James Hoffmann's one cup V60 technique

Recipe by James Hoffmann · See the original

James Hoffmann built this technique for the times you only want one mug. Small doses of coffee are harder to brew evenly in a V60, so he splits the water into a bloom and four equal pours with short pauses in between, then finishes with a gentle swirl.

He wrote the recipe out in the description of his video. Use water straight off the boil for lighter roasts.

V60 recipes

Everyday

Our one-cup starting point for any filter roast.

15 g · 1:16.7 · 2:30 to 3:30

Hoffmann's V60

Two cups, a big bloom and a swirl to finish. Clean and sweet.

30 g · 1:16.7 · 3:15 to 3:45

4:6 method

Five pours you can tune for sweetness and strength.

20 g · 1:15 · 3:30

Rao's V60

Very hot water, a big bloom and spins instead of stirs.

20 g · 1:16.5 · 4:00 to 4:30

Hoffmann's one cup V60

One mug, five small pours and a swirl. Sweet and even.

15 g · 1:16.7 · 2:50 to 3:20

Five pour

Five equal pours, each one when the last has drained.

20 g · 1:15 · 3:15 to 3:45

April's V60

Six even pours with a lively stream, done by 3:30.

20 g · 1:15 · 3:20 to 3:30

Hedrick's double bloom

Two small blooms, one fast pour. Dial in by time, not grind.

15 g · 1:15 · 2:00 to 2:30

Hario's V60

The maker's own recipe: a bloom and three equal pours.

15 g · 1:14 · 2:30 to 3:00

Gagné's V60

Boiling water, a big bloom and three gentle spins.

22 g · 1:16 · 2:30 to 3:30

Licata's V60

One long pour that starts fast and ends with a splash.

18 g · 1:16.7 · 2:20 to 2:40

Grill's V60

Two cups, two big pours and a quick stir after each.

30 g · 1:16.7 · 2:45 to 3:00

Recipe

Coffee

Water

Makes about

Change any amount and the whole recipe scales with it.

Ratio: 1:16.7
Water temperature: 100°C
Grind: Medium-fine
Time: 2:50 to 3:20

What you need

V60 dripper and a paper filter to fit it
Kettle, ideally a gooseneck kettle for a steady pour
Digital scale with a timer
Burr grinder
Mug or server

Method

1
Rinse the paper filter with hot water and tip the water away. Add 15 g of ground coffee, level it and zero the scale.
2
Start the timer and pour 50 g of water straight off the boil. At about 0:10, give the dripper a gentle swirl so every bit of coffee is wet, then let it bloom until 0:45.
3
Between 0:45 and 1:00, pour to 100 g. Pause for ten seconds.
4
From 1:10, pour to 150 g, then pause again until 1:30.
5
From 1:30, pour to 200 g. Pause until 1:50, then pour the last of the water to 250 g by 2:00.
6
Give the dripper a gentle swirl to flatten the bed and let it drain. It should finish at around 3:00, but trust your taste over the clock.