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Brew guide · Pour-over

James Hoffmann's V60 technique, with timer.

James Hoffmann, the 2007 World Barista Champion, brews his V60 like this: bloom, two big pours, one stir, one swirl. 30 g of coffee, 500 g of water, done at 3:30. For a single cup he uses a technique of its own with five small pours. Both are here, with a timer that tells you when to pour how much.

Hoffmann's recipe

Coffee
30 g
Water
500 g
Water per pour60 g0:00240 g0:45200 g1:15Bloom, then two big pours. A stir and a swirl at the end.
Ratio
1:16.7
Temperature
Just off the boil
Grind
Medium-finelike table salt
Brew time
3:30+ 3 min prep
Guided BrewStep 1 of 4
0:45left in this step
Bloom with 60 g0:00 → 0:45 · 60 g
  1. 0:00 Bloom with 60 g
  2. 0:45 Pour to 300 g
  3. 1:15 Pour to 500 g
  4. 1:45 Stir, then swirl
  5. 3:30 Done

Beeps at every step. Keep this page open while you brew.

Before you start

Bring the water to the boil: Hoffmann brews as hot as he can, especially with light roasts. Rinse the paper filter with water just off the boil and pour the rinse water away. Grind the coffee medium-fine, 30 g for the Ultimate technique, 15 g for one cup. Put it in the filter and make a small well in the middle. Put everything on the scale and tare it to zero.

What you need

  • Hario V60 with a paper filter. For one cup, Hoffmann uses the small plastic V60 (1 Cup).
  • Kettle, ideally with a gooseneck spout
  • Scale that weighs in 1 g steps
  • Grinder: a burr grinder gives the most even grind
  • Spoon for the stir in the Ultimate technique
  • Fresh coffee, 30 g or 15 g, and a carafe

Step by step

Ultimate: 30 g of coffee, 500 g of water

  1. 0:00

    Bloom with 60 g

    Start the timer and pour 60 g, twice the weight of the coffee. Swirl the V60 until water and coffee are evenly mixed: Hoffmann swirls here instead of stirring with a spoon. Then leave it until 0:45.

  2. 0:45

    Pour to 300 g

    Pour up to 300 g within 30 seconds, which is 60 % of the water. Fill the V60 right up: a full cone keeps the temperature high. Hitting the paper is fine.

  3. 1:15

    Pour to 500 g

    Pour up to 500 g over the next 30 seconds, a little slower than before and not too hard.

  4. 1:45

    Stir, then swirl

    Stir once clockwise and once anticlockwise with a spoon. Let the water drop a little, then give the V60 a gentle swirl.

  5. 3:30

    Done

    Everything should be through by 3:30. Hotter water runs through faster, and the filter paper makes a difference too. Much slower next time: grind coarser.

1 cup: 15 g of coffee, 250 g of water

  1. 0:00

    Bloom with 50 g

    Start the timer and pour 50 g. After 10 to 15 seconds, give the V60 a gentle swirl. Then leave it until 0:45.

  2. 0:45

    Pour to 100 g

    Pour up to 100 g by 1:00, which is 40 % of the water. Then wait until 1:10.

  3. 1:10

    Pour to 150 g

    Pour up to 150 g by 1:20, then wait until 1:30.

  4. 1:30

    Pour to 200 g

    Pour up to 200 g by 1:40, then wait until 1:50.

  5. 1:50

    Pour to 250 g

    The last pour: up to 250 g by 2:00.

  6. 2:00

    Swirl, let it draw down

    Give the V60 a gentle swirl and let the water run through.

  7. 3:00

    Done

    It should be through at around 3:00, give or take a few seconds. What counts in the end is how it tastes.

Ultimate or 1 cup?

The ratio is the same, 60 g of coffee per liter. What changes is how the water goes in.

Ultimate1 cup
Coffee and water30 g, 500 g15 g, 250 g
Bloom60 g, swirled50 g, swirled gently
Pours after the bloomTwo big ones: to 300 g, then to 500 gFour of 50 g, with short pauses
At the endStir once each way, then swirlSwirl
Drawn down by3:30about 3:00

Where the recipes come from: the Ultimate technique is written up at Hario USA and shown in Hoffmann's video. With small amounts of coffee it is hard to get right, so in November 2022 he followed up with A Better 1 Cup V60 Technique. The 1-cup steps here are the ones from that video.

FAQ

What is James Hoffmann's V60 recipe?

30 g of coffee, ground medium-fine, and 500 g of water just off the boil. Bloom with 60 g and swirl. At 0:45 pour to 300 g, at 1:15 to 500 g. At 1:45 stir once each way and swirl gently. Everything should be through at 3:30.

Does the Ultimate V60 work for one cup?

Hoffmann has a technique of its own for that: 15 g of coffee, 250 g of water, a 50 g bloom and four more pours of 50 g, done at about 3:00. Pick "1 cup" above and the timer follows it.

How hot should the water be?

Hoffmann's rule for the Ultimate technique: the hotter, the better, especially with light roasts. So use water just off the boil. Hot water also runs through the filter faster.

Hoffmann's V60 or the 4:6 method?

Both are V60 recipes with a timer here. Hoffmann grinds medium-fine, pours a lot of water at once and finishes with a stir and a swirl. The 4:6 method by Tetsu Kasuya grinds coarse and lets you set sweetness and strength. Brew both with the same coffee and taste the difference.

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