V60 Coffee Dripper Review

Our resident coffee expert, Alex Calder, takes a look at the best V60 Coffee Drippers. With two of the top options on the market he will help you decide which is best for you.

There are a lot of wonderful and complicated hot drinks out there, but sometimes, you just want a ‘normal’ cup of coffee, right?

Don’t get me wrong, by ‘normal’ I don’t mean lacking quality in any way, I just mean a decent, strong and flavorsome cup of joe. Sometimes with milk, sometimes just black, but however you have it, the coffee is the main event.

With all of the various ways you can make coffee in your home, this type of coffee is often pushed into the background – the novelty of making cappuccinos, lattes etc in your own kitchen doesn’t look like wearing off any time soon.

But you shouldn’t overlook a drip or filter coffee. It really brings out all of the delicious flavors within the beans, and there is such a wide range of beautifully roasted coffees out there for you to try, that you really do not want to miss out on.

Agreed? Great! So now you are on board with the idea of drip coffees – how are you going to make them? The good news is that you don’t need to invest in the latest all-singing all-dancing machine, or any machine, in fact. All you need is a small kit that sits on your cup – a V60 Coffee Dripper.

What is a V60 Coffee Dripper?

A V60 Coffee Dripper, sometimes known as a V60 Coffee Maker, is a cone-shaped unit that holds a filter, so that you can brew coffee directly into your cup. The idea is that you would rest the V60 unit on top of your cup, add the ground coffee into it and then add the hot water. The brewed coffee then slowly drips out of the bottom of the unit, into your cup, ready to be drunk.

The name ‘V60’ comes from the ‘V-shape’ of the unit combined with the angle (60 degrees) that the sides slope in. I don’t know why, but I find that explanation incredibly satisfying, rather than it just being a boring product code or something equally uninspiring!

How do you use a V60 Coffee Dripper?

I glossed over how these work in the previous section, but it may be helpful to have clear step-by-step instructions to work from.

• Step 1: Fold a paper filter inside the V60, ensuring that it is sitting neatly in there. The beauty of the design is that this is a very straightforward process. Some people like to give the filter a quick rinse with hot water at this stage, but it isn’t absolutely necessary.
• Step 2: Place the V60 on top of your favorite mug or cup.
• Step 3: Boil your kettle. While that is happening, add one even scoop of coffee (around 15g) to your filter. A medium grind is best.
• Step 4: Add water to the filter. The optimum temperature for this type of coffee is 205 degrees Fahrenheit, or 96 Celsius, so it is a good idea to leave the kettle for 60 seconds or so after it has boiled to avoid the risk of burning your coffee. Make sure you pour the water in by making circles in the filter, this way you ensure all of the coffee is subjected to the water. A gooseneck kettle is the best for a more accurate pour, but a normal kettle will do.
• Step 5: Wait 2-3 minutes for the coffee to brew and slowly drip into your cup. If it takes too long, you may need a coarser grind, or if it is too quick, you need a finer grind.

After that, your coffee is made and you can enjoy a beautiful drink.

What are the benefits of using a V60 to make coffee?

The most appealing thing about using a V60 Coffee Dripper is, as you will have seen above, that they are incredibly easy to use. In terms of ease, it is the closest thing to making instant coffee that fresh coffee can offer, and the results are beyond comparison.

This brings us to the next huge benefit – the taste and potential it provides us with. This is one of the best ways to bring out all of the flavors within a coffee, so it is great to use with pretty much any coffee in the world. The extra surface area that the V60 provides, and the even flow, means that as much coffee as possible is extracted – and all of those subtle tastes drip into your cup.

There is no mess when you use a V60 – all you need is a paper filter, which you can pick out when it has been used and put straight into your compost bin. The unit itself rarely requires anything more than a rinse and a wipe. The used grounds are great for your garden!

Finally, you can take a V60 with you wherever you go. No more putting up with substandard coffee when you have to work away – just pop the V60 in your suitcase and you can have wonderful fresh coffee in any hotel room in the world!

Which V60 Coffee Dripper should I buy?

Now that I have convinced you that you definitely need a V60 Coffee Dripper in your life, it is only fair to point you in the direction of two of our favorites:

Hario V60 Ceramic Coffee Dripper

It is fitting to start with the company that invented the V60 Coffee Dripper – Hario. Back in the 1950’s in an attempt to simplify the, at-the-time, complicated methods of making coffee in the home. It wasn’t released commercially for another 30 years in the 1980’s when it found itself competing with instant coffee and an emerging new market of domestic coffee machines.

In 2004, though, Hario revisited the design. They added the, now, signature ribs which create more surface area for the water and coffee to combine and infuse as well as a larger hole for a faster flow.

The resulting product is basically the same as their offering now, nearly 20 years later – you don’t fix what isn’t broken.

They still make each one by hand by a craftsman using Arita-yaki – a Japanese style of traditional ceramics that has been in use for over 400 years. It is a simple, classic design that looks great. A traditional-feeling product for the modern age.

As you would expect from the company that invented this product – it produces a truly wonderful cup of coffee. Everything that is great about a V60 is encapsulated by this. You can’t help but get a little thrill out of the theatre of using it, which in itself is almost as joyful as the cup of coffee at the end of it.

For a V60 machine, this is towards the higher end of the scale in terms of price – but this is a work of art from the original creators. Plus, in comparison to a machine, that effectively does the same job, it is an absolute bargain.

Cedilis V60 Ceramic Coffee Dripper

One more ceramic V60 Coffee Dripper for your consideration – this neat little offering from Cedilis

We like to present you with different options whenever we recommend a product, and this V60 is a less expensive alternative to the Hario version listed above.

While the Hario one is high-end, ultimately the two products do essentially the same job – they have the same function and produce very similar results. The Cedilis is also nice to look at, it is also ceramic and its dimensions are pretty much the same. You also get a plastic measuring spoon with this one, which will undoubtedly come in handy.

This is a perfect option if you are not sure if you are going to commit to the V60 lifestyle, or how much you are going to use it. It represents a great opportunity to give it a go, without spending too much money.

It would also be great if you are going to use it for travelling – perhaps you are on the road a lot and you want to keep one in your suitcase, or even your car, so that it is there for you whenever you need it – without you fretting over how much money it cost should it break.

Verdict

A V60 coffee dripper is a must for any real coffee lover.

Not only do they open up a whole world of possibility when it comes to the different coffee that you can use with them, but it also frees you up to have delicious coffee wherever you are, as they are so easy to take with you.

There is something about making coffee with one of these that just oozes style and sophistication – taking the time to measure out the coffee, gently pouring the water on in a circular fashion, and then waiting as drop after drop of delicious coffee falls, one by one into your cup.

Heaven.