Tetsu Kasuya is the World Brewers Cup Champion from 2016 and the creator of the “4:6 method” that has become quite popular through the years. The idea behind this method is to adjust the taste by dividing the water in the brew into a 4:6 ratio. The first 40% of the brew water adjusts the balance of sweetness & acidity and the last 60% adjusts the strength.
You can control the taste of the coffee by adjusting the first two pours. To make it sweeter, make the first pour smaller (making the second pour larger). To increase acidity, make the first pour larger (making the second pour smaller).
You can adjust the strength by adjusting the last three pours. If it is too strong, adjust the last three pours into two (same total amount of water, just divided into two pours vs. three (i.e. two 90g pours)). If you want to increase the strength, adjust the last three pours into four (i.e. four 45g pours).
The recipe creates a great framework to begin with and adjust based on the coffee you are brewing with and your individual preferences.
v60 4:6 Method Pour Over
Ingredients
- 20 grams coffee ground coarse
- 300 grams water
Instructions
- Pre-rinse filter and add coffee to v60 brewer.
- Pour 60 grams of water (see note on water temperature) slowly over coffee grounds in a concentric circle over 10 seconds.
- At 0:40, pour 60 grams of water.
- At 1:20, pour 60 grams of water.
- At 2:00, pour 60 grams of water.
- At 2:30, pour 60 grams of water.
- Pour over should complete around 3:30.
Notes
- Water temperature: Water temperature should be 199°F (93°C) for light roasted coffee, 190°F (88°C) for medium roasted coffee, and 181°F (83°C) for dark roasted coffee
- Grind: The grind should be similar to that of a French Press
- Scaling recipe: You can easily scale this recipe up or down by adding 3 times as much as the ground x 5 pours (i.e. 20g coffee leads to five 60g pours)
Nutrition
Prefer a more visual version of the brew recipe?
I created infographics of each recipe, which you can see below. You can also find it on Instagram here.
This recipe and infographic were created with permission from Tetsu Kasuya.