Nuts

Hario V60 Dripper  - More expensive Alternative to Phin

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The Hario V60 Dripper has attracted a following from coffee aficionados around the world.  Although not really associated with Vietnamese coffee, its pour-over brewing style is ideally suited to Vietnamese coffee.

(Hario V60 in red plastic with pot)

The Japanese known for their innovation and simplicity of excellent design are the originators of this clever simple brewer. The main differences in their operation are the Hario V60 is a 2 piece design. The 2 component parts are the single V-shaped over cup or over pot holder and the second part the v-shaped disposalbe filter.

(Glass V60 with pot in borosilicate glass -filter not shown)

The use of a filter is especially attractive to those coffee drinkers who object to the residue of grounds of coffee in the bottom of the cup that is sometimes evident in coffee made with a phin..

Hario is the Japanese glass company that is responsible for the invention and production of the Hario V60. The company’s “Hario”name has its origins in the 1920’s when its founders put together ‘Hari” meaning glass and “Ou” King. They commenced production of fine glass with a focus on Laboratory glassware combined with a desire to improve the heat-resistant qualities of their glassware.

Hario became very successful in the production coffee making equipment with their introduction of the siphon coffee pot developed in 1946. This siphon brewer became the most popular coffee pot in the United States at the time.

The complexity of the siphon coffee brewer encouraged Hario to look for simpler ways to make coffee and in an acknowledgment to their roots of laboratory glassware they produced in the 1980’s the “Mini Coffee Dripper”  it met stiff opposition with the inception of drinkable instant coffee and mechanical coffee brewers. It was soon discontinued.

In 2004 Hario again turned its attention to the development of helping customers with making best quality individual single-pour coffee. There was an increased interest in specialty coffee and manual pour-overs. Hario saw design flaws with the use of straight diagonal ribs in the inner walls and the small opening at the bottom of the filter. These features allowed the filter paper to stick to the walls and restricted the degassing during the initial bloom when pouring the hot water.

Hario’s solution was spiraling ribs and a large drainage hole allowing the coffee to flow smoothly down the sides and degassing not restricted by the filter stuck to the side. Users now had control over the speed of the extraction being either a fast or a slow pour.

The Name V60 is in reference to the “V” shape of the brewer and the 60-degree angle of the edges of the brewer.  In 2005 the V60 was released commercially and soon after became the recipient of Japan’s Good Design Award for both the Plastic and ceramic versions.

(y=x² )

Subsequently, the Hario V60 has been produced in a range of materials from glass, metal, and the original plastic and ceramic style. They are also produced in 2 main sizes and a variety of colours.

In the 2010’s decade, the Hario V60 was used to win the World Brewers Cup 5 times. Not content to sit on their laurels Hario last year released the “Hario Mugen”. The Hario Mugen has broken the tradition of the spiral ribs with the intention of making it a slower brew than the regular V60. It is however still relatively quick at average brew time of 40 seconds.

The single pour in the Hario V60 has the advantage of quicker set up and clean down. The grounds being trapped in the filter (depending on type of filter) is likely to be biodegradable and can go straight into the compost bin. The brewer is also dishwasher safe.

Single pour avoids the variable factor to sneak in and result in what has been described as muddled  flavour with multiple pours.

Single pour in the Hario Mugen is beginner friendly and reputed to bring out the best in single origin coffee preserving the floral fruity nutty notes for a rich clean cup.

Sorry still out of stock of Saigon Phin Daklak - Update on order progress – following about a month of negotiations coffee is being purchased to create an aggregated order to get us back in stock – sorry still not able to give eta as have to negotiate shipping and expected delays through Singapore.

Still, plenty of stock of EMC2 Robusta,  Metrang MC1, “S” and “I”blends and House and Gourmet Blend and Creative1 if you are looking for a traditional Vietnamese flavour.