What is a V60?

A deep dive into the core of pour-over coffee

What is it?

Although it may look very humble in appearance, the V60 is known as a favorite amongst specialty coffee drinkers. Like the coffee syphon, the V60 brews a cleaner-tasting cup of coffee, with a host of complex flavors that you don't tend to get from a french press or moka pot. You could say there's a reason why it's one of the most commonly used pour-over brewers. 

Available in either plastic, ceramic, or glass, the V60 can be adapted to blend in with your kitchenware and budget, with a plastic V60 ranging from as little as $15. 

History of the V60

The V60 has become one of Hario’s most iconic products. Yet the phenomenon of the V60 was a long time in the making; it wasn't commercialized until 2004 after Hario’s 25-year-long reinvention of their first conical dripper, one that saw popularity in the 1980’s. 

The V60 gets its name from its two distinctive features, the first being its V shape, and the second being the 60-degree angle the filter paper sits at. Hario’s key focus when making this brewer was to recreate the delicious taste of cloth-filtered coffee but with a paper filter, allowing water to pass naturally through the grounds. 

How good is it at brewing coffee?

Using a V60 brings several benefits to your coffee game as opposed to an espresso machine or a cafetiere. These include:

Control: One of the major benefits of a V60 and of pour-over coffee in general is the enhanced control you have in the overall brewing process, from the amount of coffee you use to the blooming process to the overall extraction time. Using a V60 means you are the master of your brew. 

Cleaner taste: One of the other advantages that V60 lovers will tell you about is the cleaner taste that comes from the brewer’s paper filter. This filter traps oils and allows flavors to escape more easily as opposed to metal or cloth ones. 

Great coffee…Made easy: The ease of pour-over coffee is summed up in its name. You pour water over the grounds and voila! You have amazing coffee with little equipment, mess, or complicated steps. You don't even need to weigh your coffee or hot water if you don't want to; most of Hario’s V60 brewers come with a handy measuring scoop! Although we’d recommend using scales for absolute precision and full control, if you’re making coffee in a hurry, this makes the process even more straightforward. 

Recipe

• 15-18g of medium-fine ground coffee (we’d recommend a medium-light roast)
• 250ml of boiled water
• Hario V60
• Hario paper filters
• Set of scales
• Coffee mug, server or jug (to sit under V60) 

The process

Like most pour-over methods, it's best to use a medium-fine grind for a V60 in order for the water to pass through the coffee grounds at a stable rate. In terms of roast, it's also better to opt for a medium-light roast. 

Like a coffee syphon, the V60 tends to highlight more complex flavors compared to a cafetiere or moka pot; these usually brew more full-bodied cups. Therefore, it's better to make the most of a lighter roast, which will yield the cleaner-tasting cup the V60 is known for. However, this is all dependent on personal taste and external factors. If you prefer a more full-bodied coffee, use a darker roast. If you find the water is passing too slowly through your V60, use a slightly coarser grind. If you want your coffee slightly stronger, up the dose of coffee grounds.

What type of V60 should I use?

Plastic, ceramic, glass, metal—the choice of V60 is yours (Image Credit: Hips Social)

The Hario V60 comes in a whole host of different materials, these being plastic, ceramic, metal, or glass. Each of these comes with its own benefits and drawbacks depending on your own tastes, brewing experience, and budget.

The main way in which these materials affect the taste of V60 coffee is in how they interact with heat. The more heat a material retains from the brew, the less it steals from the coffee. As a result, the coffee tends to brew faster while also extracting at a more stable and consistent rate.

Metal

As metal is a great conductor of heat, it tends to work best for heat retention. Metal V60 users tend to report a more noticeable acidity, a key characteristic of V60 coffee, while also being a more durable and quicker method of brewing. Yet the metal V60 does tend to be the most expensive out of the four, ranging from $25 to $100 (£40 to £100). Therefore, it's worth considering whether you want to spend a considerable amount more for what some call minute advantages.

Ceramic

Aesthetically, the ceramic V60 gets top marks. Yet it does tend to let out more heat as opposed to the plastic or metal V60’s, meaning it takes longer to get to temperature. It's a minute detail, but worth remembering that preheating will save you a lot of time if you do opt for the ceramic V60. In terms of taste, the ceramic V60 still makes amazing coffee, but you may find it has a duller acidity and flavor due to the loss of heat and, rather, tends to suit those who prefer more sweeter notes. It's also the second most expensive out of the four, with prices starting at around $20.

Plastic

The most economical out of all four, the plastic V60 is probably the most popular also. Starting at around the $10 mark, it’s the perfect option for those new to V60 brewing, whilst also being much more durable than glass or ceramic brewers. In essence, the plastic V60 gets you closer to the advantages of its metal counterpart with better heat retention, whilst also being far more budget friendly.

Glass

The fact that Hario literally translates to “King of glass" explains why its glassware is so popular. Hario’s glass V60 is made out of the same heatproof glass it is widely known for, which is also made from only natural components. Like the ceramic V60, the glass option also absorbs heat from its surroundings, as well as stealing heat from the coffee itself. 

Therefore, you may find glass and ceramic V60’s yield similar-tasting cups, less acidic and more on the sweater side. Yet it also shares the same drawbacks of the ceramic in how durability is compromised for the aesthetic. Although they look pretty on your countertop, this might not last if not stored in a smash-free environment or if you're a bit heavy-handed. Something to bear in mind before spending anywhere between $35-$55 on one of these. 

Final Thoughts

The V60 is a great way to brew great coffee; it's simple and, compared to an espresso machine or syphon, fairly inexpensive with little mess. Although the overall taste can differ depending on the type of V60 used, all four still brew very good, clean-tasting filter coffee. Like most coffee makers, it all comes down to personal preference and experience. If a beginner, a plastic V60 is a great place to start before splurging on a more expensive model.