V60 Brewing: How to Nail Extraction and Make Your Best Cup at Home
There’s a reason the V60 has become a home-brewing classic. It’s simple, beautiful, and gives you total control over how your coffee tastes. But that control also means one thing: extraction really matters.
Get it right, and you’ll taste sweetness, clarity, and origin character. Get it wrong, and things can slide into sour or bitter pretty quickly. The good news? Dialling in your extraction isn’t complicated once you understand a few key principles.
Let’s break it down.
What Is Extraction (and Why Should You Care)?
Extraction is the process of pulling flavour from ground coffee using hot water. During brewing, water dissolves acids, sugars, and compounds from the coffee grounds. The goal is balance.
- Under-extracted coffee tastes sour, thin, or sharp
- Over-extracted coffee tastes bitter, dry, or hollow
- Well-extracted coffee is sweet, clean, and expressive
The V60 shines because it lets you control how fast water moves through the coffee — which is the heart of good extraction.
Start With the Right Grind
Grind size is the biggest lever you can pull.
For V60, you’re aiming for a medium to medium-coarse grind — something like raw sugar or beach sand. Too fine and the water stalls, over-extracting the coffee. Too coarse and the water rushes through, leaving flavour behind.
If your brew finishes very quickly and tastes sour, go a touch finer.
If it drags on and tastes bitter, go a touch coarser.
Small changes make a big difference here.
Get Your Coffee-to-Water Ratio Right
A solid starting point is:
1:16 ratio
For example:
- 20g coffee
- 320g water
This ratio highlights clarity and sweetness, which suits the V60 perfectly. From here, you can tweak to taste — slightly stronger if you want more body, slightly lighter if you prefer a cleaner cup.
Don’t Skip the Bloom
The bloom is your first pour, and it sets the stage for even extraction.
- Use about 2–3x the weight of your coffee in water
- Pour gently, making sure all the grounds are wet
- Let it sit for 30–45 seconds
This allows trapped gases to escape, helping the rest of your brew extract evenly. Skipping the bloom often leads to channeling — where water finds fast paths through the coffee and misses flavour.
Pour With Purpose
After the bloom, pour in slow, controlled stages, keeping the water level consistent. A steady spiral pour from the centre out works well.
The aim is even saturation and a smooth flow, not rushing the water through. Total brew time should usually land between 2:30 and 3:30, depending on grind and dose.
If your brew time is way outside that range, it’s a sign your grind needs adjusting.
Water Temperature Matters More Than You Think
Too cool, and you under-extract. Too hot, and bitterness creeps in.
Aim for 92–96°C. If you don’t have a temperature-controlled kettle, boiling water left to sit for about 30 seconds will get you close.
Clean, good-tasting water also makes a massive difference — coffee is mostly water, after all.
Taste, Adjust, Repeat
The best part of V60 brewing is that it teaches you to taste intentionally. Brew, take notes (even mental ones), and adjust one variable at a time.
- Sour? Grind finer or extend brew time
- Bitter? Grind coarser or pour a little faster
- Flat? Try a fresher coffee or better water
Dialling in is part of the fun.
Great Coffee In, Great Coffee Out
No brew method can fix tired or low-quality coffee. Freshly roasted beans make extraction easier and more forgiving, especially in a transparent brew method like V60.
Whether you’re brewing a bright single origin or a balanced blend, the V60 lets the coffee speak — and when extraction is right, it speaks beautifully.
Happy brewing!