James Hoffmann's V60 Coffee Brewing Guide! How Many Pour Stages Are Best for Coffee Brewing?

The Ultimate V60 Brewing Method

As we all know, FrontStreet Coffee loves exploring all kinds of peculiar brewing methods! Recently, FrontStreet Coffee discovered another V60 brewing technique that hasn't been shared before. This method allows you to easily brew a delicious cup of coffee with very simple techniques and tools, and its inventor is none other than the coffee master who authored "The World Atlas of Coffee"—James Hoffman.

After multiple practical attempts, FrontStreet Coffee found that the effect is indeed excellent. So today, FrontStreet Coffee wants to share what this method, dubbed by netizens as the ultimate V60 brewing solution, is all about and how to actually operate it.

Understanding the Ultimate V60 Brewing Method

Since it's called the ultimate V60 brewing method, the dripper used naturally should be a V60 (but other drippers can also work, preferably those without bypass). According to Mr. James Hoffman's sharing on his channel, this brewing method requires dividing the total water injection into five equal segments, while incorporating the Rao shake method in both the first and last segments—a technique involving picking up the dripper and shaking it (for those unfamiliar, you can click the "Portal" to learn more).

The combination of these two methods makes brewing delicious coffee incredibly simple because the five-segment water injection reduces the amount of water needed for each segment, and the intervals between injections aren't too long. This allows us to not worry too much about controlling water flow, while the shortened injection intervals cause hot water to accumulate in the dripper, forming an immersion-style extraction that enables more even coffee extraction. The main purpose of adding the Rao shake method at the beginning and end is to ensure more comprehensive contact between coffee grounds and water, allowing degassing and extraction to proceed more thoroughly! Additionally, there's no need for extensive bed management since shaking disrupts the structure of the coffee bed. Therefore, even if we're not using a professional gooseneck kettle, we can easily complete the brewing of delicious coffee.

Benefits and Preparation

So, from the above, everyone can understand that the main purpose of this method is to reduce the difficulty of brewing delicious coffee. Even without various complex techniques and professional equipment, making a delicious cup of coffee becomes effortless. However, this method places more emphasis on parameter usage! So next, FrontStreet Coffee will share how to operate this brewing method and what parameters to use.

Brewing Demonstration

In the video, Mr. James Hoffman demonstrated with light roast coffee beans, and the known parameters include: water temperature 100°C, extraction time 3 minutes, and coffee-to-water ratio 1:16.6. Although the grind size wasn't disclosed, FrontStreet Coffee concluded from numerous brewing attempts that it's likely the grind size we normally use. While these parameters might seem extreme, due to minimal agitation throughout the process and more immersion-style extraction, the coffee basically won't be over-extracted. In experiments, FrontStreet Coffee found that our usual grind size works perfectly with this brewing method. Unless you're using an extremely unusual grind, you can directly apply this formula.

Practical Brewing Session

For this brewing session, FrontStreet Coffee will use Costa Rica's Mirasu Strawberry Candy for demonstration, with the following extraction parameters: Coffee beans used: 16g (other amounts are also acceptable), Coffee-to-water ratio: 1:15, Grind level: EK43 at 9.5 setting, 75% passing through a #20 sieve, fine sugar texture, Brewing water temperature: 100°C, Dripper used: V60. The total water needed for this brewing session is 240ml, which when divided into five equal portions, gives us 48ml per portion. First, let's start with the bloom. Before blooming, you can dig a small hole in the center of the coffee bed to help hot water penetrate more quickly to the coffee grounds at the bottom.

After injecting 48ml of hot water to begin blooming, we immediately pick up the dripper and shake it. About 5 rotations of shaking will suffice, then wait for 30 seconds to let the coffee bloom and degas before starting the next water injection.

After the bloom ends, the water volume and method for the next four segments are all identical. Use a small water flow in large circular motions, 48ml per segment, with approximately 10-second intervals between injections.

When we finish the final segment of hot water injection, we need to pick up the dripper and shake it again, similarly about 5 rotations. After shaking ends, we just need to wait for the coffee to finish dripping, then we can remove the dripper and complete extraction!

Results and Tasting Notes

Total time: 3 minutes. Through measurement, the coffee extraction rate reached 21.5%, which is a very "healthy" value. The coffee tasted highly sweet with prominent aromas, featuring strawberry, raisin, and fruit wine flavor characteristics. The mouthfeel was round and smooth with a long aftertaste—quite excellent.

Important Considerations

As you can see, this brewing method is extremely simple. However, there are two points to pay attention to during operation. First, the grind size will vary depending on the coffee beans and dripper used, so it's best to adjust based on the final taste of your brew—this is also why Mr. James Hoffman didn't share specific parameters in his video. The second point to note is not to shake too vigorously, as it's easy to spill hot water from the dripper and burn yourself. It can also cause fine particles to migrate to the bottom, potentially clogging the filter paper.

Important Notice :

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