Quick answer: A reliable V60 recipe is James Hoffmann’s: 30 g of medium-fine coffee to 500 g of very hot water, a 60 g bloom swirled and rested 45 seconds, then pour to 300 g by 1:15 and to 500 g by 1:45, finishing around 3:30. Tetsu Kasuya’s 4:6 method (20 g to 300 g) and Scott Rao’s recipe (20 g to 330 g) are excellent alternatives.
Three V60 techniques come up again and again: Tetsu Kasuya’s 4:6 method, which won the 2016 World Brewers Cup; Scott Rao’s spin method; and James Hoffmann’s “Ultimate” V60 technique. Below are all three recipes side by side, step-by-step instructions for each, and our pick.
In this guide 9 sections
V60 recipes compared
| Hoffmann “Ultimate” | Kasuya 4:6 | Rao | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coffee | 30 g | 20 g | 20 g |
| Water | 500 g | 300 g | 330 g |
| Ratio | about 1:16.7 | 1:15 | 1:16.5 |
| Grind | Medium-fine | Coarse | Adjust to hit the time |
| Water temperature | As hot as possible | 92°C | 97°C |
| Bloom | 60 g, swirl, 45 s | First pour of the 40% phase | 60 g, vigorous spin, 40 s |
| Pours | To 300 g by 1:15, to 500 g by 1:45 | 5 pours (2 for taste, 3 for strength) | To 200 g, then to 330 g |
| Total time | About 3:30 | About 3:30 | About 4:00–4:30 |
New to ratios? Our pour-over coffee to water ratio guide explains how to scale any of these up or down.
What equipment do you need for a V60?
You need a V60 dripper, matching paper filters, a burr grinder, a digital scale with a timer and ideally a gooseneck kettle. You don’t need the exact gear the champions use, as long as it does the job.
What is a V60?
The Hario V60 is a cone-shaped pour-over dripper with spiral ridges on the inside and one large hole at the bottom. The ridges leave space between filter and wall so air can escape and coffee flows freely, and the big hole means your grind and pouring control the flow rate. Hario makes it in several materials, including plastic, ceramic, glass and metal.
Hario Plastic V60 Coffee Dripper
The plastic V60 is a favourite of all three brewers here. It holds heat well, is light and hard to break, and doesn’t get too hot to hold when you swirl it.
Hario Ceramic V60 Coffee Dripper
Ceramic looks great on the counter and is easy to clean. It is heavier and needs a thorough preheat, because the thick walls draw heat from the brew.
Hario Glass V60 Pour Over Starter Set with Dripper, Glass Server, Scoop and Filters
A glass dripper with a removable base, plus a server, scoop and filters. Being able to see the coffee bed helps you check it’s level and spot a stall.
Hario Metal V60 Coffee Dripper
Stainless steel is durable and easy to clean. It gets hot, so take care if you swirl it during the brew.
Tips that apply to every V60 recipe
- Grind fresh: weigh whole beans and grind just before brewing. Pre-ground coffee loses aroma fast; see how long coffee stays fresh.
- Use filtered water if your tap water tastes of chlorine.
- Rinse the paper filter with hot water to remove papery taste and preheat the dripper.
- Use a gooseneck kettle for a steady, controllable pour. See how pour speed changes the cup.
- Don’t skip the bloom: it lets CO2 escape so the rest of the water extracts evenly.
How do you make James Hoffmann’s Ultimate V60?
Coffee writer and 2007 World Barista Champion James Hoffmann designed this recipe to be simple and repeatable. The recipe below follows the version published by Hario.
- Grind 30 g of coffee medium-fine. Rinse the filter and add the coffee.
- Start the timer and pour 60 g of water (twice the coffee’s weight). Swirl the brewer until all the grounds are evenly wet. Bloom for 45 seconds.
- Pour to 300 g by about 1:15.
- Pour to 500 g by about 1:45.
- Give the slurry a light stir clockwise and then anticlockwise to knock grounds off the walls, then a gentle swirl to flatten the bed.
- Let it drain. Aim to finish around 3:30; grind coarser if it is much slower, finer if much faster.
How does Tetsu Kasuya’s 4:6 method work?
Tetsu Kasuya won the 2016 World Brewers Cup with this method. It splits the water into two phases: the first 40% controls the balance of sweetness and acidity, and the last 60% controls strength. The steps below follow his recipe published by Hario.
- Grind 20 g of coffee coarse and heat 300 g of water to about 92°C.
- 40% phase (120 g): pour 50 g, then 70 g at 0:45. A smaller first pour makes the cup sweeter; a larger first pour makes it brighter and more acidic.
- 60% phase (180 g): pour the rest in three 60 g pours, each once the previous one has drained. Fewer, larger pours make a lighter cup; more pours make it stronger.
- Remove the dripper at about 3:30.
How do you brew Scott Rao’s V60?
Coffee consultant and author Scott Rao popularised spinning the brewer (the “Rao spin”) to flatten the bed and reduce channelling. This follows his recipe published by Hario; he recommends the plastic V60 for heat retention.
- Grind 20 g of coffee and heat 330 g of water to about 97°C.
- Pour 60 g and spin the brewer vigorously right away so every ground is wet. Wait about 40 seconds.
- Pour to 200 g, then give a very short, gentle spin.
- When the slurry has drained about 70%, pour to 330 g with a steady, low stream, then spin gently once more.
- Let it drain; total time is about 4:00–4:30.
Which V60 brewing method is best?
Our pick is James Hoffmann’s Ultimate technique. We judged the three on how even and tasty a brew you can get and how easy the method is to repeat at home, and it came out ahead on both.
The 4:6 method is the most beginner-friendly: it needs little technique beyond timing and lets you steer the cup towards sweeter or brighter. It also suits anyone who would rather not swirl the brewer.
The Rao method rewards more experienced brewers who want to practise spinning and controlling the bed. Whichever you choose, change one thing at a time: grind first, then pour.
What if your V60 goes wrong?
- Drawdown far too slow or stalling: fix a V60 stall.
- Sludgy, uneven bed: fix a muddy V60 bed.
- Thin or sour cup: fix weak pour-over coffee.
- Filter folding in: why coffee filters collapse.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best coffee to water ratio for a V60?
Most V60 recipes sit between about 1:15 and 1:17. Kasuya’s 4:6 uses 1:15 (20 g to 300 g), Rao’s uses about 1:16.5 and Hoffmann’s about 1:16.7 (30 g to 500 g).
How long should a V60 take?
About 3:30 for the Hoffmann and 4:6 recipes, and around 4:00–4:30 for Rao’s. If yours runs much longer, grind coarser; if it finishes much sooner and tastes sour, grind finer.
Which V60 material is best?
Plastic is a favourite because it holds heat well, is cheap and doesn’t break. Ceramic and glass look nicer but need more preheating; metal is durable but gets hot to handle.
Sources:
- Hario USA. “James Hoffmann – Ultimate V60 Technique.” hario-usa.com
- Hario UK. “Hario V60 recipe: interview with Hario ambassador Tetsu Kasuya.” hario.co.uk
- Hario UK. “Hario V60 recipe: interview with Hario ambassador Scott Rao.” hario.co.uk
- Jack, Andrew. “Ultimate V60 Technique – James Hoffmann.” FoodTribe, 12 Sept. 2019, foodtribe.com
- Jeremy. “4-6 Method by Brewers Cup Champ Tetsu Kasuya.” Long and Short Coffee Roastery, 2 Apr. 2020, longshortlondon.com
- Scott Rao. “V60 Video.” 16 Sept. 2017, scottrao.com
- Video demonstrations: Tetsu Kasuya 4:6 method, Scott Rao V60.