What's the Difference Between V30 and V60? What Brewing Method Should You Use for V30 Coffee Dripper?

Yesterday, FrontStreet Coffee shared how to brew small quantities with the V60, and then some friends left comments asking about the brewing method for the V30 dripper. Coincidentally, other friends have been inquiring in-store about the differences between V30 and V60. So today, FrontStreet Coffee will present a comparative analysis and share how to use the V30 dripper.

What are the differences between V60 and V30?

Because the V60 and V30 have similar names and appearances, people might assume they share some connection, such as being produced by the same company or having similar effects. However, they actually differ significantly in both their manufacturers and effects. The V60 is manufactured by Hario, while the V30 is made by Tarachine Conical. Although both are Japanese products, they come from different companies.

The V60 dripper was named to directly reflect its structural design. As we know, the V60 is a cone-shaped dripper, where the "V" represents its conical structure, and "60" refers to the 60-degree angle between the wall and bottom. Combined, this creates "V60." The V30 follows the same naming principle - being a cone-shaped dripper with a 30-degree angle, it was named V30.

Although both are cone-shaped drippers, different cone angles give the two drippers completely different extraction effects. Compared to the V60, the V30 has a smaller angle, making its shape more "narrow." This causes the poured coffee grounds to form a taller, thicker coffee bed (compared to pouring into a V60). Because the surface area of each coffee layer is smaller than in a V60, the bed naturally becomes thicker. (Using the same 15g of coffee grounds).

In a previous article titled "The Differences Between Drippers," FrontStreet Coffee mentioned that the thickness of the coffee layer affects extraction uniformity. When a coffee bed made from the same amount of grounds is thicker, extraction uniformity is lower but layers are richer. When the bed is thinner, extraction uniformity is higher, resulting in more balanced flavors. This is mainly due to concentration differences.

Therefore, many people might think that V30 can produce more layered flavors than V60. In reality, coffee brewed with V30 won't have the same rich layering as V60 because its drainage speed is relatively slower. Slower drainage causes the poured hot water to accumulate in the dripper, creating an immersion effect that gives the coffee grounds similar extraction.

There are two reasons for V30's slower drainage: one is the smaller hole in the dripper, and the other is its thick coffee bed.

From a top view, you can see that V30's bottom hole is about a quarter smaller than V60's. The size of the bottom hole is one factor affecting drainage volume - the smaller the hole, the slower the drainage speed. Combined with the thickness of the coffee bed, V30's drainage speed becomes relatively slower.

This creates an immersion-style extraction during the brewing process. As FrontStreet Coffee mentioned, immersion extraction gives coffee grounds relatively uniform extraction! Therefore, compared to V60, coffee brewed with V30 won't have extremely rich layers, but its flavor will be more balanced.

For this reason, coffee brewed with it often tastes sweeter than V60. Combined with its ice cream cone-like appearance, it earned the nickname "Little Ice Cream Cone."

Although V30 doesn't have as many as 12 flow ribs like V60, its two ribs are much longer than any of V60's. The ribs serve two purposes: one is to support the filter paper, preventing it from fitting perfectly against the dripper, allowing more space for water flow. The second is to guide water flow, making hot water take more "detours" to extract more coffee grounds.

The final difference is the amount of coffee grounds used! The reason friends mentioned V30 in yesterday's comments is that V30 is specifically designed for brewing small quantities. Because its cone angle isn't as large as V60's, coffee grounds gather together, forming a taller, thicker bed.

For this reason, even when using as little as 6g of grounds, brewing rarely encounters extraction problems. You don't need to worry about flow being too fast causing under-extraction, nor about water being poured outside the coffee bed - after all, there's limited space, no room for creating bypass water.

According to official recommendations, its maximum recommended grounds usage doesn't exceed 15g (for light roast beans, even less for dark roast). Otherwise, over-extraction can easily occur due to too much water. These are the differences between V30 and V60.

Since FrontStreet Coffee has already shared countless times about V60 brewing and coffee characteristics, the following will focus mainly on sharing V30's brewing method, without going into detail about V60.

V30 Dripper Brewing Guide

Because V30's space is too small, most current brewing methods aren't compatible with it. When using it to brew coffee, besides parameters, we only need to pay attention to one thing to brew good coffee: not letting hot water overflow the coffee bed.

As long as the water level doesn't exceed the coffee grounds, most hot water can contact the coffee grounds, forming effective extraction. With appropriate parameters, brewing a delicious cup of coffee becomes naturally achievable.

For this brew, FrontStreet Coffee is using a light roast coffee bean - the popular Bensa Alo. The parameters are as follows:

• Coffee grounds: 7g
• Coffee-to-water ratio: 1:15
• Grind size: Ek43 setting 10, with 80% pass-through through a #20 sieve, similar to fine sugar
• Brewing water temperature: 93°C (1°C higher than when brewing with V60)

The first step in brewing remains the ever-constant bloom! First, use twice the amount of grounds in water - 15ml of hot water for a 30-second bloom, releasing carbon dioxide from the coffee grounds.

After the bloom ends, we divide the remaining 90ml of hot water into two pours of 45ml each. Use small water flow in small circles for each pour, then wait for the coffee to finish dripping before removing the dripper to end extraction.

Note that the water amount and pouring method here are not fixed! If the coffee bed can be raised, we can pour according to the originally planned method and amount. But if it cannot be raised, we should stop pouring when the water level reaches the same height as the coffee grounds, then wait for the coffee liquid to fully penetrate before pouring the next segment of hot water. Repeat this process until the total planned water amount is poured.

Don't worry about over-extraction issues, as the immersion effect will provide you with sufficient fault tolerance (provided the water amount isn't too much and extraction time isn't too long).

Due to Alo's high density, FrontStreet Coffee used the latter pouring method, taking a total of 2 minutes and 10 seconds. Through tasting, one can feel that this cup of coffee has an adequate and appropriate extraction rate, with very balanced flavors and prominent notes of mango, pineapple, citrus acidity, and a hint of elegant magnolia fragrance. The mouthfeel is clean with a long aftertaste.

To be honest, V30 brewing doesn't differ much from yesterday's V60 small quantity brewing method. It's just relatively easier to brew, with extraction being easier to control and higher fault tolerance.

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