This guest post is written by Justin from the Alternative Brewing. He is a pour over nut! His favorite brew method is easily the Chemex, especially using it for making iced coffee to battle the Aussie heat!

So you’ve begun to explore some coffee brewing alternatives and decided that the Hario V60 pour over is the method for you. Now whether you’re a complete coffee brewing novice or you’ve dabbled in the home coffee brewing arts before, it always helps to have a bit of a roadmap of what kit you need to get started for your method of choice.

Now some coffee snobs lovers will tell you that you cannot begin brewing without a fully comprehensive kit that features all the bells and whistles on offer. But let’s be honest, the average home barista’s love of coffee grows with time, and so should your kit.

Running the Alternative Brewing site, we often get asked what our favorites are; or what are the must haves for Hario V60 coffee brewing, so we’ve put together our ultimate Hario bundle to help you get everything you need to make a cup of coffee that rivals that of your favorite barista.

Hario V60 Pour Over

This is pretty much a given. You can’t brew without it and is therefore the ultimate must have for making your perfect pour over brew. You can pretty much pick your V60 based on your personal style and budget, with the only main difference being the size (1 or 2 cup), and the material (glass, ceramic, metal, or plastic).

The ribbed side walls; the cone angle which helps the coffee to sit in the container ensuring all coffee grounds are utilised; the large flow hole in the bottom, ensuring your coffee flows properly into your cup for you to enjoy are all standard across every model.

To get brewing, simply fold your filter paper along the seam and insert. For best results, pour hot water over the filter paper, this not only preheats the coffee decanter, but also removes any paper tastes. Dispose of this water.

Hario Skerton Grinder

Facilitating an advanced Ceramic Coffee Grinder mechanism, its results are a gorgeous true coffee flavour that hasn’t been altered in the grinding process ensuring a flavorsome, pure cup of coffee. Not only does it produce superior coffee, it will never rust and will give you superior life-long use. With a capacity of 100g it is great for pour over, cold brew and French press coffee applications. Which is handy if you plan on branching out your brewing methods as your coffee passion grows.

This grinder is fully adjustable for your brewing preferences from fine to coarse, depending on your taste. To adjust, turn the locking screw counter clockwise to remove it, remove the handle and stopper, and then turn the grind adjustment to the desired grind level.

For best results we usually recommend to grind your coffee as fine as salt as a rough guide. If it drains too quickly the grinds are too coarse, or if it’s taking too long, the grind could be too fine.

Add 15g of ground coffee to the V60 and tap gently to settle the coffee grains. 15g of coffee to 240mL water should take about 2 minutes to drain through and produce a flavoursome brew.

Scales with Timer

How are you supposed to measure such an exact amount you ask? Premium coffee scales are expertly engineered to the second decimal, making it easy to make accurate, finite measurements to improve your V60 brew one decimal point at a time! Many coffee scales on the market boast USB charging, and Ethernet connectivity which may seem over the top, but once you start experimenting, they become very useful features.

Our favorite coffee scale is the Hario metal drip scale. Designed for up-market professionals, and you at-home coffee masters; this scale is very user friendly with many useful features included in its smart design.

Timer l Scale

The weight is displayed on the right side of the scale, and the extraction time is shown on the left side of the scale. Couldn’t be easier!

LED Black Light

Reverse LCD with white numerals on top of black matte, ensures readability in low light conditions.

Stainless Steel Weighing Platform

This feature allows the weighing platform to withstand heat and contains materials to insulate it and stop heat transferring to the base plate. The flat acrylic plated top of the main body allows water and coffee spills to be wiped off easily.

Non-Slip Main Body

Rubber feet are fitted to ensure the platform remains stable enabling brewing consistency and accuracy. It can also be stored when not in use on its side to save space.

USB Friendly

Charge it up with your USB for 4 hours and you will get 80 consecutive hours of running power.

You may think to yourself that you can live without scales, but don’t fall into this trap! The only scientific way to a better brew is by measuring and experimenting. Coffee brewing is as much a science as it is an art!

Hario Buono Stove Top Kettle

A stunning addition to your kitchen with good looks and great performance. The Hario Buono Stove Top Kettle is the ultimate in accuracy and sharp precision circular motion pouring, guided by one finger. It has a super comfortable easy to grip handle, most important for drip brewing methods. The fabulous slim goose-neck allows you to achieve the perfect pour over grounds by not agitating them to produce a rich non-bitter flavour.

The Hario Buono Stove Top Goose Neck kettle has a strong light-weight stainless steel body with a flat bottom suitable for electric or gas cook-tops. Capacity is up to 1 liter of water. A 1.2 liter capacity kettle is also available.

When pouring your water onto your grounds, start by pouring just enough water to wet them evenly (about 40g). This is called blooming. Hot water forces the coffee to release trapped gases. Once the coffee has bloomed (we let it sit for around 30 seconds), begin pouring in the remaining water in a small circular motion around the center of the dripper. Keep the water level even and avoid pouring around the edges of the filter.

For Enjoying Your Brew At Home

Hario Clear Range Server

Add this elegant heat-proof, microwave proof glass coffee server to your V60 Hario Brewing collection. Not only is it an elegant coffee server, the lid can be utilized with the V60 series as a stand for the Hario dripper. Available in 360ml, 600ml and 800ml capacities to suit your every need.

We love these servers as they do a great job of keeping your fresh brew hot and make the brewing process just that little bit easier. We all enjoy a stress free environment especially pre-coffee!

For Enjoying Your Brew On The Go

Hario V60 Travel Mug

In a hurry? Take your freshly brewed coffee with you in the Hario V60 travel mug. The stainless steel and ceramic construction with a double wall design ensures you don’t get burnt, while being completely leak proof. It works flawlessly with any V60 dripper and has a capacity of 350ml. Great addition if you like to take your coffee for the morning commute.
There you have it, absolutely everything you need to brew the perfect pour over coffee! Remember, building your kit doesn’t have to be a race but more a journey of discovery! Start with the your v60 and scales and build up your kit as your budget allows.

Happy brewing!