The Design Principles of the V60 Dripper! Why is the V60 Dripper Called V60? What's the Difference Between V60 Pour-Over Coffee Dripper and Cake Dripper? Who Invented the V60?

The Timeless Appeal of V60: Why This Dripper Remains the Coffee World's Favorite

If you're a beginner looking for a practical, easy-to-use pour-over dripper recommendation from an experienced coffee enthusiast, FrontStreet Coffee believes they'll most likely recommend a product that was introduced over 20 years ago—the V60.

Despite new drippers being introduced every year, none have been able to shake V60's position in the pour-over world to this day. If we were to explain why V60 is so popular, FrontStreet Coffee thinks it can truly be called "the embodiment of countless advantages" because it's both practical and affordable!

The Birth of V60

V60 was invented by a Japanese company founded in Tokyo in 1921. This company primarily manufactured glass products, hence their name "Hario," which means "Glass King." Initially, Hario produced heat-resistant glass instruments and equipment for scientific research institutions. It wasn't until the 1940s, when coffee began gaining popularity in Japan, that Hario seized the opportunity to start designing and creating coffee-related equipment. The siphon pot was their first coffee product.

For a long period, "slow immersion extraction" was the mainstream in the coffee market. Most equipment was developed around the concept of allowing coffee to steep longer and produce richer, fuller flavors. Brands like Kono and Kalita had excellent representatives of such drippers. Hario then began developing the idea of creating a pour-over dripper that was different from the conventional ones—one with faster flow rates and a completely different experience. Adhering to this concept, Hario began designing their dripper. After several modifications, a dripper named V60 was officially launched in 2004.

It can be said that the introduction of this dripper perfectly coincided with the trend of the times. At that moment, coffee roasting was shifting from dark to light under the influence of the third wave. People's pursuit of coffee flavors was no longer just the rich sweetness of dark roasts, but also the delicate acidity that could showcase regional characteristics. However, most drippers at that time focused on extracting rich, full-bodied flavors and balanced taste profiles, unable to properly express the flavor layers of light-roast coffee. This left a significant gap in the market for drippers suitable for light roasts. V60 happened to be introduced during this period, successfully filling this void, which caused a tremendous response and widespread popularity upon its launch.

Advantages of the V60 Dripper

V60's success is mainly due to its multiple revolutionary designs for the time, such as the large outlet and long, numerous flow ribs. These designs, combined with the cone-shaped body, collectively built a generation's classic.

The V60's Cone Angle

V60 is named V60 because its main body has a conical structure, appearing as a large "V" from the side, with an angle of 60° between the sides, hence the name V60. We can understand this as a conical dripper with a 60° angle.

Because the conical dripper's structure narrows from bottom to top, it allows coffee grounds to form a thicker coffee bed, while each layer's cross-sectional area varies from large to small, top to bottom. This coffee bed structure can produce coffee with more distinct layers because each layer of coffee grounds receives inconsistent extraction, dissolving different amounts of substances. Therefore, compared to flat-bottom or wave drippers, conical drippers can produce coffee with more distinct layers, though relatively, the coffee flavor won't be as balanced as those produced by them.

V60's Large Outlet

V60 has a large-diameter outlet! The number and size of a dripper's outlet are one of the main factors determining the flow rate during brewing. Because V60's outlet diameter is relatively large, its flow rate is faster.

Fast flow rates can prevent excessive immersion during coffee extraction, which can create differences in how substances are extracted from the coffee grounds—to put it simply, further increasing the coffee's distinct layers. And because brewing techniques and pouring methods can also affect flow rate, fast-flow drippers can offer more varied brewing approaches. Just by adjusting parameters and pouring methods, V60 can easily adapt to various extraction schemes.

V60's Flow Ribs

It can be said that V60's most iconic feature is the long, prominent spiral flow ribs that cover the entire cup.

The prominent ribs can support the filter paper, creating air gaps! The purpose of these air gaps is to allow the coffee bed to release air better during brewing, increasing the flow rate of coffee liquid. Unlike most drippers, these flow ribs are not straight but winding spiral lines, so besides releasing air, they also serve a guiding function! The guided element is hot water—during extraction, liquid that contacts the ribs can pass through more coffee grounds, allowing hot water to extract from more sources and dissolve more flavor substances.

Combining these three points, we can understand that V60's brewing advantages are "fast flow rate," "coffee with rich distinct layers," and "more varied brewing approaches." These advantages remain relevant even today, as evidenced by the frequent use of V60 by champions in the World Brewers Cup. Moreover, V60 drippers are available in many different materials! Such as ceramic, resin, glass, metal, and so on. Different material drippers have different extraction advantages, influenced by the material's specific heat capacity and thermal conductivity. FrontStreet Coffee has provided detailed introductions in previous articles and won't elaborate too much here.

Among all materials, FrontStreet Coffee's favorite is undoubtedly the resin dripper. Putting aside extraction advantages, the resin V60 dripper has two advantages that are difficult for other materials to possess: one is durability! Even if accidentally knocked from a table to the ground, it won't necessarily shatter into pieces.

Another is its affordable price—the resin version of V60 is priced so reasonably that you won't feel any financial burden, making it perfect for beginners starting their exploration! Even if it gets damaged or abandoned later, you won't regret the price of the dripper.

So, to sum up, we can understand why V60 remains so popular even now. It's not only practical but also affordable. As for its disadvantages... they do exist! If beginners want to brew a good cup of coffee with it, they need some practice. Because V60 creates a thicker coffee bed and has a faster flow rate, it requires more attention to brewing techniques and parameter coordination compared to other shaped drippers. For beginners, this requires more exploration and practice to fully utilize V60's characteristics. So, practice slowly~

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