Step One
Pick out which sweet, sweet bean you're going to brew and weigh it to your desired amount. I personally always brew drip coffees to a 1:15 brew ratio, so in this tutorial I used 23 grams and aimed for 345 grams of filtered or bottled water. Using the right water is essential as it makes up 99% of the beverage.
Step Two
Start heating your filtered or bottled water on the stovetop or in an electric kettle. Also, be sure to add a bit more for rinsing the paper filter and charging your cup. Place a new paper filter into the dripper of the V60, and make sure its sitting flush with no creases causing uneven flow.
Step Three
Once the water has begun to boil remove from heat, and pour some around the inside of the filter to rinse and remove any paper flavor. Then pour out any remaining water from the bottom of the V60 into your cup to charge it. A warn cup is a happy cup.
Step Four
Grind your coffee to a medium coarseness; I used 21 on the Baratza Encore. If you like a more dense cup of coffee you can make the grind finer, or use less water. Pour the fresh grounds into the filter and gently shake or tap the dripper to flatten the bed of coffee. This allows for a more even extraction. Place your V60 onto a scale, and tare it to measure out the grams of water accurately.
Step Five
At this point your water should be roughly 30 seconds off boiling. Now its time to brew! Begin by blooming your coffee by adding just enough water to wet all of the grounds. A good rule to go by is 1:1 ratio of coffee to water, i.e. 23 grams water to 23 grams coffee. Begin your timer and let the bloom take place for thirty seconds.
Step Six
At thirty seconds begin pouring in a circular motion, slowly and evenly from the center out. Once at the outer rim continue at the same pace and motion back to the center. Repeat this process until you've hit your total water amount. You may pause if the dripper becomes too full, but it may mean you're pouring too fast or the grinds are too fine.
Step Seven
Wait for the coffee to drain fully into the mug, or whatever container you're brewing into. You can also give the dripper a small tap, then throw away the grounds and filter. Swirl the coffee a few times to aerate and mix, pour into your empty, pre-charged cup and enjoy!
January 15, 2018
Thanks. Great instructions! One of my NYC co-work spaces has a Chemex. Most of us walk around it like it might explode. In an upcoming post, can you post instructions that will make me look like a pro?
January 19, 2018
The basics are the same from one pour over set up to another, the one thing to watch out of with the Chemex is the filter placement. Be sure when you place the filter into the Chemex that the double-walled side is up against the spout.
This is important because it allows airflow into the Chemex which keeps the flow moving at a good pace. If it collapses or the spout is blocked it can really slow down the draining of water through your grinds, causing an over-extracted cup of coffee.