Hario V60: An Overview, And The Method To My Madness




  • For a few months now, I have been playing with the Hario V60. It was a difficult adjustment coming from the French press, a method which was my main brewing method since I started my journey into the world of coffee.

    When looking at the Hario you are greeted with a sleek and straightforward design. If you are like me, you cannot help but feel an overwhelming loss for words as you stare at it for hours on end.

    Before you get lost into your own little world staring at this gorgeous thing, you need to remember one thing.

    Do not let it fool you. This little bad boy requires work, and a good amount of patience.

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    THE EXPERIMENTS

    When I first started experimenting with the Hario I had no idea that such a simple and straightforward design would cause me at times to want to throw it against the wall.

    Who would have thought that it would be so easy to mess coffee up in it?

    I made the decision in the beginning to keep myself from doing any research. I could have gone online to find an endless amount of videos and how-to guides, but everyone has a different method to their madness. I did not want my head cluttered with all this information only to be left wondering whose video or whose guide is better than the rest.

    However, I did use Buddy Brew’s bean/water ratio which I learned while attending their Blogger’s Briefing back in November last year. Buddy Brew uses a 32 gram per 16oz bean/water ratio when brewing with the Pour-over method. I took a little help from them and started from there.

    I knew that the Hario needed a little hard work and patience, but I did not let that stop me from getting cocky. I think I found the hardest part about brewing with this method was the transformation moving from one brewing method to another. When brewing with the same method for so long it is hard not to become comfortable or even cocky. Mastering the Hario was starting to feel impossible.

    For a while, my experiments became like a daily routine:

    I experimented, I got frustrated, I abandoned, I came back, and repeated.

    You are standing there keeping a constant, but slow pour all the while making sure to keep the grinds fully saturated at all times. It sounds easy, but there are so many tiny variables that can screw the outcome up.

    It almost seemed fitting to abandon ship on this brewing method, but I stayed onboard, and in the end I came out winning.

    ________________________________

    THE METHOD TO MY MADNESS

    I learned the hard way when for the longest time, I failed to jot notes on each of my experiments and their outcomes. A lot of trials, and even more errors occurred before I came up with a method that I have adopted and been successfully using for a little over a month now.

    Here is my method:

    Pre-wet filter / add grinds / shake lightly until grinds are even / make a small hole in center / pour

    enough water to fully saturate grinds / let bloom for 30-45 sec. or until bloom deflate’s / pour water slowly in

    circles keeping grinds saturated / brew until cup or decanter is at desired level / clean up / enjoy!

    ________________________________

    TO SUM IT UP

    The Hario V60 has not been an easy brewing method for me. With all the frustration, the under extracted cups, and the few over extracted ones, it seemed easy to walk away in the end, but I didn’t want to be known as a quitter. So I finished what I started.

    Maybe I just made the Hario out to be harder than it is, I don’t know. What I do know is that after all my experiments and frustrations, I was able to see what a truly amazing piece of equipment I had on my hands.

    Looking past its looks, the Hario V60 can bring you quite an enjoyable coffee experience.

    Upon playing with the Hario V60 Jamie has since put the French to the shelf where it now collects dust and has continued to experiment with the Hario V60 to perfect her craft.

    QOTD: Are you a Hario V60 user? If so, what’s your method to your madness?



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    March 22nd, 2011 | Jamie | 5 Comments | Tags: , ,

About The Author

Jamie Ferguson

From sunny Sarasota Florida, Jamie Ferguson has been drinking coffee since a very young age. Jamie is just your average jane who has a serious addiction to coffee, but more so has a bigger love for the heart, and the dedication that is put into growing, processing and roasting coffee. Come and join the adventures...

  • Billy

    lol, i love my v60 because i get consistently great cups with it! then again, i say this after having experimented with a vacuum pot for a few months–i found it incredibly frustrating and still do and am pretty close to walking away for good!

    • http://thecoffeeadventures.com Jamie Ferguson

      No. Never walk away. You never know what you might end up missing. Have you tried BrewMethods.com for some help? They have a ton of guides for each brewing method.

      • Billy

        i can cite brew method’s syphon techniques by the letter! the aromatics are always incredible but the taste is never better than a 7/10.

        • http://thecoffeeadventures.com Jamie Ferguson

          Hmm you got me… I’ve never used a syphon so I couldn’t help you. :( If you are on Twitter you might try asking around for help. I can even RT and see if we can figure this out?!

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