In order to brew coffee with your Hario V60 coffee dripper there are a few simple steps that will give you great results every time. Read on to find out more.

Equipment you’ll need:

1. A kettle (of course!)
2. A Hario V60 size 01 or 02 coffee dripper
3. Some filter papers to fit your dripper
4. A mug of your choice. A bigger mug is needed if you’re brewing with the larger sized 02 dripper.
5. Some coffee, preferably freshly roasted and in whole bean form
6. A grinder for the coffee. A simple hand grinder is the best

Many coffee aficionados will tell you that you also need some weighing scales (the flat kind that can be “tared” to zero) and a specialist pouring kettle that has a long thin spout. These are absolutely not necessary and end up being the most expensive items in your coffee brewing kit. As long as your kettle is capable of pouring a steady, slow stream of water then that will do.

The method:

1. The first step is to boil the kettle. Always stick the kettle on first. You don’t want to pour boiling water over your lovely coffee grounds – it’ll ruin the taste.
2. If you’ve got whole bean coffee then grind it on a medium-fine setting. The dripper is best used with a fairly fine grind. Too coarse and the water will run through too quickly and you’ll get a weak brew. If you haven’t got a grinder then buy coffee that’s ground to a medium-fine level. Most specialty coffee roasters allow you to specify the grind level you want. If you have your own grinder then you can experiment with different grind settings until you find your preference. You want a reasonable amount of coffee so that when you put it in the filter it comes about a third to half-way up the side.
3. Place your V60 (or equivalent) on top of your mug.
4. If the filter paper has a seam along one edge, fold the seam upon itself and then open the cone of paper out and place it in the dripper.
5. The kettle should have finished boiling by now and settled down. Pour a little of the water onto the filter paper to wet it through (this is before you’ve put the coffee in!). Discard the hot water from the mug and place the dripper back on.
6. Now put your coffee onto the filter paper. As I said earlier, it should come up the side by about one third to a half. There’s usually a scoop provided with the dripper but it tends to be a bit on the small side. Again, you can experiment with the quantities until you get it right for you.
7. Once the coffee is in the dripper, reach for the kettle and pour a little of the hot water over the coffee until the coffee is just covered. If it’s fresh, you’ll see it bubble up a little as the gases are released. Wait until the water drips through and the bubbling has subsided.
8. Now start pouring the hot water slowly and gradually over the coffee grounds. Use a circular motion from the outside in to ensure all the coffee is covered. Keep an eye on the level in your mug so that you don’t overflow.
9. Once you’ve finished pouring your lovely coffee will be ready. Enjoy!

With some simple low-cost brewing equipment, it’s possible to achieve some fantastic results. The best part is that you can experiment to get some really nice results.