A Better 1 Cup V60 Technique

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

Tap any underlined number to read where it came from. Numbers marked estimated are ones the creator never gave, so we worked them out.

What you’ll need

15g

“15g ground coffee”

the creator said this · description box, recipe section

Coffee

250g

“250g soft, filtered water, freshly boiled (for lighter roasts)”

the creator said this · description box, recipe section

Water

1:16.7

Ratio

100°C

“we're gonna be boiling it to 100 degrees Celsius and using it fresh from the boil”

the creator said this · transcript, 1:36

Temperature

3:00

“Drawdown should finish around 3:00, but expect some variance here.”

the creator said this · description box, recipe section

Brew time

medium-fine

I would recommend the plastic one cup V60.

we worked this out · the method uses standard conical-paper geometry and transfers to any conical paper dripper

Grind (estimated)

Grind: medium-fine

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

Brewing a different amount?

grams

Makes 250g

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

0:00

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

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

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

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

Where the creator did not say how their coffee tastes, we have estimated it.

This recipe is James Hoffmann’s. We have written out the numbers and linked to where they published it.