Hario Skerton Grinder & V60 Brewing Guide

Hario Skerton

This morning was one of those "sit down in the office chair and stare blankly at the screen" mornings.  I'm not saying I'm addicted to coffee, but I sure enjoy when it comes around each morning!  This morning, I got the privilege of making the coffee in the office.  We had some leftover Alliance World Coffees Guatemala and I measured that up (we use 60 grams per 1 liter of water) and began grinding it.  It's hard to believe how consistent of a grind the Hario Skerton does for its price.  The problem, of course, is that it takes awhile and your arm will either fall off or get really buff if you drink a lot of coffee.  The coffee that results is worth the wait, however.  Let me recommend this strategy for ultimate coffee satisfaction:

1) Buy the Hario Skerton, V60 Drip Brewer & Filters, Buono Kettle (Prima Coffee sells them in a great priced bundle here: Hario Package Deal)

2) Buy some sort of fresh, excellent whole bean coffee.  I recommend someone local, or at the very least, someone from one of these excellent roasters who can ship directly to you: 
a) Sunergos Coffee
b) LaGrange Coffee Roasters
c) Intelligentsia Coffee
d) PT's Coffee
e) Counter-Culture Coffee

3) Put your favorite relaxing music on (I enjoy Jim Brickman).

4) Heat 1 liter of water to 205 F.  This can easily be done with a tea kettle or the superfast and accurate Pino Digital Kettle Pro electric water kettle.

5) While the water is heating up, measure your coffee out (60 grams) and begin grinding with the Skerton (I recommend that you sit down and place it between your legs so you can hold onto it easier).

6) Transfer the hot water into the Buono water kettle (the Buono may seem frivolous, but it is an essential part of this entire process because of its thin, narrow spout which greatly controls the pour).

7) Put the coffee grounds into the Hario V60 Filter (which you have pre-wet), and run your finger around side of the V60 about 1/2 inch from the walls so there is a slight ridge in the grounds.  Then, use your finger to push a whole in the middle of the "grounds."

8) Start a stopwatch, and make a slight pour into the middle (where you made the hole in the grounds) until the water comes out of the hole and wets about a 2inch diameter in the grounds.  Do not wet all of it, yet.

9) Wait 5-10 seconds and then begin slowly pouring in the middle of the grounds in a circular motion with the circles getting wider so you are pushing the grounds out to the walls of the V60.  Continue this process, making sure not to kill the coffee "bloom" (the expansion caused when the grounds and water react to each other - it literally blooms.  This will be a lot less if the coffee is old). 

10) You should be able to time this with practice so that the last drops are finishing at exactly 4 minutes.  4 minutes is the ideal steep time for the V60.  Any longer, and the grounds will become over-extracted and bitter.  I once went to 5 minutes on a coffee we had tried the day before.  Everything was the same except the brewing time, and the difference was astonishing.  What had once been a good, rich tasting coffee was now bitter and slightly burnt tasting.

11) Get a Bible out, and slowly work your way through the coffee as you enjoy sitting, reading, thinking, and sipping.

What a fantastic way to spend an afternoon!

... and that's the way I see it from The Captain's Chair...