How to Adjust Pour-Over Parameters When Brewing Different Coffee Amounts with the Same Size V60 Dripper

Introduction

The V60 #01 dripper is designed for brewing 1-2 servings of coffee, with 15-20g of coffee grounds being the optimal amount. Some people brew less when they can't drink that much alone, while others brew more when sharing with friends. So when brewing different amounts of coffee using the same size dripper, do we need to adjust our parameters?

Brewing Experiment

FrontStreet Coffee will next use Ethiopian Yirgacheffe Natural Red Cherry as the brewing subject, with brewing parameters as follows: V60 #01 dripper; 90°C water temperature; 1:15 coffee-to-water ratio; medium-fine grind (80% pass rate through China standard #20 sieve), circular pouring technique, with coffee amounts of 10g, 15g, and 25g respectively.

"Before brewing begins, use hot water to wet the filter paper. This ensures better adherence to the dripper while also preheating both the dripper and the serving pot."

Brewing 10g of Coffee

First pour 20g of water, then bloom for 20 seconds. Continue pouring to 90g, then segment. When the water level drops and is about to expose the coffee bed, continue pouring to 150g and stop pouring. When the water level drops and is about to expose the coffee bed, remove the dripper. (Timing starts from the beginning of bloom) Extraction time is 1'35".

Brewing flavor: Citrus acidity, honey aftertaste, overall flat, lacking the full body typically brought by natural processing.

Brewing 15g of Coffee

First pour 30g of water, then bloom for 30 seconds. Continue pouring to 125g, then segment. When the water level drops and is about to expose the coffee bed, continue pouring to 225g and stop pouring. When the water level drops and is about to expose the coffee bed, remove the dripper. (Timing starts from the beginning of bloom) Extraction time is 2'00".

Brewing flavor: Berry sweetness and acidity as the main tone, with fermented notes and almond aroma. The aftertaste has honey sweetness, rich layers, full and smooth mouthfeel.

Brewing 25g of Coffee

First pour 50g of water, then bloom for 40 seconds. Continue pouring to 160g, then segment. When the water level drops and is about to expose the coffee bed, continue pouring to 375g and stop pouring. When the water level drops and is about to expose the coffee bed, remove the dripper. (Timing starts from the beginning of bloom) Extraction time is 2'36".

Brewing flavor: Bitterness of almonds, citrus acidity, tea-like sensation, no layer complexity, with a bitter astringent feeling.

From the brewing flavors, we can see that the amount of coffee grounds has a certain impact on coffee extraction. From the images, we can notice that when brewing 10g of coffee, due to the small amount of grounds, the bowl-shaped coffee layer after brewing shows uneven thickness. Some water flows into the serving pot without fully extracting coffee flavor, diluting the coffee liquid, resulting in flat coffee flavor.

When brewing 25g of coffee, the increased amount of grounds leads to increased density between coffee particles, and water channels become narrower. During brewing, the impact force of the water flow cannot effectively agitate the coffee bed, and after brewing, a uniform bowl-shaped coffee layer cannot form. The bottom coffee layer is too thick, extending extraction time, resulting in bitter flavors.

Moreover, we can also see that when brewing 25g, the water level is desperately testing the edge of the dripper! If the water flow is not careful, the liquid will overflow.

How to Brew 10g of Coffee with V60 #01 Dripper?

Adjust water flow size! When brewing 10g of coffee, to ensure the coffee bed is evenly distributed on the dripper walls, we should choose a fine water flow for brewing. Smaller water flow injection can reduce large-scale agitation of the coffee bed caused by the impact force of pouring, preventing coffee grounds from settling at the bottom of the dripper. How small should the flow be? FrontStreet Coffee suggests that medium-fine water flow should be 4-5g per second, while fine water flow should be 7-8g per second.

How to Brew 25g of Coffee with V60 #01 Dripper?

Adjust the grind size! Since the reduced space between coffee particles causes narrowed water channels, we can adjust the grind to be slightly coarser, thereby increasing the space between particles. Of course! We cannot make it significantly coarser. The grind size selected for this brewing was 80% pass rate through China standard #20 sieve, so the adjusted grind size is recommended to be 75% pass rate through China standard #20 sieve.

However! For the #01 dripper, 25g of coffee is more than it should handle for its size. If brewing this amount of coffee for extended periods, FrontStreet Coffee recommends buying a #02 larger dripper~ Only when the dripper has sufficient space can we ensure the coffee grounds receive better and more even extraction.

Important Notice :

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