Every day begins for me with a filtered coffee from a Hario V60 — and it has for many, many years. I brew my standard recipe by heart at this point. It's my entry point into every coffee, the foundation from which I develop recipes. The practical thing about it: I never adjust the grind size for my standard recipe. I bring out the nuances through pouring technique, swirling, and brew ratio.
The V60 is not just a hand filter to me among many; it's the starting point for everything I know about filtered coffee.
I've competed many times at the Brewers Cup, which is the filtered coffee championship. In 2014, I became Swiss Filtered Coffee Champion and placed 12th at the World Championship. Three runner-up titles in filtered coffee round out my coffee journey. During this time, I brewed with many different drippers, experimented, measured. The V60 has always been my starting point.
This article explains why the V60 is so popular, how to use it correctly — and what the world's best brewers have gotten out of it.
What is the Hario V60?
Hario is a Japanese glassware manufacturer that has existed since 1921. Hario brought the V60 to market in 2005. The name comes from the 60-degree angle of the inner wall. Characteristic are the spiral ribs running inside, which ensure that the filter paper forms air channels. In addition to the vertical water flow through the coffee bed, already brewed coffee can also be diverted sideways.
The 60-degree angle, the sideways water diversion, and the large opening at the bottom support even extraction. The flow characteristics are designed so that the filter avoids mistakes: stagnation is balanced by the sideways water flow along the air channels. The large opening also allows you to determine the flow rate very much yourself through the grind size.
Today the V60 is the most widely used hand filter in the world. No other device has won more World Brewers Cup titles — between 2011 and 2021, the V60 was used by six world champions. At the same time, thanks to its design, it's also very suitable for anyone who wants to start with a hand filter.
V60 in Different Materials
The V60 comes in different materials and sizes:
| Variant | Material | Size | Special Feature | Ideal For |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| V60 Plastic | PP plastic | 01 / 02 | Light, inexpensive, robust | Beginners, travel |
| V60 Glass | Borosilicate glass | 02 | Beautiful to look at, neutral | Home, gift |
| V60 Ceramic | Porcelain | 01 / 02 | Good heat retention, stable | Daily use |
| V60 Copper | Copper | 02 | Very high heat retention | Professionals, enthusiasts |
Size 02 is most practical for home use — actually for almost all contexts.
I use the ceramic version. It retains heat better than plastic, stays stable on the cup, and simply has a nice feel to it. If you're just starting: the plastic version is an excellent choice. Inexpensive, light, indestructible. When I travel, I prefer to bring the plastic version with me.
What Do You Need for the V60?
Equipment requirements are minimal. What's really necessary:
Without a scale, you won't be able to brew reproducible coffee. Any kitchen scale works. Coffee scales with a timer are convenient, but not necessary. What matters is gram accuracy, not the model.
You can find out how much to weigh and why 1:16 is a good starting point in the article: How much ground coffee per cup.
My Standard Recipe for the Hario V60
I've been using this recipe for years as my base. It's the same one we describe in our filtered coffee preparation article, but V60-specific and with all the steps.
The coffee should feel like fine polenta. If the V60 runs through faster than 2:30 min: grind slightly finer. If it takes longer: grind slightly coarser. Grind size is the most important lever.
Reference values for our hand grinders from zero point (grinding burrs just touching):
| Grinder | Setting Hand Filter / Pour-Over |
|---|---|
| Comandante C40 MK4 | 20–25 clicks |
| Timemore C5 ESP Pro | 1.5–2.0 rotations |
| Timemore C3 ESP Pro | 20–30 clicks |
| Timemore Slim 3 | ca. 33–53 clicks |
| Kinu M47 Classic | ca. 4.0–5.0 rotations |
All values are starting points. Comandante values from own measurements, C5 from kaffeemacher.ch; Slim 3 and Kinu are approximations. Dial in depending on bean and roast.
Important: There is no single correct recipe. This one is a proven starting point. Lighter coffee benefits from a bit more temperature, for example 94 to 96 degrees. Darker roasted coffee prefers 88 to 92 degrees. At the World Championship, I brewed a light-roasted Kenyan coffee at 98 degrees and the balance was excellent.
Famous Recipes from the Brewers Cup
The Brewers Cup is the world's filtered coffee championship. No device has been used there more often than the V60. Two recipes have become particularly popular in the scene.
Tetsu Kasuya won the world championship in 2016 with a concept he called the 4:6 method. The idea: The brew water is divided into a 40 to 60 ratio. The first 40 percent determines the balance between acidity and sweetness, the last 60 percent determines the strength of the coffee.
Matt Winton won the world championship in 2021 with a simpler approach: five equally sized, aggressive pours. No waiting for the water to run through, but the next pour comes as soon as the previous one is almost gone. This yields even extraction with a clear, clean profile.
In the office, we drink filtered coffee brewed with the V60 all day long. Usually 250 to 300 ml, which is then distributed among everyone in the office. This way we taste many different coffees during the day.
The Right Filter Paper for the V60
The V60 requires conical filter papers with a 60-degree angle. Hario sells them in sizes 01 and 02. For the size-02 version, which is most practical for home use, you'll use V60 filter paper 02.
White or natural brown? The difference in cup profile is minimal. I always rinse the paper, no matter the color. That's the more important point: unrinsed filter paper imparts a paper taste that you can definitely taste. First run 100 ml hot water through the inserted filter, discard the rinse water, then add coffee.
Try tasting the rinse water once. You'll immediately understand why this step isn't optional. Paper taste has no place in your cup.
Common V60 Mistakes
Not pre-rinsing the filter paper. Paper taste in the coffee. Also, the paper often doesn't sit cleanly on the filter, which slightly disrupts extraction. So it's better to always rinse.
Wrong grind size. Too coarse: the coffee runs through in under 1:30 minutes, is thin and sour. Too fine: it barely runs through, is bitter and dry. The recipe stays the same, the grind size adjusts.
Water too cold. Below 90 degrees, coffee becomes sour and flat. Without a kettle with temperature control: bring to a boil and wait two minutes.
Pouring too quickly. Too much water at once pushes coffee particles upward. They remain "high and dry," aren't extracted — the result is thin and unbalanced.
No scale. Without a scale, your brew ratio varies from brew to brew. With a scale, it's reproducible.
V60 vs. Other Brewing Methods
| Method | Body | Clarity | Time Required | Complicated? | For Whom |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hario V60 | Light to medium | Very high | ca. 4 min | Forgiving, accessible brewing method | Anyone who wants clear, complex filtered coffee |
| Chemex | Medium to heavy | Medium | ca. 5–6 min | Grind size very important. Practical: filter and carafe in one | Aesthetic enthusiasts |
| AeroPress | Medium | Medium | ca. 2–3 min | Easy to use, steep learning curve | Quick, robust, on the go |
| French Press | Strong | Low | ca. 4 min | Very easy to use | Strong, more body. Honest coffee |
Brewing Large Amounts with the V60
Up to about 500 ml and 30 grams of coffee, the V60 brews solid results. Beyond that, the coffee-to-water ratio no longer fits the brewer and quality drops rapidly. If you want to brew a liter of coffee, it's better to do two brews back-to-back.
The sweet spot of the V60 02 is between 200 and 350 ml of water with the corresponding coffee amount. Less is possible but requires very careful brewing. Generally, with filtered coffee methods: more coffee and water lead to more even results.
For very large target amounts, I recommend bypass brewing. A concentrate is brewed and then adjusted with water to the right strength.
V60 for Cold Brew and Flash Iced Coffee
The V60 is not just for hot filtered coffee. For the flash iced method — where coffee is brewed directly over ice — the V60 is one of the best options. The concentrate is brewed hot through the filter onto ice cubes, cools immediately, and retains its aroma better than cold brew with a long steeping time. Sounds simple, but it creates surprisingly clear, aromatic iced coffee.
We've described exactly how it works in our cold brew article.
The V60 is available at our store in plastic, glass, and ceramic. With matching filter papers. If you want to dive deeper: in our filtered coffee course level 1, we go through the basics step by step.
Conclusion
The Hario V60 is the standard among hand filters for good reason. It's precise, flexible, and forgiving of mistakes in taste. Yet it also shows you what you're doing wrong — and rewards you with exceptional coffee when you get it right.
I use it daily as my foundation, as a reference point for all other recipes. If you want to understand filtered coffee, you start with the V60. Not because it's simple, but because it's the most honest mirror of the coffee and the technique.
Tetsu Kasuya's recipe, the 5-Pour method by Matt Winton, my own standard recipe: they all work. The V60 gives you room to experiment. Try the different recipes and see what tastes best to you.
