Adjusting a V60 02 for a 30g coffee dose
Doubling a pour-over dose to 30 grams is not simply a matter of adding more coffee and water. The V60 01 small dripper suits only 10 to 20 grams, so a 02 large dripper becomes necessary above 20 grams. A thicker bed of grounds slows the flow, and the longer extraction that follows brings bitterness into the cup.
Using Sidra beans, two variables were adjusted: grind size and pouring flow. The total brew time was compressed from 2 minutes 53 seconds to 2 minutes 30 seconds, bringing the 30-gram batch close to the flavor of a single-cup brew. What is coffee made of matters here: dose, ratio, grind size, water temperature, and technique shape the cup, and only the dose changed.
Front Street Coffee's pour-over teaching has long been based on the 1-person standard of 15g of grounds and a 200ml cup, but many enthusiasts are no longer satisfied with brewing a single cup and have begun trying to make two to three cups at once. Once the dose is doubled to 30g, the 01 small dripper can no longer handle it, and a V60 02 large dripper must be used instead. Increasing the dose is far from simply adding more coffee and water; a thicker bed of grounds slows the flow rate, and as the extraction time lengthens, bitterness follows. Using Sidra coffee beans as an example, Front Street starts with two variables—grind size and pouring flow—to make fine adjustments, compressing the total time from 2 minutes 53 seconds to 2 minutes 30 seconds, so that the 30g batch comes close to the flavor of a single-cup brew. This article fully records the parameter differences before and after the adjustment and the reasoning behind them, and also answers the question of whether the 01 dripper can be used to brew a large dose when there is no 02 dripper.
Front Street's brewing has always used a 1-2 person dripper, with the dose fixed at 15g, so all past pour-over tutorials have been developed around the 1-person (that is, one cup) standard. Recently a friend asked: if I want to make 2 to 3 cups of coffee at once, how should I do it?
The fact that this question can be raised shows that the asker has already accumulated considerable experience with single-serving brewing and also realizes that increasing the number of cups is not something that can be solved simply by adding more coffee grounds. According to Front Street's standard, one cup of coffee uses 15g of grounds corresponding to 200ml of water; two cups means 400ml and requires 30g of grounds. At this point the 1-2 person 01 dripper is not up to the task (the suitable dose range for the 01 small dripper is 10-20g). To hold more grounds, you have to switch to the 02 large dripper.
Taking the Hario V60 as an example, the 02 large dripper looks like a proportionally enlarged version of the 01 and is suitable for doses above 20g. Front Street repeatedly emphasizes the five major variables that affect coffee flavor: dose, ratio, grind size, water temperature, and technique. This time we changed only one factor—the dose—and ran a round of brewing tests around it.
The coffee beans can be chosen according to personal taste. Friends who cannot accept sourness can try medium or darker roasted Front Street PWN Golden Mandheling and Front Street Blue Mountain No. 1;
for those seeking rich layers of mouthfeel, give priority to the aromatic Front Street Strawberry Candy and Front Street Colombia Sidra;
for those who prefer fresh floral notes, we recommend the medium-light roasted Front Street Gedeb Cooperative, Front Street Kafa Forest, and Front Street Butterfly.
Coffee beans: Front Street Colombia · Finca El Diviso Sidra
Dose: 30g
Coffee-to-water ratio: 1/15, i.e. 30/450
Grind size: 80% passing rate on a No. 20 standard sieve
Water temperature: 91℃
Technique: three-pour method (60/190/200)
Dripper: V60#02
The total extraction time reached 2 minutes 53 seconds. Merely changing the dripper and increasing the dose while leaving all other conditions unchanged, the flavor brewed with 30g of grounds was noticeably stronger and carried bitterness. The reason is that the extraction time was stretched too long, and the coffee grounds were over-soaked, releasing bitterness. During brewing, Front Street also noticed that because the amount of poured water increased severalfold, the pouring stage itself took longer. In addition, although the large V60 dripper has a larger outlet hole, clogging still occurred.
In response to this phenomenon, Front Street made slight adjustments to the parameters. Since the problem lies in the coffee being soaked for too long, while the coffee-to-water ratio and water temperature have little to do with it, we should look for a breakthrough in grind size and pouring technique. After the dose is doubled, the thickness of the coffee bed increases by at least half, and a thick coffee bed naturally has a stronger water-holding capacity than a thin one, so the grind size needs to be adjusted somewhat coarser to bring the two closer together in water retention.
Another key point is the size of the pouring stream. This involves the relationship among speed (stream size), time, and distance (amount of water poured): if the stream stays the same while the total amount of poured water increases, the time required will inevitably rise; to keep the time under control, the pouring stream must be increased.
Dose: 30g Front Street Sidra
Coffee-to-water ratio: 1/15, i.e. 30/450
Grind size: 75% passing rate on a No. 20 standard sieve
Water temperature: 91 degrees Celsius
Technique: three-pour method (60/190/200), flow rate 7-8g/s
Dripper: V60#02
The above are the adjusted parameters. In actual brewing, the extraction time was 2 minutes 30 seconds, and the flavor performance was basically on par with the 1-person output. Some friends also asked: if I don't have an 02 dripper on hand, can I use the 01 to brew a large dose? The answer is yes, absolutely.
Although this time we only discussed the brewing method for 30g of grounds, I believe everyone can now draw inferences and apply the idea to other doses.
The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.
