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Water poured from a kettle onto coffee grounds in a paper filter inside a cone dripper set over a jar.

percolation method

V60 (pour-over)

A cone-shaped dripper with a large single hole and spiral ridges, allowing water poured by hand to filter through a coffee bed at a rate the brewer controls directly.

Coffee-to-water ratio
60–70 g per litre (typically 63)
Grind
Medium, similar to sea salt.
Water temperature
90-96 celsius (typically 94)°C
Contact time
150-210 seconds (typically 180)
Skill level
intermediate

Descriptive grind labels like this are illustrative starting points, not precise measurements — the same label can mean different particle sizes on different grinders. See the grind size guide for how to dial this in on your own equipment.

Expected flavour profile

Produces a clean, well-defined cup that lets origin and processing character come through clearly, with lighter body than immersion methods since the paper filter removes most oils and fine particles. Clarity and brightness are usually more pronounced than richness or heaviness.

Equipment

Common problems

  • Brew stalls or drains too slowly
  • Brew finishes too fast and tastes weak/sour
  • Uneven coffee bed after brewing

Change one variable at a time: grind size for flow-rate problems, pour technique/agitation for evenness, then ratio for strength.

Full troubleshooting guides

Taste variables you can control

Derived from CoffeeHQ's own Change the Taste guidance for this method, not a marketing feature list.

  • Grind size
  • Pouring pattern
  • Water temperature
  • Agitation
  • Filter
  • Dose
  • Water amount

Change the taste

Tastes sour

(V60 (pour-over))

The brew tastes sour or thin, and often drains through faster than expected — usually under-extraction.

Try the first step below on its own, taste, then move to the next one only if needed.

ChangeTryWhyWatch for
FirstGrind sizeDecrease: a small step finerSlows the drawdown and usually increases extraction.—
Pouring patternCheck / reset: pour more slowly and evenly across the whole bedEven saturation extracts more consistently than fast, off-centre pouring.Very slow pouring can itself stall the brew if the grind is already fine.
Water temperatureIncrease: a few degrees hotterHotter water extracts more quickly, within the method's normal range.—
AgitationIncrease: ensure a full, even bloom before the main poursA poorly saturated bloom leaves parts of the bed under-extracted.—

Check for channelling first (water finding a fast path through the bed) — that can taste sour even with a correct grind, and the fix is even pouring, not a finer grind.

When to reset: Return to your usual grind and pour pattern before making a second change.

Full troubleshooting: Coffee tastes too sourFull troubleshooting: Uneven coffee bed after pour-over brewingRelated toolRelated tool

Want to know why? Extraction, Contact time

Tastes harsh or dry

(V60 (pour-over))

The brew tastes bitter or dry, often alongside a slow, stalling drawdown — usually over-extraction.

Try the first step below on its own, taste, then move to the next one only if needed.

ChangeTryWhyWatch for
FirstGrind sizeIncrease: a small step coarserSpeeds up the drawdown and usually reduces extraction.—
AgitationDecrease: pour more gently, avoid stirring the bedLess turbulence reduces the chance of over-extracting fines.—
FilterCheck / reset: check the filter isn't cloggingA slow drain can be a blocked filter or too many fines rather than a grind problem.—
Water temperatureDecrease: a few degrees cooler, especially for darker roastsSlower extraction can soften bitterness.—

When to reset: Check the grinder for excess fines before assuming the recipe alone is the cause.

Full troubleshooting: Coffee tastes too bitterFull troubleshooting: Pour-over brew stalls or drains too slowlyRelated toolRelated tool

Tastes weak

(V60 (pour-over))

The brew tastes thin in strength without being clearly sour.

Try the first step below on its own, taste, then move to the next one only if needed.

ChangeTryWhyWatch for
FirstDoseIncrease: add coffee to reach a standard ratioMore coffee for the same water raises strength directly.—
Water amountDecrease: use slightly less total water for the same doseRaises strength without necessarily changing extraction.—
Grind sizeCheck / reset: avoid using grind as the only lever for strengthGrind mainly changes extraction, not strength — dose and ratio are the direct levers.—

When to reset: Adjust dose or ratio via the ratio calculator, then keep grind unchanged until you've re-tasted.

Full troubleshooting: Coffee tastes weak or wateryRelated tool

Want to know why? Strength (intensity), Extraction

Tastes inconsistent

(V60 (pour-over))

The cup tastes inconsistent cup to cup, or hollow in the middle of the flavour — often uneven extraction across the coffee bed.

Try the first step below on its own, taste, then move to the next one only if needed.

ChangeTryWhyWatch for
FirstPouring patternCheck / reset: pour in a slow, deliberate spiral covering the whole bedImproves even saturation across the grounds.—
AgitationIncrease: ensure the bloom fully saturates before the first main pourAn incomplete bloom leaves dry pockets that never extract properly.—
Grind sizeCheck / reset: check for a consistent grind, not just the right average sizeA grinder producing a wide mix of fine and coarse particles extracts unevenly regardless of the average setting.—

When to reset: Focus on pouring technique before changing grind, since technique is the more common cause.

Full troubleshooting: Uneven coffee bed after pour-over brewingFull troubleshooting: Grinder produces inconsistent groundsRelated tool
See the full Change the taste guide

Cleaning & maintenance

Rinse dripper after use; discard filter and grounds.

None beyond routine cleaning; the dripper itself has no moving parts.

Drinks made this way

Roasts and coffees that suit it

Preparation traditions

Named regional traditions built on this brewing method — the same mechanism, put to culturally distinct use.

Compare

Work out your quantities

Tools for planning a brew with this method, and for adjusting one that did not go to plan.

Techniques for this method

The individual skills this method uses, each with its own adjustments and failure modes.

The whole sequence

Each step links to its own page; this is the order they belong in.

Improve your filter coffee

You brew pour-over or drip and want it to be the same good cup twice.

Filter brewing is forgiving enough that every change is legible, which makes it the best place to learn how the variables behave.

  1. A scaleThe cheapest thing that makes a brew repeatable.
  2. The kettleWhen the spout matters, and when it genuinely does not.
  3. Rinsing the filterTen seconds that do three useful things.
  4. BloomingLetting the gas out before it pushes the water away.
  5. Pulse pouringControlling agitation and contact time with the pour itself.
  6. Dialling inRatio for strength, grind for extraction — kept separate.
  7. Ratio calculatorScale a recipe to whatever you are actually brewing.

Related guides