History Of The Hario V60
Hario, From Homeware, Lab Equipment & Coffee
We’re continuing our series documenting the history of our and the industries favourite, most iconic coffee brewers. Following on from our first that explored the history of the Chemex, we now turn to the equally humble V60, a drip coffee brewer designed with sole purpose of producing amazing filter coffee.
If you have indeed read our previous article detailing the history of the Chemex coffeemaker then you’ll likely see a number of similarities between the origins of both brewers. If you recall the Chemex was derived from common place laboratory glassware and was developed by a Chemist - something that always catches people by surprise. Well, it’s a similar story with the V60. If anyone tells you that making coffee isn’t a science, you can cite this to politely inform them that they are, in fact, wrong.
The Hario V60 is far and away the most popular and well known V60-style brewer. Whereas the Chemex was developed in the USA, the Hario V60 was conceived in Japan. Hario, founded in 1921 by started life as a manufacturer of chemical-use glass products. It wasn’t until 1949 that Hario entered the fray when it came to homeware and coffee contraptions. In 1949 Hario produced a glass filter coffee syphon. Aesthetically this new development could easily be mistaken as a piece of lab equipment and was a long way from resembling the Hario V60 we all recognise today. It was, however, a foray into a new market. The genesis of this creation coincided with Hario’s major development - manufacturing their own, eco-friendly glass. This would see the company grow further in the coming decades.
By the end of the 1950’s the original Hario coffee syphon had evolved to incorporate a cloth filter. In the 60s they made TV bulbs for Sony, in the 80s and 90s they were producing headlight bulbs for automotive manufacturers and it wasn’t until 2005 that Hario re-entered the coffee realm. Hello the Hario V60...
The invention of the V60 brewer
2005 saw the creation of the V60, the drip coffee brewer we all know and love today. It’s funnel-like design and small footprint made it, not only iconic, but also incredibly easy to use, allowing users to simply set the V60 on top of their favourite coffee mug or jug with minimal effort. Hario have won a number of design awards over the years so it’s no wonder that this simple little brewer would be perfectly fit for purpose.
Design of the Hario V60
When the V60 was first released it was available in either ceramic or glass. Two great materials for coffee brewing as the properties of both materials prevent unwanted odours or flavours from seeping into the material over time. They are, however, a little more fragile which is enough of a trade off for Hario to release the V60 in plastic. This made it less delicate, more robust and arguable more portable as can throw the funnel into your bag without worrying about it breaking in transit. This, however, wasn’t the ultimate material Hario used to produce the V60. They also a released a copper version which, as well as looking extremely attractive as a piece of design, was also incredibly serviceable. The thermal conductivity properties of copper meant that the Copper V60 was much better at retaining heat which ultimately leads to a much better coffee extraction from the grounds.
Why the name V60?
Ever wondered why it was named the V60? Well it’ll be obvious when we tell you but it was always something that many wonder until the penny finally drops. The ‘V’ is due to the V shaped funnel design of the brewer and the 60 refers the 60 degree angle of the cone. Put both these elements together and you get V60. To finish things off, we’ll give you a brief rundown of the design and how these components, combined with a couple of best practice approaches when brewing, can lead to a perfect cup of coffee. The 60 degree angle is designed to maximise and slow down the time it takes for the water to seep through the coffee. Too fast and coffee will be under extracted and too slow and you’ll get over extraction.
The hole at the bottom of the cone is designed to allow the coffee to decant into your chosen vessel. The V60 shouldn’t clog up and if it does, it means you’ve ground your coffee too fine and it’s not a problem with your V60. The spiral ridges on the side of the cone are designed to allow air to escape, this is important during the bloom phase and when the coffee is brewing. Air isn’t necessarily a coffee’s best friend.
Your Hario V60 today
And that’s everything you need to know about the V60. You’ll see it in all your favourite speciality coffee shops and it’s a great brewer for home use. There are a number of different V60 recipes you can follow as everyone has their own approach in terms of water to coffee rations, brew times, pouring techniques so have fun with it, experiment, it’s what it’s all about! The different materials used to produce the V60 will make a difference. The glass variation we mentioned is no longer produced, however, the ceramic, stainless steel, copper and plastic options are all still readily available. All work fine but you might find the steel, copper versions conduct heat better. We love the V60 and we think you will too, and what pairs fantastically with a Hario V60 is, well, good specaility coffee - enjoy...
GUSTATORY (adjective): curating excellence in taste.