The joy of pour-over coffee lies in adjusting equipment and parameters to reveal the unique character of beans from different origins. Using Front Street Coffee's Kenya Asaliya as an example, this article details the structural features, material, and model selection of the V60 dripper, and provides specific brewing parameters and staged extraction techniques. It also analyzes the flavor profile of this AA TOP bean, helping coffee enthusiasts, based on an understanding of the relationship between dripper flow rate and extraction, master a practical method for consistently producing a bright, clean Kenyan pour-over.

Front Street has always been happy to share its experience in daily brewing, cupping, and coffee knowledge with everyone, especially in the brewing section, where it shares particularly often. Around different beans, Front Street has done quite a few brewing experiments, all to respond to everyone's curiosity and thirst for knowledge. This time, what we're going to talk about is the pour-over tutorial for the Kenya Asaliya bean. Why choose it? On one hand, this bean received a TOP designation after cupping; on the other hand, it has the distinctly lively fruity acidity of Kenyan coffee, bringing out berry and red-wine-like aromas and acidity, and its mouthfeel is rich enough in layers. Without further ado, let's get straight to the point.

Structural Features of the V60 Dripper

The V60 dripper, launched by the Japanese company Hario, can almost be considered a starter tool that nearly every pour-over beginner owns.

The name V60 comes from its 60-degree conical angle, a very straightforward naming method. The value of 60 degrees was determined by Hario after repeated testing; it allows the coffee grounds to gather toward the center, and when pouring, the water also converges toward the center of the dripper, thereby ensuring sufficient contact time between water and coffee grounds to extract the ideal coffee liquid.

Another structural feature of the V60 lies in the ribs on the inner side of the cone. These spiral protrusions extend from the bottom all the way to the top and serve to guide flow, leaving enough space between the filter paper and the dripper wall, so the water flows more smoothly and the flow rate is on the faster side, placing it among the faster-flowing drippers. One more thing worth noting is that the V60's ribs rotate clockwise, so pouring clockwise will follow the grooves more smoothly, while pouring counterclockwise will slow the flow rate somewhat.

The larger hole at the bottom of the V60 is likewise intended to speed up the water flow.

V60 Dripper Materials

Hario itself started out selling glass products. When the V60 dripper was first launched, it was made of heat-resistant glass, and later ceramic, resin, and today's metal versions appeared one after another.

These four materials do not have the same heat retention capacity, and the order is roughly resin > ceramic > glass > metal. The better the heat retention, the more stable the water temperature during brewing, and the less interference with the extraction result.

V60 Dripper Models

The V60 comes in two models, 01 and 02. The difference is that 02 is larger than 01 and can handle two servings, while 01 is suitable for a single serving. Front Street Coffee's suggestion is that choosing 01 is enough; when there are more people, brew several times, and the result will actually be more stable. The reason is that when using 02 to brew multiple servings, the dose must be increased, the coffee bed becomes thicker, and it is relatively difficult to control during brewing. For this reason, many coffee shops also mostly use the 01 model when making pour-over drinks.

Front Street Coffee Brewing Demonstration

Below, taking [Front Street Coffee Kenya Asaliya] as an example, we share the V60 brewing method.

Country: Kenya

Region: Thika

Washing Station: Asali Honey Washing Station

Altitude: 1,550-1,750 meters

Grade: AA TOP

Variety: SL28, SL34

Processing Method: K72-hour washed

Brewing Recommendations

Dripper: Hario V60

Water Temperature: 90°C

Dose: 15 grams

Coffee-to-Water Ratio: 1:15

Grind Size: Medium-fine grind (EK43s setting 10)

Brewing Technique

Use staged extraction: first bloom with 30 grams of water for 30 seconds, then pour in a slow circular stream until 125 grams for one stage, wait until the water level drops and is about to expose the coffee bed, continue pouring to 225 grams and stop, then wait until the water level drops and is about to expose the coffee bed, remove the dripper. Starting timing from the bloom, the total extraction time is 2 minutes 00 seconds.

Flavor Description: In the wet aroma, ripe tomato and floral notes can be sensed. On the palate, there are flavors of cherry tomato and smoked plum, with bright acidity, clean and solidly rich. The mid-palate has obvious sweetness with a juicy feel, and the finish is berry aroma and yellow sugar sweetness, accompanied by green tea aroma. Overall, the V60's characteristics of fast flow and many ribs make the brewed coffee slightly weaker in body and layering, but conversely, it also means that with the V60, over-extraction or off-flavors are rarely introduced, making it a quite friendly tool for beginners.

The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.