V60

What is it

It is a method of extraction of coffee by percolation, it uses the force of gravity so that the water runs through the coffee without any extra pressure used.

Produced by the Japanese brand Hario 10 years ago, its name is due to the 60 degree angle that the cone forms.

The peculiarities of this method are in its form, the rigs around the filter allow the passage of air and the expansion of the ground coffee at the moment it comes into contact with water.

The hole at the base of the cone influences the fall of the water towards the center, increasing the contact time between water and coffee.

Cup profile

Depending on the coffee to be extracted in V60, it is a cup with a discreet caffeine content, a fairly light body, a soft but very aromatic cup; ideal for a morning or a longer afternoon coffee.

Recipe

Ratio: 1:15 (for a 250g cup use 16g of coffee).

Water temperature: 90-94 degrees. Grinding: medium

1. Heat the V60 and wash the filter by pouring hot water in it.
2. Deposit the coffee in the V60 and level it, you can hit the side of the V60 with your hand to level it better.
3. Pre-infuse the coffee (double quantity of water depending on the quantity of coffee you use for aprox 30 seconds. In this recipe 2x16g=32g water).
4. After the pre-infusion, pour the resting amount of water in a constant way in a spiral motion.
5. Shake slightly in a circular mode and let the water trickle to get all the water out.
6. Shake the coffee container in a circular motion before serving the liquid to homogenise it.

How does it work

During the preparation of a V60, the coffee extraction process happens in 3 phases:

1. Pre-Infusion: It serves to dampen the coffee, expand its structure and saturate the coffee particles to prepare them for the extraction.For a good pre-infusion it is advisable to at least double the water compared to the amount of coffee powder used, with a pre-infusion time of not less than 30 seconds, this will allow the coffee to absorb the water within its structure, increasing its volume.
2. Blooming: during roasting, the coffee structure becomes porous, trapping its internal gases.
   Upon contact with water these gases are released generating an effervescence in the grinding and leaving the pours free for the water to dissolve the compounds.
   In general, a coffee with a recent roast will have released fewer gases and its blooming will be greater than that of an older roast
3. Extraction: it is the phase in which the water is percolating through the ground coffee dissolving the soluble The most important variables of extraction in V60:TEMPERATURE: from 91 to 94 degrees, the higher the temperature, the more we extract, in some cases it could be unpleasant bitterness in a cup, so don’t overdo it with very hot water.
   GRINDING: Grinding for the V60 is medium, a little thicker than sand, too fine and it will not allow water to pass through.
   TIME: The extraction time of the V60 is around 2:30 – 3:00 minutes, a longer time could mean an extraction of bitter flavours.
   TURBULENCE: the turbulence is generated with the movement of the water flow, for this we need a constant flow and in the form of a spiral to be sure tat the coffee is subjected to a constant turbulence and movement.

Notes

During the blooming phase we can apply a slight manual turbulence with the help of a spoon, shaking the coffee in the V60 in a circular way, to allow the water to homogeneously wet all the coffee.

In the final part of the extraction, the coffee can be shaken circularly (manually or with the help of a spoon), to collect the coarse particles that are deposited on the walls of the filter, attracting them towards the interior, ending the extraction process and preventing them from forming holes to the center that would give a less even extraction.

The V60 can be of different materials, this influences the increase in the temperature of the water in the coffee, and in the maintenance of heat during extraction.

The filter can be made of metal, cloth or paper and influences the amount of fine particles filtered or suspended in the drink. A metal filter is more sustainable as it can be reused forever, but it will let finer particles to pass through so the coffee will have more body and will not be as clean than if you use paper filters. Cloth is a controversial choice as you have to be extremely thorough in cleaning it so it doesn’t leave flavours of oxidation for the next brews.