This brewer quickly replaced my Daily Driver
- equipment ·
- recipes
Continuing to talk on the pour over coffee brewing, I recently got my hands on the Hario Switch, which is an upgraded version of V60. I have been eyeing this brewer from long enough, while trying to replicate what it does with some hacks, but brewing with this is game changing.
If you don't have a pour over brewer like the V60 already, I can happily suggest you get this as your first pour over brewer for flexibility it has.
So, how is this brewer different?
The Hario Switch looks almost identical to a regular V60, but there's a clever addition – a valve mechanism at the bottom. This valve is what makes all the difference.
With a regular V60, water flows through the coffee bed continuously. You have no control over the contact time except through your pouring technique and grind size. The Switch gives you a pause button. You can literally stop the flow whenever you want.
This might seem like a small change, but it opens up a whole new world of brewing possibilities.
Percolation + Immersion - best of both worlds
This is where the Switch really shines.
In our previous posts, we talked about immersion brewing (like French Press, where coffee sits in water) and percolation (like regular V60, where water flows through coffee). Each has its strengths:
Immersion gives you consistent extraction, fuller body, and is more forgiving with technique
Percolation gives you clarity, brightness, and highlights the coffee's unique characteristics
I do feel percolation is superior at extracting coffee compounds, as fresh water flows through the coffee bed always and it has more ability to dissolve. But that could be not helpful all the times as we would want to cut down and not over extract.
The Switch lets you combine both the above methods in a single brew. You can start with immersion (closed valve) for the bloom – letting those CO2 gases escape while the coffee fully saturates. Then switch to percolation (open valve) for the main extraction. Or do the opposite. Or alternate between the two. The possibilities are endless!
Recipes I am loving
I am particularly enjoying an immersed first pour.
Recently, I discovered the technique of adding water first and then adding the coffee grounds on top. This let's the fines that come through cheap grinders not clog and stall the water flow.
Then I continue with the rest of the 4:6 method (we talked about this in a previous post) in percolation. But this isn't fixed. I experiment a lot and try to find what works best for the particular coffee that I am using.
When I don't have time and I have to make something quick, I go with this fool proof recipe - 90deg water, 1:16 coffee to water ratio, put the coffee first and add 2/3rds of total water with the valve closed and wait for 2 minutes. Then open the valve add the rest of the water.
Let me leave you with recipes that I take inspiration from.
That’s all I have. Have a caffeinated weekend.
See you.
Keep on brewing!