the way of v60.
Written, designed and Photographed by Daria Pyshna.
Written, designed and Photographed by Daria Pyshna.
Updated: April 17th, 2023
I’m not gonna bore you with a long sentimental story of how my love for coffee started. Always drank it. Always loved it. But around three years ago, I became interested in all the intricacies of coffee making after having the privilege of using a costly espresso machine. I could not imagine using such a beautiful device without any idea of what I was doing. So, I started by learning about coffee beans and finding roasters I liked available on the Ukrainian market. After moving to the UK, I wanted to find a brewing method that could easily satisfy my spoiled pallet without having to buy an espresso machine. This is where pour-over brewing came into play. I knew what V60 was and had drunk it countless times in modern coffee shops. But, never have I tried to make it myself.
Just so we are on the same page, V60 brewing is essentially pouring hot water on the bed coffee grounds. That water drains through the coffee using a disposable filter and slowly drips into the mug below.
My favorite part, and the scariest one, is how customizable this brewing method is. The amount of variables affecting your finished product is insane: the initial filtration of the water, its temperature, the coffee’s origin and roasting, the grind size, the “gear” used, the ratios, the recipe, and the technique. Two baristas using the same coffee grounds and recipe might not even make a similar-tasting cup.
All of this can seem overwhelming and confusing. Still, once you grasp a basic understanding of a “recipe” and how to utilize it right, you can create a perfect cup of coffee that fits your preference exquisitely.
How does a recipe work?
Without getting much into the science (even though I think it’s fascinating), I will try to explain what a V60 recipe entails. Based on the Coffee Legend, Tetsu Kasuya’s 4:6 method, there are two “Phases” to brewing.
Phase 1:
includes 40% of the total liquid and affects the sweetness/ acidity of the coffee.
Phase 2:
includes the other 60% of the liquid and affects the strengths of your final product.
Then you decide the amount of “pours” you want to do and their volume. Adding more water during the first pour, or the “Bloom”, will create a more acidic cup. Less water- a sweeter one. In the second phase, the more pours you do, the stronger your coffee will get. All customizable and not as hard as it might sound.
Of course, this is just ONE method and ONE example of how to brew a V60, but in my opinion, it is a very good starting point. You can find more detailed recipes based on Tetsu Kasuya’s method. There are a lot of them…
“Bloom” refers to pouring a smaller amount of liquid onto the bed of coffee grounds and waiting at least 30 seconds for the trapped gas to escape. Usually, the coffee swells, and bubbles appear on the surface.
Every coffee bean has CO2 trapped in it throughout growing. Once the beans go through the roasting process, they begin to degas.
A small science-based tip for you: The darker the roast of your beans- the less CO2 it has trapped inside, which means a shorter bloom is needed. Trapped CO2 might affect the flavor drastically and prevent you from tasting all the beautiful flavor notes. This is why “The Blooming” phase is so important in brewing.
‘‘the bloom’’ explained
Today, I want to share a set recipe that has worked out for me with almost every coffee roast and grind I’ve tried. It is a recipe from the World Brewers Cup Champion 2021, Matt Winton. I found that you don’t have to change this recipe for different beans as much as the other ones. Slight tweaks here and there will do the trick.
So here is what you do:
TaKE
aWaY
This is my first post about the V60 brewing method, an introduction, if you will. I didn’t even scratch the surface of all the nuances it carries, and to be honest, I am very far from knowing all of them. Hopefully, I will spark some interest in you to continue exploring this topic further.
If you take away anything from this blog is that even with all the aspects of the recipe, in my opinion, The first pour (“The Bloom”) is where most of the magic happens, and most of the flavor develops.
So, I encourage you to experiment with that first. Find your flavor preferences and go from there. Other things will come with time and practice, just like anything else in life!