5 Products Essential for V60
5 essential products you need to brew a good V60 filter coffee at home.
1. Grinder
New HARIO V60 ELECTRIC GRINDER available via Hario website.
Having a grinder at home is probably the most important. It doesn’t matter if it’s a hand grinder or an electric grinder! The most important thing is that you can grind beans fresh, right before you make your brew! Stop getting it pre-ground if you can. It makes a difference, and your coffee will last longer.
Hand grinders are great because they are easy, durable and compact. They’re perfect for single cups (ie 15-20grams) and great for travelling - I take my Hario mini mill everywhere.
The brands I’d look at, right now for hand grinders would be Hario (wide range), Porlex (conical ceramic burrs) & Cozyna (fits inside an aeropress).
Be careful when buying electric grinders from department stores. Make sure they use burrs that grind coffee, as opposed to blades that chop the coffee.
Two electric grinders that I would recommend would be the new V60 Hario grinder and the Baratza. I have both at home and they’re so convenient when brewing more than one cup. I love the ritual of grinding coffee by hand, but when I’m in a rush, decide to change my brew method two or three times a day(and therefore my grind size), or just have a moment of laziness, electric grinders are saviours.
Baratza have a number of different versions, but their “Encore” is their most basic and compact, simple and easy to use grinder. It’s totally sufficient for regular home coffee making –either for espresso or filters.
NEW to Hario is The Hario V60 electric grinder!! It is a bit more robust and will make you feel like you’re a real coffee-boss, at home because it looks pretty cool. It has a switch pad that can be ground directly into the V60 filter by pressing the V60 dripper against it. Or if you are lucky to have an espresso machine at home you can press the portafilter directly on it. Very straight forward to use (I will be doing a closer review blog of it soon so keep an eye out). Check it out here!
Both are affordable, considering the absolute convenience and quality of beautifully ground, FRESH coffee at home!
2. V60 Dripper
Obviously, to make a V60 you need a V60 brewer! (Don't forget to buy filter papers!). There are a few different companies that produce these brewers but as far as I’m aware Hario has the biggest and best range. I love them. I suggest if you’re not sure yet, and you are new to this brew method at home, to test the V60-waters just buy a plastic one. They start off at around a fiver. You really can’t go wrong. Because they’re plastic, they’re also light and portable for travelling and the outdoors. But if you’re like me, you’ll like something a little sturdier like the ceramic or glass(£17-25) and metal/copper(£40-65) V60 drippers, which start to get a little more pricy, depending on the material - but still totally worth it, because they’re all really functional and elegant looking in their simplicity. The Japanese have such a great aesthetic when it comes to form and function.
If you like something a little more boutique and designer, StudioLVU are an independent hand-made ceramics brand, who make exquisite V60’s. I’ve actually been using their V60's for almost a year now and I love using them! It's incredible how much work and design goes into each V60 and you can see it too. I also love having them on display and using them when I’m making V60’s for others because they are so different and beautiful. If you scroll through my instagram, you’ll see me using different ones of theirs all the time. They come in an array of muted, whites, greens and earthy tones that match the designer’s scandi-aesthetic.
I’m really excited to show a collaboration I’m doing with them VERY soon (exclusive to The Girl in the Cafe site), so stay tuned, because the first samples just came out of the kiln and they are looking like no other V60 I've seen around!
3. Scales
Scales are really important to get your coffee consistently tasting the way you like it. Any digital scales that measure accurately, in grams can be used, although there are some scales that are better than others because of their simplicity, accuracy, and other features.
At work in the café, it’s essential to have good digital scales to use at hand. But before I got something superior for home-use, I used some basic kitchen scales, which were okay, but hard to read, slow and not reliable. That was before I got my Hario V60 drip scales, which are really accurate to 0.1g, have a timer and are super easy to use. Basically: its on/off, tare, timer on/off. All touch pad. Plus, they look badass. They’re really good value for money at around £65. They’re solid and last a long time because they switch off by themselves when not in use. You’ll also tend to look after them because they look so good too. Probably my favourite pick.
There are also the really cheap pocket MYCO scales that you can use to weigh espresso shots or single grind doses, because they’re very small and compact. I always have one with me when I do my pop-up cafes, as a “spare” or “extra” scale or to use if I only need to measure a small amount. The biggest problem is they have a tiny surface area for weighing, and if you’re weighing shots they often get wet, people seem to always drop them, and they only take a capacity of 600g. So you can’t really do more than a single v60 and they’re not very stable when balancing a cup, a V60 and hot water! I wouldn’t recommend for continuous use for V60’s at home. You can buy them for around £8-12 but I’ve ended up purchasing so many in the past, due to breakages and faulty readings through over use, it’s better to invest in something decent in the long run. These are great however if you are travelling, camping or cycling.
I’ve used the Acaia scales many times, and they’re popular because they’re functional and look really good. They’re quite streamlined and water protected (which is awesome), but I’ve had some experiences where the timer button hasn’t registered, and it threw my brew out of whack. The lit up digital numbers are pretty cool, but at around £130-220 I think it’s a bit excessive for home users. But I guess it just depends on your budget.
4. Kettle:
You just need something that boils water…however pouring with a gooseneck kettle is much better because it’s safer and easier to use than a regular tipping kettle most of us have in the house. You have much more pour control and can reduce spillage over a regular kettle tipper.
I’ve tried a few different kettles and again, to get something even and consistent at home, a gooseneck pourer really makes it easy and fun. You’ll also look like a pro! Hario have good range. I’ve used their small “Buono” for years now. It’s fantastic and very durable. It’s not too expensive and available to buy from lots of cafes too. Great wearing and I can keep it hot on the gas stove or pour hot water into it, straight from the kettle.
Later this year a Hario electric ‘Buono’ (temperature controlled) will be available in the Uk at a very competitive price, so keep a look out for that!!
Bonavita do an electric kettle to, which is also very good. I guess it’s down to features and sizes. But for home, I’d recommend smaller is better.
5. Cup:
I think a cup is the icing on the cake.
I prefer to only drink out of a few cups. It’s personal I guess. (Pictured are my personal fave’s).
Two things to think about, is have something sturdy to hold the V60 and a cup and that it is large enough to hold around 300mls. Not realizing, I’ve done it straight into smaller cups before and its over flowed. Worse to do that with an aeropress…
A safer alternative is to let the coffee drip into a larger jug or vessel and you can pour it into smaller cups
I have a new range of awesome Enamel Cups that have just come out. So check them out here.
6. Coffee…
Opps, that’s number 6, and a WHOLE other post (to come soon).
Hope you find this useful. Get the gear and soon, I’ll walk you though how to make a great V60 coffee at home. Stay tuned and subscribe to my website for all the latest blogs, vlogs, products and events...
All photos by Celeste Wong