Easy to use, quick and mess-free, the Hario V60 is our filter brew tool of choice. Discover why we love it and learn how to brew like a pro at home.
What is the Hario V60?
Invented in 2004 and manufactured in Japan, the Hario V60 is a filter coffee dripper which gets its namesake from its V cone shape and distinctive 60 degree angle.
We love it because it’s easy to use, speedy, mess-free and best of all, V60 brewed coffee tastes amazing.
V60 vs. Cafetiere
Now, if you’re a long-time cafetiere fan you may be wondering why you should bother using the ‘funnel thingy’ over a classic French press?!
The coffee we sell at Pact has lots of different flavours in it that are trapped in the liquid. The V60 uses filter papers which remove the oils and allow the lovely flavour characteristics to escape more easily than a cafetiere which has metal filters. Plus, the angle of a V60 allows water to flow evenly to the centre, which lets the water and coffee grounds get more contact time.
Most V60s are ribbed too, spiralling from top to bottom, which gives more space for the coffee to ‘bloom’ (that’s what it’s called when it starts bubbling - that’s carbon dioxide escaping, which is a sign of freshness!).
The V60 is also a lot less messy. With a V60, you can simply grab the used filter papers and throw them away when you’re done instead of contending with a load of sediment at the bottom of a cafetiere. We offer biodegradable V60 filter papers at Pact so you can enjoy your morning brew and be kinder to the planet, too.
Why is the V60 made of plastic?
We know there’s way too much single-use plastic in the world. But the beauty of the Hario V60 is that it’s not single-use. In fact, it’s potentially worth thousands and thousands of uses!
The Hario V60 also comes in ceramic and metal versions, but the plastic is our preferred choice for 2 key reasons:
- It’s durable: travel with it, knock it on the floor, shove it in a cupboard, forget about it in a box for years then pull it out again. It’s built to last!
- It’s heat-resistant: the metal versions singe your fingers, and the ceramic ones being too cold (or getting too hot) affects the extraction - plastic is just right though
So how do you actually use a V60?
Thankfully, the V60 brew kit we offer has everything included with it that you need- filters, and a measuring scoop (so there’s no need to faff around with scales)!
We’ve put together a V60 video guide here, including step-by-step instructions.
Here’s our additional tips for getting the best cup of coffee possible out of it:
- Use medium-ground coffee, as other grind sizes could make the coffee taste dull or too bitter
- Use one level scoop (around 15g of coffee) which is perfect for a 250ml cup of coffee
- Fold your paper filter along the seams, so it sits properly in the V60
- Rinse your paper filter before brewing with hot water, to get rid of the ‘papery’ taste and pre-heat your V60
- Wait 60 seconds after your kettle’s boiled, for the optimum temperature
- Pour the water in circles (a normal kettle will do!) to make sure you properly submerge all the coffee grounds - go counterclockwise, to agitate the grounds more
What about brewing more than one cup of coffee?
You might have spotted this stylish little number:
Hario don’t just make excellent brewing tools. They’re also experts when it comes to glassware. The Hario V60 glass server is the ultimate companion piece, letting you brew more than one cup of coffee at a time. Just add an extra scoop of coffee, and double the water, and you can brew two big cups of coffee at once!
