Pour over · V60
V60 four-six method recipe
The four-six method is a pouring plan with a stated idea behind it: you split the water into two phases and use each phase to steer one thing.
- Coffee
- 20 g
- Water
- 300 g
- Temp
- 92 °C
- Time
- 4:30
Phase one, the first 40 per cent of the water, is meant to shape the balance between sweetness and acidity. Phase two, the remaining 60 per cent, is meant to set strength. This page runs that idea with 20 g of coffee and 300 g of water, five pours of 60 g, one every 45 seconds. It suits someone who already makes a basic pour over and wants a recipe where each pour has a job, so that a change in the cup can be traced to a change in the plan. A simpler first step is the balanced pour over.
The spec
| Part | Amount |
|---|---|
| Coffee | 20 g, coarse |
| Water | 300 g at 92 °C (1:15) |
| Pours | Five of 60 g: 60, 120, 180, 240, 300 g |
| Interval | One pour every 45 s |
| Total time | 4:30, including a 45 s drain |
You need
- A cone dripper, paper filter and a server.
- A gooseneck kettle, because five clean 60 g pours need a thin stream.
- A scale with a timer, or the CupTune brew timer.
Ratio 1:15 · Grind: coarse · grind chart
Starting ranges come from your grinder maker’s own guide. Burrs, beans and calibration vary, so treat them as where to begin.
Steps
- 0:00, Pour 1 — to 60 g.
Add the first 60 g, wetting the bed evenly.
- 0:45, Pour 2 — to 120 g, sweetness set.
Bring the scale to 120 g. This closes the first phase.
- 1:30, Pour 3 — to 180 g.
Bring it to 180 g.
- 2:15, Pour 4 — to 240 g.
Bring it to 240 g.
- 3:00, Pour 5 — to 300 g, strength set.
Bring it to 300 g. The second phase is now complete.
- 3:45, Let the bed drain.
Let the bed run dry, finishing near 4:30.
My notes for this recipe
Why the split works the way it does
The 60 g unit comes from dividing 300 g by five. The first two pours add up to 120 g, which is 40 per cent of 300. The last three add 180 g, the other 60 per cent. That arithmetic is the whole structure.
The published idea is that the two phases are separate controls: you move water inside the first 120 g to change balance, and inside the last 180 g to change strength. CupTune's version keeps all five pours equal so there is a neutral version to start from. Equal pours are the baseline; the experiment begins when you move 10 or 20 g from one pour to another. Which direction a given shift moves the cup on your coffee is something to find out by tasting, and the suggestions below are CupTune's guesses, not the method's rules.
The 45-second interval is authored. It leaves time for most of each pour to drain before the next one, and 5 x 45 s gives a tidy 3:45 before the final drain. Coarse grinding is also authored, chosen because five separate additions provide plenty of water contact on their own.
What to change, one at a time
- Balance feels off. Keep the first phase at 120 g but shift it, for example 50 g then 70 g, and change nothing else. Taste, then try the opposite shift on the next brew to learn what your coffee does.
- Cup too weak. Keep the five pours and grind one step finer so each pour extracts more, or lengthen the interval to 50 s.
- Cup too strong. Grind one step coarser and keep the five pours as they are.
- Bed never fully drains by 4:30. Coarsen the grind; five pours add water quickly if the bed clogs.
Evidence and limits
Philocoffea's published description of the 4:6 method states the intent: the first 40 per cent of the water adjusts the balance of sweetness and acidity and the remaining 60 per cent adjusts strength. Its creator won the World Brewers Cup in 2016, as covered in an interview with the 2016 World Brewers Cup champion. CupTune's 45-second timings, 92 °C and coarse grind are an authored reading of that published method, not the competitor's exact routine, and no competition result is claimed for them. Whether a given pour shift tastes sweeter on your coffee is not tested on this page.
Questions
Why are all five pours equal here?
It gives a clean baseline. The method's tuning comes from unequal pours, which you can try after one equal run.
Is 92 °C required?
No. It is an authored value, and for the temperature research behind that thinking, see the pour over page.
What if my kettle pours too fast?
Spread each pour across more of the 45 seconds with a lower flow. Do not skip a pour to catch up; keep the cumulative targets.