A Better 1 Cup V60 Technique

By James Hoffmann, 2022

A five-pour pulse method for a single 250 g cup, designed to be easy to repeat and forgiving across different kettles and grinders.

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Coffee: 15g, said in the original. Show the evidence.
“15g ground coffee”
said in the original · description box, recipe section
Water: 250g, said in the original. Show the evidence.
“250g soft, filtered water, freshly boiled (for lighter roasts)”
said in the original · description box, recipe section
Ratio: 1:16.7
Temperature: 100°C, said in the original. Show the evidence.
“we're gonna be boiling it to 100 degrees Celsius and using it fresh from the boil”
said in the original · transcript, 1:36
Brew time: 3:00, said in the original. Show the evidence.
“Drawdown should finish around 3:00, but expect some variance here.”
said in the original · description box, recipe section
Grind (estimated): medium-fine, worked out from the recipe. Show the evidence.
Grind: medium-fine
worked out from the recipe · creator's own label maps directly onto the medium-fine band

FineCoarse

Tap any underlined number to read where it came from. Numbers marked estimated are ones the original recipe does not give.

Equipment

Plastic 1 Cup V60
gooseneck recommended
Scales

Designed on: Plastic 1 Cup V60, said in the original. Show the evidence.
“I would recommend the plastic one cup V60.”
said in the original · transcript, 2:19
Works with: conical paper dripper, worked out from the recipe. Show the evidence.
I would recommend the plastic one cup V60.
worked out from the recipe · the method uses standard conical-paper geometry and transfers to any conical paper dripper

Brewing a different amount?

grams

Uses 250g of water

Water in the brewer over time, drawn from the recipe.

Step by step

0:00

0:00Pour to 50gbloom pouryou have 10s
0:10Swirlgentle swirl to mix grounds and water evenlyyou have 35s
0:45Pour to 100gadd 50gfirst pulse pour, reaching 40% of total water weightyou have 25s
1:10Pour to 150gadd 50gsecond pulse pour, reaching 60% of total water weightyou have 20s
1:30Pour to 200gadd 50gthird pulse pour, reaching 80% of total water weightyou have 20s
1:50Pour to 250gadd 50gfinal pulse pour, reaching 100% of total water weightyou have 10s
2:00Swirlgentle swirl after final pour
↳Let it drainlet drain; bed should be dry around 3 minutes
3:00Done

Weights are cumulative: what the scale reads when that pour finishes.

How James Hoffmann brews it

Filter rinsed first: Yes, said in the original. Show the evidence.
“rinse the paper, get the brewer hot and that way you'll have a better tasting brew”
said in the original · transcript, 2:47
Dripper: plastic, said in the original. Show the evidence.
“I would recommend the plastic one cup V60.”
said in the original · transcript, 2:19
Kettle: gooseneck recommended, spout kept close to the bed, circular pour, said in the original. Show the evidence.
“Keep the spout relatively low. It's quite a slow pour. In circles.”
said in the original · transcript, 3:52
Stirring and swirling: gentle swirl after bloom; gentle swirl after final pour, said in the original. Show the evidence.
“give it a gentle swirl”
said in the original · transcript, 3:23 (bloom swirl); end swirl sourced from description box: '2m00s - 2m05s: Gently swirl'
Drains in: 3:00, said in the original. Show the evidence.
“Drawdown should finish around 3:00, but expect some variance here.”
said in the original · description box, recipe section

How James Hoffmann says to adjust it

dose scaling

divide total water into five equal 20% blocks; e.g. 18 g to 300 g uses 60 g blocks, 12 g uses 40 g blocks

grind by roast

coarser for darker roasts

temperature by roast

dark: 80–85°C
light: boiling (100°C)
medium: 90–95°C
medium dark: up to 90°C

What it makes

Body: medium, worked out from the recipe. Show the evidence.
these little pulse pours of 50 grams every 10 seconds giving that really nice mixture of even distribution and even agitation
worked out from the recipe · moderate ratio (1:16.7) with controlled pulse agitation suggests medium body
Strength: medium, worked out from the recipe. Show the evidence.
15g ground coffee … 250g soft, filtered water
worked out from the recipe · 1:16.7 ratio is standard and produces medium strength
Acidity: medium, worked out from the recipe. Show the evidence.
that drop particularly in the bloom of temperature really left the cup feeling less sweet, more acidic and just less enjoyable overall
worked out from the recipe · boiling water and good preheating are used specifically to avoid excess acidity, implying the intended cup is medium acidity
Sweetness: high, said in the original. Show the evidence.
“we did get to have a nice amount of agitation to increase the extraction to get a sweeter, fuller, more delicious cup”
said in the original · transcript, 7:07
Style: clarity, worked out from the recipe. Show the evidence.
a circular pour … helped distribute the water across the coffee and it helped distribute the agitation across the coffee
worked out from the recipe · controlled, even agitation with paper filtration favours clarity over texture
Suits: light, medium, dark roasts, said in the original. Show the evidence.
“for darker roasts that would be down at 80 through to 85 going up to sort of maybe 90. Medium roasts then 90 through 95. But light roasts, you wanna be at boiling point.”
said in the original · transcript, 7:49; all three roast levels are addressed with temperature adjustments rather than exclusions

Where the original recipe does not say how the coffee tastes, the flavour here is an estimate.

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Credit and corrections

This recipe is James Hoffmann’s. We have written out the numbers and linked to the original.

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