The Hario V60 is the most widely used pour-over brewer in the world, and it is also the one people give up on fastest. That is rarely the brewer's fault. It is almost always the grind, the water temperature, or a kettle that pours like a fire hose.
This guide covers what you actually need, what each upgrade genuinely changes, and three complete setups at three budgets. Everything listed is in stock with us in Manchester.
What you actually need
Four things, in order of how much they affect the cup:
- A grinder. The single biggest variable. Pre-ground coffee will taste flat in a V60 no matter what else you buy.
- A gooseneck kettle. Pour control is most of pour-over technique. A normal kettle dumps water in one spot and channels straight through the bed.
- The dripper and papers. Cheaper than you would expect, and the material matters less than people claim.
- Scales. Coffee is a ratio. Guessing gives you a different drink every morning.
Choosing your dripper
All V60s share the same cone angle, spiral ribs and large single hole. What changes between them is heat retention and how long they survive being knocked off a worktop.
- Hario Pegasus Dripper, Clear (Size 02) — £10.00. Plastic, effectively unbreakable, and thermally the most forgiving of the lot because it barely steals heat from your water. Competition brewers use plastic on purpose. Start here and spend the difference on a grinder.
- V60 Glass Dripper, White (Size 02) — £30.00. Looks the part, cleans easily, will not survive a tiled floor.
- V60 Ceramic Dripper, Grey (Size 02) — £36.00. Holds heat best once warmed, which matters on lighter roasts. Rinse it with hot water before brewing or it drinks your first pour.
- Hario W60 Dripper — £45.00. A redesigned cone aimed at a more even extraction than the classic V60.
- V60 Copper Dripper (Size 02) — £79.99. The best heat retention available and the nicest object in the range. Buy it because you want it, not because it will transform your coffee.
The Switch: one brewer, two methods
The V60 Switch Immersion Dripper (£58.00) and the ceramic Switch V60 in Smokey Black or Jasmine White (£60.00) add a valve at the base. Close it and you have a full immersion brewer, closer to a clever dripper or a French press in the cup. Open it and it drains as a normal V60.
This is our pick for anyone who finds pour-over technique stressful. Immersion is far more forgiving of an imperfect pour, and you can switch back once your technique settles. The V60 Mugen x Switch (£60.00) is a ribless variant designed for a single continuous pour.
Filter papers
Papers are sized to the dripper, and a Size 02 dripper needs Size 02 papers — this is the most common ordering mistake we see. Hario's Pegasus papers come in Size 01 Brown (£6.99), Size 02 Brown (£9.00) and Size 03 White (£8.33), all in 100-packs. There is also a V60 Size 01 Brown 40-pack at £3.80.
Always rinse the paper with hot water before brewing. It removes the papery taste and preheats the brewer at the same time.
Kettles
- V60 Drip Kettle AIR — £18.00. Not electric. You boil water in your normal kettle and decant. Unglamorous, and genuinely the best value upgrade in pour-over. It gives you the pour control that matters without spending £200.
- Bona Enamel Drip Kettle, 800ml — £65.00. Stovetop enamel, so you heat and pour from one vessel.
- Lyra Electric Drip Kettle, 800ml — £220.00. Variable temperature control with hold. If you drink light roasts and want to sit at 94°C rather than guess at it, this is the one.
Scales
The Hario Polaris (£84.99, also in white) gives you weight and a built-in timer, which is all pour-over asks for. Any scale that reads to 0.1g and does not auto-off mid-brew will work; the auto-off is what kills cheap kitchen scales.
Grinders
Covered properly in our grinder guide, but briefly: the Hario Skerton N (£65.00) is the sensible starting point, the Hario Kabuto (£99.00) is faster and more consistent, and the Comandante C40 MK4 (£249.00) is the one you buy once.
Three complete setups
Starter — about £86
Simply Hario V60 Glass Brewing Kit + Drip Kettle AIR bundle (£46.00) covers dripper, server and pouring kettle in one box. Add the Mini Mill PLUS grinder bundle (£40.00) and you are brewing properly for under £90.
Considered — about £190
Ceramic V60 in Grey (£36.00), V60 Barista Server 360ml (£24.50), Bona Enamel kettle (£65.00) and the Skerton N (£65.00). A setup you will not need to replace.
No compromises — about £615
Ceramic Switch V60 (£60.00), Lyra electric kettle (£220.00), Polaris scales (£84.99) and the Comandante C40 MK4 (£249.00). Both brewing methods, temperature control, and a grinder that will outlast the rest of it.
A recipe to start from
For a Size 02 V60, one large cup:
- 15g coffee, 250g water — a 1:16.7 ratio
- Grind: medium-fine, roughly table salt
- Water: 92–96°C. Off the boil for thirty seconds is close enough without a variable kettle.
- Bloom: pour 50g, wait 45 seconds. The coffee will swell and release CO₂.
- Pour: to 150g in slow circles, pause, then to 250g.
- Target: the bed should drain by 2:45–3:15.
Draining much faster than that means grind finer. Much slower means grind coarser. Adjust one variable at a time and change nothing else until you have made it twice.
Two accessories worth knowing about
The V60 Drip-Assist (£15.00) sits over the cone and distributes water evenly, which takes most of the skill out of the pour. It is the cheapest way to make your brewing consistent while you learn. The V60 Filter Paper Stand (£25.00) is exactly what it sounds like, and keeps papers off the worktop.
Where to start
If you take one thing from this: buy the grinder before you buy the pretty dripper. A £10 plastic Pegasus with freshly ground coffee will beat an £80 copper V60 with supermarket pre-ground, every single morning.
Questions about any of it? We are a small operation in Manchester and we answer our own emails.