Since gaining international recognition on the inaugural World Brewers Cup, the Hario V60 has change into a logo of precision and craftsmanship in specialty espresso. Usually present in each espresso retailers and residential brewing setups, the gadget is synonymous with the very best requirements of guide pour over brewing.

Its iconic cone form and spiral ribs have impressed an ever-growing vary of recipes and brewing methods with various ranges of precision and intricacy. Baristas, residence brewers, and opponents proceed to gravitate in direction of the V60, driving recipe growth and innovation.

I spoke to Elysia Tan, co-founder and director of Homeground Espresso Roasters, Matt Winton, the 2021 World Brewers Cup Cup Champion and co-founder of Rose Espresso Roasters, and Masha Zanozina, a World and US Brewer’s Cup head decide and low educator, to be taught extra.

You may additionally like our article on the way forward for filter espresso.

Trying again on the V60’s influence on specialty espresso

Based in 1921, the Japanese firm Hario initially specialised in manufacturing laboratory glassware. By the Forties, the corporate started designing and producing espresso tools.

Some 4 many years later, Hario developed its first conical brewer, which used wire rods to assist a paper filter. In 2004, Hario launched the ceramic V60, which shortly gained the eye of espresso professionals and fans in Japan and past. At present, the gadget is accessible in several supplies, together with glass, steel, and plastic, permitting for versatility in aesthetics, warmth retention, and recipe growth.

“In case you ask anybody to call essentially the most traditional pour over gadget, I assure that most individuals will say the V60,” says Masha Zanozina, a World and US Brewer’s Cup head decide and low educator. “I consider the Hario V60 is without doubt one of the first pour over brewing units which made it to the worldwide market and shortly grew to become standard amongst espresso retailers and residential brewers.”

The V60’s design was revolutionary in a number of methods. The angle of the cone-shaped brewer leads to optimum brew mattress depth, particularly for smaller doses. The spiral ribs create air pockets that stop the filter from sticking to the perimeters, whereas the one outlet on the backside streamlines the water stream.

“It’s a well-liked brewer due to its availability and accessibility,” says Matt Winton. He’s the co-founder of Rose Espresso Roasters in Zurich, Switzerland and a seasoned espresso competitor. Matt gained the 2021 World Brewers Cup (WBrC) utilizing a steel Hario V60 and a natural-process eugenoides from Finca Inmaculada in Colombia. 

“It began as an excellent dripper in its design and high quality. As extra individuals began to make use of it, it’s change into a extremely advisable brewer for newcomers to specialty espresso,” Matt provides.

Precision as commonplace

Past espresso retailers and residential brewing setups, the V60 has change into a distinguished fixture at competitions, particularly the World Brewers Cup. Six winners used the brewer of their WBrC routines between 2011 and 2021, cementing its place as one of many business’s most beloved guide pour over units.

Numerous these successful performances have resulted in superior recipes and pouring methods, most notably 2016 champion Tetsu Kasuya’s 4:6 methodology and Matt Winton’s five-pour recipe.

Its presence at distinguished competitions has influenced V60 recipe growth extra broadly, encouraging espresso professionals and fans to experiment with a wider vary of variables. 

“I’ve been part of the World and US Brewers Cup competitions for the final eight years. From my expertise, opponents hold pushing the boundaries of what we’ve at all times thought of the ‘norm’ or ‘guidelines’ of brewing,” Masha tells me. “They introduce completely different ratios, grind sizes, water chemistry, water temperatures, and ranges of aeration to enhance the aroma and/or texture of the espresso. Their choices are at all times intentional.

“In cafés, I see extra baristas utilizing completely different coffee-to-water ratios moderately than the traditional 1:16, tweaking variables relying on the espresso they’re working with and the outcomes they’re making an attempt to realize,” she provides.

The brewer’s cone form, 60º angled partitions, and spiral ribs lend themselves nicely to a spread of pouring methods, together with completely different ranges of agitation and stream fee, which grant the person extra management over extraction.

“Espresso brewing has change into extra technical and data-driven. As individuals from numerous backgrounds have gained curiosity in brewing, they’ve shared distinctive insights and views primarily based on their experience,” says Elysia Tan, co-founder and director of Homeground Espresso Roasters in Singapore. She can be the 2022 World Brewers Cup second runner-up and the 2019 & 2022 Singapore Brewer’s Cup Champion. 

“Individuals have additionally change into extra adventurous and experimental, which has led to evolving brewing strategies,” she provides.

Espresso professionals provide their brewing suggestions

Though the V60 is usually touted as an entryway brewer for these new to specialty espresso, the WBrC’s affect has led to more and more intricate recipes that sometimes require extra superior brewing abilities.

Firstly, understanding how the completely different supplies affect extraction is vital.

“The completely different fashions – plastic, glass, ceramic, and steel – all have completely different thermal conductivity properties, in addition to the bodily depth of the ridges and the size of the cone,” Matt says. “For my 2021 WBrC routine, we discovered that the steel V60 gave us a brighter, cleaner profile in comparison with ceramic or glass.

“The steel design is sturdy and absorbs warmth shortly, so it’s an excellent beginning brewer. The one subject I discovered is that its ridges are much less pronounced than the ceramic and plastic fashions, so there’s a higher probability that the paper filter will sink into the gaps, which might negatively have an effect on the brewing course of,” he provides. “All the time make sure that the paper filter is sitting off the ridges as a lot as attainable.”

Elysia additionally agrees that temperature is a necessary variable to manage to stabilise warmth retention, saying, “You need to take note of the brewing temperature when utilizing the V60 with completely different supplies. With a plastic V60, I like to recommend a decrease brewing temperature than ceramic or steel, as plastic is a greater warmth insulator.

“To cut back variances in brewing temperature, I exploit room temperature water to rinse paper filters,” she provides. “This ensures the preliminary temperature of the V60 stays constant, which helps enhance extraction consistency.”

As with every guide pour over gadget, grind dimension and agitation are two of a very powerful parameters to tweak and monitor, however they’re particularly influential within the V60 brewing course of.

“In case you are utilizing a espresso that you’ve by no means brewed earlier than and are usually not certain when you selected the proper grind dimension, you possibly can improve or lower the extraction by rising or lowering agitation,” Masha says.

“Controlling your stream fee is necessary. In case your water is drawing by way of the espresso mattress too shortly, you possibly can gently swirl the brewer so as to add further agitation,” she provides. “All the time take note of stream fee and ensure the espresso mattress doesn’t get absolutely dry between pulse pours.”

New brewers are redefining the V60 expertise

Even with numerous supplies impacting warmth retention and bypassing, utilizing completely different V60 brewers usually yields comparable outcomes. Nonetheless, with the introduction of the Hario Change, a V60-style brewer that mixes immersion and drip extraction (much like the Gina), baristas can experiment with variables like physique and sweetness.

“With the launch of the Hario Change V60, new potentialities and brewing variables have emerged. In addition to percolation, we are able to now use immersion brewing as nicely,” Elysia says. “First, decide whether or not your espresso brews higher with immersion or percolation. 

“This may make it easier to determine whether or not to make use of an everyday V60 or a Change. Some coffees require longer contact time, so immersion brewing may be preferable.

The V60’s versatility permits each expert and fewer skilled baristas and residential brewers to develop their very own recipes, with the choice to hone in on particular variables to yield completely different outcomes.

“Find out how the six principal variables of brewing – coffee-to-water ratio, grind dimension, time, agitation, water high quality and water temperature – work in tandem with one another and the way they have an effect on extraction,” Masha concludes. “There isn’t a a method or rule to brewing the right cup of espresso.”

Loved this? Then learn our article on how pour over brewing is altering.

Photograph credit: Specialty Espresso Affiliation

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