A practical guide from The Back Room, Tirana.
The V60 is one of the most satisfying ways to brew coffee at home. It is simple, forgiving once you get the feel for it, and it lets the character of a good single origin bean shine through completely. No pressure, no extraction complexity. Just hot water, good beans, and a little patience.
We brew V60 every day at The Back Room using filter beans from The Barn Berlin. Here is exactly how we do it, so you can get a great cup at home using the beans you pick up from us.
What you need
You need a V60 dripper (size 01 or 02), a paper filter, a gooseneck kettle if you have one, a kitchen scale, a grinder, and a timer. If you do not have a gooseneck kettle, a regular kettle works fine. Pour slowly and in a controlled circle and you will get there.
The ratio
Use 15 grams of coffee to 250ml of water. That is a 1:16.5 ratio and it gives a clean, balanced cup. If you want something stronger, bring it to 1:15 (15g coffee, 225ml water). If you prefer lighter and more delicate, try 1:17.
Do not skip the scale. Eyeballing coffee is one of the most common reasons a home brew does not work. A few grams in either direction changes the cup noticeably.
Grind size
Grind medium-fine, roughly the texture of table salt. If your cup tastes bitter and heavy, grind slightly coarser. If it tastes thin, sour, or watery, grind finer. The V60 rewards small adjustments.
Grind just before you brew. Pre-ground coffee loses its volatile aromatics quickly and the difference in the cup is real.
Water temperature
Bring your water to just off the boil: 93 to 96 degrees Celsius. If you are using a lighter roast (which all The Barn Berlin filter beans are), stay toward the higher end of that range. Light roasts need more heat to extract fully.
The brew
Place your filter in the dripper and rinse it with hot water. This removes any paper taste and warms the vessel. Discard that water, then add your ground coffee and set the whole thing on your scale. Zero it out.
Start your timer and pour 30 to 40ml of water over the grounds. Make sure every grain is wet. This is called the bloom. Wait 30 to 45 seconds. The coffee will bubble and release gas. That gas is CO2 and it is a sign your beans are fresh.
After the bloom, pour the rest of your water slowly in steady circles, working from the centre outward and back in. Try to finish pouring by the 2 minute 30 second mark. The full brew should be through the filter by 3 to 3 minutes 30 seconds. If it is taking longer, grind coarser next time.
Which beans to use
We stock four filter beans from The Barn Berlin in 250g bags, available to take home from The Back Room:
- Chelbesa from Ethiopia is a natural process with notes of apricot, nougat, and floral sweetness. It is fruit-forward and aromatic, great for your first V60 if you are new to specialty coffee.
- Bumba Hill from Burundi is washed, clean, and precise. Pomegranate, black tea, silky finish. Excellent for a more classic filter experience.
- Kamwangi AB from Kenya is bright and complex, with red currant, raisin, and a syrupy body. Kenya is one of the most celebrated origins in specialty coffee for a reason.
- Guava Banana from Colombia is an anaerobic natural with tropical fruit notes, vibrant and unusual. A good one to try if you want something surprising in the cup.
Ask your barista what is on the shelf when you visit and they will help you choose based on what you like.
Come try the V60 with us first
If you want to taste what this method can do before buying beans, come in and order a V60 pour over at The Back Room. We are on Rruga Sulejman Delvina, Sheshi Wilson, open daily from 9:00 to 18:00.
The Back Room stocks The Barn Berlin filter beans in 250g bags. Ask your barista for the current selection.