either grind too fine, water too hot, or brew time too long. Try going coarser first. If that doesn't fix it, drop water temperature by 2 °C.
The cup is weak or sour. Under-extraction. Grind too coarse or water not hot enough. Go finer one step. If the coffee also tastes sharp or harsh, the grind is the issue; if it tastes thin and flat, try raising the temperature slightly.
Uneven extraction — some grounds look wet, some look dry after the bloom. You didn't fully saturate the bed during the bloom pour. Use a spoon or skewer to quickly stir after the bloom pour to make sure all grounds are wet before the 30 s wait.
The brew finishes too fast (under 2:00). Grind is too coarse. The water is rushing through without extracting properly. Go finer.
Common questions
V60 vs Chemex? V60 is faster, more versatile; Chemex uses thicker filters that produce a lighter, cleaner body. Both are pour-over but they taste noticeably different.
What if water pools on top mid-pour? Grind too fine — coarsen one notch and check your pour rate isn't faster than the bed can handle.
Light roast on V60? Often needs slightly hotter water and a finer grind than dark roast. Start at 96 °C and adjust from there.
Load the V60 timer preset or use the ratio calculator to scale the recipe up or down.