How-to · Pour-over technique
V60 ratio guide: adjusting for medium vs light roast (and dark)
Most published V60 recipes assume a medium-light single-origin specialty coffee. Real coffee shelves contain everything from blonde Ethiopian filter roasts to French roast Brazilian blends, and a single recipe does not flatter all of them. This guide is the adjustment framework we use to keep one V60 across very different beans.
The three variables that matter most are ratio (coffee:water), water temperature, and grind size. Pour technique matters less than people think — once you have a competent pour, the ratio + temp + grind do 80% of the work. This is a tuning guide, not a single recipe.
What you'll need
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Hario V60
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Gooseneck kettle with temperature control
A variable-temperature kettle (Fellow Stagg EKG, Bonavita) earns its keep here — you adjust temp between roasts and need it to land within a couple degrees.
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Scale with timer
Acaia Pearl S · $220
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Burr grinder with stepless or fine-step adjustment
The grind adjustments across roast levels are small (1-3 clicks). A grinder with usable granularity makes the dial-in possible.
Timemore Chestnut C2 · $79
Step-by-step
- Step 1
Start with the universal baseline
15 g coffee, 250 g water, 96°C, medium-fine grind, 3:00-3:30 total brew time. This is roughly Hoffmann's recipe and it lands on medium-light roasts. Use it as the reference point and adjust from there for darker or lighter beans.
- Step 2
Light roast: hotter, finer, longer
Light roasts are denser and harder to extract — they need more energy and more time.
- Ratio: 1:16 to 1:16.5 (e.g. 15 g coffee + 240-250 g water). Some brewers go to 1:15 for very light Ethiopians.
- Temperature: 96-99°C. Just off the boil is right.
- Grind: 1-2 clicks finer than baseline.
- Target time: 3:30-4:00 total brew. The longer time is intentional — light roasts need it.
- Step 3
Medium roast: the baseline holds
Most published recipes target this band. 1:16 ratio, 94-96°C, medium-fine grind, 3:00-3:30 brew. If you only brew one type of bean, this is the recipe to memorise.
- Step 4
Dark roast: cooler, coarser, shorter
Dark roasts are porous and over-extract easily — back off on energy and time.
- Ratio: 1:17 to 1:18 (e.g. 15 g coffee + 255-270 g water). Slightly more water dilutes the heavy body.
- Temperature: 88-92°C. Above 92°C dark roasts turn ashy and bitter.
- Grind: 1-2 clicks coarser than baseline.
- Target time: 2:30-3:00 total. Faster than light roast — the bed needs less contact.
- Step 5
Taste and adjust one variable at a time
If the cup is sour or weak: reduce ratio (more coffee, less water), raise temp 2°C, or grind 1 click finer. If bitter or astringent: increase ratio (less coffee, more water), lower temp 2°C, or grind 1 click coarser.
Change one variable per brew. Two changes = no signal on which one helped.
- Step 6
Note the recipe with the bean
Write the working recipe on the bean bag (or a phone note tagged with the roast date). "Counter Culture Big Trouble: 15 g / 250 g / 94°C / Encore 18". Next bag of the same bean, you start from that point and only adjust if the bean has drifted.
- Step 7
Need the right gear?
Temperature adjustments across roast levels (88°C for dark, 96°C+ for light) are only practical with a variable-temperature kettle. Our best gooseneck kettle for V60 pour over guide covers when temperature control earns its premium and when a fixed-temperature gooseneck is enough. Grind adjustments need a grinder with usable resolution; see our best burr grinder for AeroPress and V60 under $200.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Trying to brew dark roast at 96°C "because that is what the recipe says". Recipes assume medium-light; you adjust for darker.
- Changing ratio AND grind AND temperature at the same time when a cup is off. You have no way to learn what fixed it.
- Chasing precision on the wrong variable. The difference between 95°C and 96°C is barely perceptible; the difference between 90°C and 96°C is enormous. Big moves first, fine-tune second.
- Using the same grind for every roast. Light roasts need finer; dark roasts need coarser. Same grind = under-extracted light or over-extracted dark.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does light roast need a finer grind than dark?
Light roasts are denser — the cell structure has not been broken down by long roasting. Water extracts more slowly from dense beans, so you compensate with finer grind (more surface area). Dark roasts are brittle and porous, extracting fast — too fine and they over-extract immediately.
Is 1:15 too strong for a daily cup?
For most palates, yes — 1:15 reads intense, especially on lighter roasts that taste bright. 1:16 to 1:17 is the comfortable everyday range. 1:15 is for when you want a concentrated cup or a specific bean rewards it.
How precise does the water temperature need to be?
Within 2°C of target is fine. A variable-temperature kettle gets you there easily. A regular kettle just off the boil sits around 95-96°C and works for medium-light roast without adjustment. For dark roast cooler temps, you genuinely need temperature control.
Can I use these ratios on Chemex or Kalita?
Roughly, yes — the ratios are forgiving. Chemex tends to taste slightly cleaner at 1:15-1:16; Kalita Wave is comparable to V60 at the same ratios. The bigger Chemex adjustment is grind (coarser than V60 because the thicker filter slows flow already).
What if I do not know the roast level of my coffee?
Look at the bean colour and surface oil. Light roast: tan to medium brown, dry surface. Medium roast: medium-dark brown, dry or just-barely-shiny. Dark roast: very dark brown, visibly oily surface. The taste in the cup also tells you — pronounced acidity points to lighter; flat, smoky, bittersweet notes point to darker.
Last reviewed: . We update this guide when the manufacturer publishes new maintenance documentation or when community consensus on best practice shifts.