V60 Coffee-to-Water Ratio Guide
Ratio is the first dial on a V60 — and the one people fiddle with most and understand least. Start at 1:16, learn what ratio actually changes, and adjust with intent.
The starting point: 1:16
For every gram of coffee, use 16 grams of water. It's the middle of the widely used 1:15–1:17 pour over range: strong enough to carry sweetness and body, dilute enough to let origin character through. Brew it, taste it, and move from there.
| Cups | Coffee | Water (1:16) | Water (1:15, stronger) | Water (1:17, lighter) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 small | 15 g | 240 g | 225 g | 255 g |
| 1 large | 20 g | 320 g | 300 g | 340 g |
| 2 | 30 g | 480 g | 450 g | 510 g |
| 3 | 45 g | 720 g | 675 g | 765 g |
Weigh both sides. "Two scoops and fill to the line" is how the same bag tastes different every morning.
Strength is not extraction
These two get conflated constantly, and untangling them is the key to fixing a bad cup:
- Strength is how concentrated the cup is — controlled mainly by ratio. More water = lighter body, less water = heavier.
- Extraction is how much flavor you pulled from the grounds — controlled mainly by grind size, time, and temperature. Under-extracted tastes sour and thin; over-extracted tastes bitter and dry.
So: cup tastes sour or grassy → grind finer (don't add water). Cup tastes bitter or harsh → grind coarser. Cup tastes good but too intense → nudge toward 1:17. Good but watery → toward 1:15. Change one thing per brew.
A simple recipe to hang it on
- Rinse the paper filter, add 20 g of medium-fine coffee, tare.
- Bloom: pour 40–60 g of water (2–3× the dose), swirl gently, wait 30–45 seconds.
- Pour to 200 g in slow circles, then to 320 g by about 1:45 on the timer.
- Aim for total drawdown around 2:30–3:30. Faster and sour? Finer. Slower and bitter? Coarser.
Water just off the boil works for most roasts; for very light roasts stay hot (94–96 °C), for dark roasts drop toward 88–92 °C.
Frequently asked questions
What ratio does a V60 use for stronger coffee?
Move from 1:16 toward 1:15 or even 1:14. Expect a heavier, more intense cup — and grind slightly coarser if the smaller water volume starts dragging the brew toward bitterness.
Is 1:16 by volume or by weight?
Always by weight, in grams, for both coffee and water. Beans vary hugely in density, so scoops are unreliable; a 0.1 g kitchen scale is the cheapest upgrade in pour over.
Why does my V60 taste sour even at the right ratio?
Sourness is almost always under-extraction, not ratio. Grind finer, make sure your bloom fully saturates the grounds, and check the coffee isn't too fresh off the roast — heavy degassing disrupts extraction.