A Better 1 Cup V60 Technique

Summary

The video walks through an updated one-cup V60 pour-over coffee technique that is easier and delivers tastier results than a previous technique. Key aspects include using a plastic V60 brewer, 15g coffee ground finer than expected, and 250g water separated into 50g pours every 10 seconds. The pouring technique involves gentle circular pouring close to the coffee bed to evenly distribute and agitate grounds. Testing showed this achieves a balanced extraction and flavor while being repeatable. The focus is on proper grind size, fresh boiled water, and quality coffee rather than perfect technique to get a delicious cup.

Takeaways

• 😊 Using 60g coffee per liter, 15g coffee and 250g water for a one cup V60
• 😋 Aiming for 50g water pulses every ~10 seconds for even extraction
• 🌡️ Using water straight off the boil for light roasts
• 😎 Preheating the plastic V60 with hot water, not boiling
• ☕ Grinding relatively fine but not too fine to avoid channeling
• 🔁 Pouring in consistent circles across the coffee bed
• ⏱️ Targeting total brew time around 3 minutes
• 🤔 Pulse pouring to balance agitation and settling
• 👂 Listening to feedback and trying different techniques
• 😉 Focusing more on grind size and water than precise technique

Q & A

What was the main criticism of the original V60 technique?

The main criticism was that it was difficult to get great results with a smaller amount of coffee.

Why does the author recommend using a plastic V60 brewer?

The author recommends a plastic V60 because it is the cheapest option and also takes the least amount of work to preheat adequately using a hot water tap.

Why does the author recommend a finer grind for lighter roasted coffee?

The author recommends a finer grind for lighter roasted coffee to help extract more flavor and sweetness from the beans.

What is the benefit of blooming the coffee initially?

Blooming helps wet all the coffee grounds evenly so that the extraction starts evenly across the bed of coffee.

Why does the author recommend pulse pouring?

Pulse pouring provides even distribution and agitation of the coffee bed without causing channeling issues that can lead to uneven extraction.

How important is preheating the brewer?

Preheating is very important for taste, even if measurable extraction levels are similar. Cooler bloom temperatures give a less sweet, more acidic taste.

What water temperature is recommended for light roasted coffee?

For light roasted coffee, using water fresh off the boil at 100°C is recommended.

What factors are most important if the coffee tastes bad?

If the coffee tastes bad, the most likely factors are grind size/quality, water quality, or the coffee itself rather than issues with the brewing technique.

What is the ideal pour speed?

The author recommends a pour speed of around 5 grams per second as it provides a good level of agitation without causing channeling issues.

What are some key signs the grind may be too fine?

If the brewer fills to the brim, the total brew time exceeds 3 minutes significantly, or there is astringency/harsh bitterness in the taste, the grind is likely too fine.

Outlines

00:00

☕ Explaining Updated One Cup V60 Brewing Technique

The speaker introduces an updated V60 technique for brewing one cup of coffee, explaining that it is easier and more repeatable based on extensive testing. Key details are provided on coffee dose, grind size, water temperature and weights for each pour during the 2 minute brew time. The goal is a simple but delicious cup.

05:01

😊 Tips for Achieving Best Taste from the Technique

The speaker emphasizes that with this technique, taste should not vary much if numbers aren't exact. Grind quality and coffee itself have more impact. Preheating matters for taste more than measurable extraction. Overall the method is forgiving - good taste mainly requires good water, fresh grounds, right grind size.

10:04

👋 Closing Thoughts and Next Steps

In closing, the speaker invites viewers to try the V60 technique and provide any feedback. He advises exploring other techniques too and reiterates that grind size is key for tasty results. He thanks viewers and hopes they have a great day.

Keywords

💡V60

The V60 is a type of pour-over coffee brewer known for producing flavorful and nuanced coffee. It is a key focus of the video, with James Hoffmann demonstrating and explaining his updated technique for getting great tasting coffee out of a single-cup V60.

💡technique

The specific set of steps used to brew coffee with the V60, which is the primary topic of the video. Hoffmann shares his new recommended technique for the one cup V60, highlighting key aspects like grind size, pour timing, pulse pouring, and agitation.

💡grind size

The coarseness or fineness to which the coffee beans are ground before brewing. Hoffmann emphasizes the importance of an appropriately fine but not too fine grind for the V60 to allow proper extraction without channeling.

💡pulse pouring

A controlled, intermittent pouring approach where small amounts of water are poured over the coffee grounds, allowed to settle, then more water poured. Hoffmann recommends pulse pouring in the updated V60 technique to balance extraction and prevent bypass.

💡agitation

The process of stirring or moving the coffee bed during brewing using water pouring or implement swirling. Some agitation is beneficial for even extraction but too much can cause issues, hence Hoffmann's focus on controlled, circular pouring.

💡bloom

The beginning phase of brewing where a small amount of water is first poured over the grounds to allow them to degas and expand before main extraction. Bloom water temperature greatly impacts taste so preheating the V60 is emphasized.

💡extraction

The process of dissolving flavor compounds from the coffee grounds into the water passing through them. The video focuses on technique elements that lead to balanced, flavorful extraction versus uneven, poor tasting extraction.

💡channeling

When water bypasses much of the coffee bed leading to uneven extraction. Can occur from grind being too fine or poor pouring technique. Hoffmann's updated approach aims to prevent channeling.

💡thermal stability

The ability of the V60 material (plastic, ceramic, glass) to retain heat during brewing. Plastic is highlighted as best minimizing heat loss, needing only moderate preheating.

💡preheating

Heating up the empty V60 with hot water before brewing to prevent excessive brew temperature drop. Despite minimal extraction impact, preheating greatly improves taste.

Highlights

The updated one cup V60 technique is easier and gets great tasting results

Use 15g coffee to 250g water for a one cup brew ratio, and split water into 50g pulses

Grind coffee finer than expected for a V60, but not super fine to avoid channeling

Use a plastic V60 for easiest temperature control with just a hot tap water rinse

Bloom for 45 seconds with a gentle swirl to mix grounds before adding more water

Pulse pour 50g of water in circles over 10 seconds for even extraction without channels

Avoid center pours which create craters - use circular pours for even distribution

3 minute total brew time is normal - adjust grind not technique if tastes bad

Preheating with boiling water is essential for taste but not measurable extraction

Use freshly boiled water just off the boil, especially for lighter roasted coffee

Many techniques work well - focus on water, coffee quality and grind over obsessing on details

Go as fine as possible on grind before hitting harsh, channeling flavors

Ceramic/glass V60s need more preheating with boiling water to avoid taste defects

Let the author know which part of the technique needs more explanation

Try this technique out and provide feedback on your results in the comments

Transcripts

- Today, we're gonna talk about

a better one cup V60 technique.

Now, a few years ago actually I released a video

on the V60 technique that I did a load of testing on

and I was really happy with the results,

but I did get one consistent piece of criticism.

It was a difficult technique to get great results from

with a smaller amount of coffee,

and I think that was probably justified criticism.

So, we acquired a few different V60s

and we did a lot of testing.

We went back to the drawing board

and we have ended up I think

with a really fun really easy technique

that gets really delicious results.

Here's how the video's gonna work.

I'm gonna walk you through the technique

as I brew some coffee and highlight the key steps involved.

Then I'll talk through some of the decisions and testing

that we did in terms of why we recommending

that you do it the way we recommend you to do it.

So let's get into it.

Now, this technique actually has quite

a lot of crossover with the original technique.

We're still gonna use 60 grams of coffee per liter,

but because we're brewing one cup,

today, we're just gonna have 15 grams of coffee beans

to 250 grams of water.

Here I've got my 15 grams of coffee.

It's a relatively light roast.

We will touch on techniques or adjustments

for darker roast levels a little bit later on.

Now, because we're brewing 250 grams,

right now it's a pretty good idea

to carve that up into 20% blocks.

By that I mean 50 gram blocks.

How we brew is gonna be in essentially

five blocks of 50 grams,

and that's the easiest way to think about it.

If you were brewing 18 to 300,

those would be 60 gram blocks.

If you were brewing, just say 12 grams

that would be a 40 gram block.

The maths we're gonna keep relatively simple today.

The other consistencies with the technique

is you definitely want soft, filtered,

clean tasting water involved there.

We're gonna be boiling it to 100 degrees Celsius

and using it fresh from the boil.

In addition, we are gonna be using scales to brew,

because those are just the easiest way

to kind of track what you're doing

without really having to think about it too much.

So, I'll ground some coffee

and I'll show you the ground setting.

It's probably finer than most people expect,

but it's not super fine.

But certainly when I see a lot of people

struggling with the technique,

I think that they're using a slightly

too coarse of ground of coffee.

So, I'll show you the grounds now.

That's definitely finer than most people

would typically use for a V60,

but I think with lighter roasted coffees especially,

you do wanna be this fine

to get all of the goodness out of them.

You could go coarser for darker roasts,

but here, for this coffee,

this has been tasting pretty great.

As for the brewer itself,

I would recommend the plastic one cup V60.

One, it's the cheapest and that's really important.

And two, it takes the least amount of work to get it hot

to the point that it won't drop the temperature.

We did quite a lot of temperature testing

and this is adequately preheated

by sort of a kitchen sink hot tap.

If that runs hot enough to be

slightly uncomfortable to touch,

I dislike the idea of using boiling water

to preheat this thing.

It just feels like a waste of energy and a waste of water.

So, a very hot kitchen tap,

rinse the paper, get the brewer hot

and that way you'll have a better tasting brew.

And it's primarily actually the bloom

where the temperature is impacted.

Most of the brew in the plastic one anyway,

ends up at the same temperature,

because plastic's better for thermal retention.

One rinsed brewer, one preheated brewer.

We're gonna put our coffee in

and just dig a little mound in the middle,

like a kind of a volcano almost.

Turn on and zero your scale and then boil your kettle.

(kettle beeping)

So as soon as your kettles boiled, start your timer

and bloom with up to about 50 grams of water.

Might be a little less, that's okay.

That feels like it's good

and give it a gentle swirl.

The point here is not to kind of

get the grounds right up the walls of the V60,

it's just to do a good job mixing together

the grounds and the water to make sure

all the coffee is starting to brew at the same time.

We're gonna bloom, leave it like this for 45 seconds

before we pour our next block of water

to take us up to 100 grams at about one minute.

This is easiest with a pouring kettle,

but a pouring kettle is not essential.

We've tested this extensively with other kettles too.

Keep the spout relatively low.

It's quite a slow pour.

In circles.

And then what we're gonna do is pulse.

So at 110 we're gonna add another 50 grams of water

and that should take us about 10 seconds.

Pouring in circles as you go.

Don't obsess over every second over every gram.

We're looking for approximately that amount

in approximately that time.

Another 10 seconds of waiting and then another 10 seconds

of pouring to take us to 200 grams.

Keep moving in circles.

(coffee trickling)

And then, that last dose

to take us up to 250 at two minutes.

At that point, give the brewer just a gentle swirl.

You should have plenty of space at the top

to be able to do that.

It shouldn't be full to the brim.

If it is your grind maybe too fine.

And then let it draw down.

Let it drain out.

Now, we tested this with a few different papers.

We tended to see brew times of around three minutes,

but your mileage may vary.

If you've swirled too aggressively,

you might have clogged the filter paper

that will slow down the draw down.

Your grinder may produce more fines,

that'll slow it down too.

You still kind of have to go by taste a little bit

in terms of nailing that ground size,

but with most good grinders, I think

a three minute brew time

is pretty normal in most circumstances.

Again, the point here is not to obsess

over nailing the exact numbers.

We found this to be really a pretty tolerant recipe

and as we get to three minutes, the bed is dry.

We have brewed a delicious cup of coffee.

(coffee slurping)

So the question that you'll probably have is

why was I doing the pulsing the way that I was doing it?

And we did a huge amount of testing on this

to try and understand what worked well.

Now, depending on how quickly you pour

and from what height you pour,

you'll vary the way that you agitate

the bed of coffee with that stream coming in.

What we generally found worked best

was always to use a circular pour throughout.

Regardless of anything else.

It helped distribute the water across the coffee

and it helped distribute the agitation across the coffee.

You'll see a number of techniques

that recommend a center pour.

We didn't have great results with that

unless we were pouring from higher up

to the point that the stream as it fell was broken.

Now a while ago, we did a video on pouring kettles

and as part of that we discovered

something kind of interesting.

The higher you pour from then the less agitation

you actually create in the coffee.

It seems like as the stream begins to break

as that hits the bed of water, that energy is dissipated.

Whereas if it's a continuous stream

that stream fell into the coffee

and sort of agitated it much more effectively.

Our recommendation here is that you keep the spout

relatively close to the bed of coffee

and your pour speed should agitate it just about enough,

which is why we recommend pouring

at about five grams a second.

Some scales will actually give you

that information if you want it.

That seemed to do a really nice job in terms of agitation,

but not generating channels.

Because we were pulsing, it means we could have

a sort of moment of agitation.

The bed would settle again, a moment of agitation,

the bed would settle again

and we didn't have issues with uneven extractions,

but we did get to have a nice amount

of agitation to increase the extraction

to get a sweeter, fuller, more delicious cup.

What we saw is with a center pour,

if you pour just in the middle

and you don't swirl at the end

then you kind of see what you did to the bed

and a center pour just created

a kind of massive crater in the middle of the bed

and led for an uneven taste,

whereas the pour from higher up actually didn't do that.

It just didn't taste as good,

because it hadn't done as much agitation.

It's all a lot I know.

But the ultimate recommendation

or the ultimate best practice from our testing was,

these little pulse pours of 50 grams every 10 seconds

giving that really nice mixture of even distribution

and even agitation that was controlled

and actually pretty repeatable

regardless of the kettle that you were using.

And actually in terms of brew temperatures for darker roasts

that would be down at 80 through to 85

going up to sort of maybe 90.

Medium roasts then 90 through 95.

But light roasts, you wanna be at boiling point.

Coming back to these brewers again,

the difference in thermal stability

and then sort of need for preheating

between the plastic and the others is really massive.

Both the ceramic and the glass

really needed a lot of preheating

and you have to do that with boiling water

which I find a little bit wasteful and frustrating.

But they are nice objects to own and if they are preheated

they do brew kind of normally

they're kinda the same as everything else.

But one interesting fact that sort of blew my mind is

we brewed a non preheat and a preheat side by side

and the end extraction was identical, right?

We can't detect a measurable increase

in extraction from preheating.

The taste night and day.

And this is a classic example of measurable extraction

does not always correlate with

the best tasting cup of coffee.

And this was so interesting for us the taste

that, that drop particularly in the bloom of temperature

really left the cup feeling less sweet, more acidic

and just less enjoyable overall.

So, preheating I think is really important

with lighter roast using freshly boiled water

straight off the boil I think, is really important.

We found that once you were kind of

in the ballpark of the technique,

the coffee tasted pretty good.

And if the coffee were to taste really bad

the first thing I would look at

wouldn't be necessarily the technique.

I would be more concerned about grind size or grind quality.

I would be more concerned about water

and I would potentially be then concerned

about the coffee itself.

There are a lot of different V60 techniques out there

and they pretty much mostly all work.

This for me felt repeatable, easy.

I could teach someone to do it very quickly,

but there are other techniques

you should definitely play with and explore.

But I'd love to hear how you get on with this one.

But don't obsess over the technique.

You're gonna get good results

if you have good water, freshly ground good quality coffee,

ground at the right setting.

But now I wanna hear from you down in the comments below,

which aspect of this technique

do you want more explanation of?

Do let me know if you try it

and let me know how your results go.

Do make sure you dial in that grind though.

Go as fine as you can before you hit

that kind of wall of harsh bitterness

and a search of astringency

because you're getting channeling

and it's kind of under over extracted tasting.

That's too fine, go back a little coarser.

But don't be afraid of going a bit coarser

than you maybe usually do.

I'm gonna enjoy this coffee.

I say to you, thank you so much for watching

and hope you have a great day.

(coffee slurping)