ou have followed a V60 recipe to the gram and still ended up guessing. The cup was fine, but when it came out a touch sour or a touch flat you had no idea which pour to blame, so you changed the grind and hoped.
The 4:6 method gives those pours a job. You split the total water into two parts: the first 40 percent sets the flavor balance, the last 60 percent sets the strength. Each part is poured in clean, separate stages, so when the cup leans one way you know exactly which dial to turn.
Brew the balanced version below once, exactly as written. Then taste it, decide whether you want it sweeter, brighter, or stronger, and turn one dial.
The recipe at a glance
This is the balanced starting point: all five pours equal, 60 g each, 45 seconds apart. Weigh the coffee and weigh every pour. The whole method depends on hitting those cumulative totals, so a scale is not optional here.
You need a V60 dripper, a paper filter, a gooseneck kettle, a scale that reads to one gram, and a timer. The grind sits a little coarser than a typical V60, closer to coarse table salt. The extra coarseness is what lets five separate pours drain in time without stalling the bed.
The 4:6 idea
The method is named after the split. Take the total water, here 300 g, and divide it into a first 40 percent and a second 60 percent. For this recipe that is 120 g of flavor water followed by 180 g of strength water. Each half does one job, and each half has its own dial.
The first 40 percent is the flavor control. Pour more of it into the first pour and the cup comes out sweeter and rounder. Pour less into the first and more into the second, and the cup leans brighter and more acidic. The balanced default splits the 120 g evenly, 60 g then 60 g, which sits in the middle of that range.
The last 60 percent is the strength control. Split those 180 g into more pours and the bed gets agitated more often, which builds a stronger, more concentrated cup. Split it into fewer, larger pours and the cup comes out lighter. Three even pours of 60 g is the standard, balanced choice.
The steps
Rinse the paper filter with hot water and tip that water out. Add the 20 g of grounds, tap the dripper to level the bed, and set the kettle to 93 or 94 °C. Start the timer with the first pour. Each pour is 60 g, poured fairly quickly in gentle circles, and you leave roughly 45 seconds between the start of one pour and the start of the next.
- First pour to 60 gPour 60 g over the grounds, covering the whole bed, then let it settle. This first pour of the 40 percent doubles as the bloom. Wait until about 0:45 before the next pour.00:4560 g94 °C
- Second pour to 120 gAdd another 60 g to bring the total to 120 g. This completes the 40 percent flavor phase. Pour in gentle circles and wait until about 1:30.120 g94 °C
- Third pour to 180 gNow the 60 percent strength phase begins. Add 60 g to reach 180 g total. Wait until about 2:15.180 g94 °C
- Fourth pour to 240 gAdd 60 g to reach 240 g total, keeping the same gentle circles. Wait until about 3:00.240 g94 °C
- Fifth pour to 300 gAdd the last 60 g to reach 300 g total. Then leave the bed alone and let it drain. The dripper should run dry near 3:30.300 g94 °C
The whole brew lands near 3:30. The 45 second spacing matters more than the exact clock: it gives each pour time to drain part-way before the next one lands, which keeps the pours separate and the bed from flooding. If the bed is still deep in water when the next pour is due, your grind is too fine.
Turning the dials
Start from the balanced version and change one half at a time. If the cup is flat or you want more sweetness, make the first pour of the 40 percent larger, for example 80 g then 40 g instead of 60 g and 60 g. If it tastes dull and you want more brightness and acidity, do the reverse: a smaller first pour, a larger second.
For strength, work on the 60 percent. To go stronger, split those 180 g into more pours, four or five smaller ones instead of three. To go lighter, use fewer, larger pours, two of 90 g. Keep the 40 percent split fixed while you do this, so you are only moving one dial.
| Goal | Phase to change | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Sweeter, rounder | First 40 percent | Make the first pour larger, e.g. 80 g then 40 g |
| Brighter, more acidic | First 40 percent | Make the first pour smaller, e.g. 50 g then 70 g |
| Stronger, bolder | Last 60 percent | Use more pours, e.g. four or five smaller ones |
| Lighter, more delicate | Last 60 percent | Use fewer pours, e.g. two of 90 g |
Where this comes from
The 4:6 method was developed by Tetsu Kasuya, who won the World Brewers Cup in 2016 using it. The recipe here is written in its own structure and words, with the balanced even split as the starting point. The original presentation and his own channel, linked below, are the place to see the technique demonstrated firsthand.
The numbers above are a sensible default, not a law. Kasuya himself adjusts the dose, the grind, and the splits for different beans and roast levels. Treat the balanced 60 g pours as your baseline, then use the two dials to fit the bean in front of you.
Common questions
- Why is the ratio 1:15 here and not 1:16.7 like the other V60 guide?
- Because this is a different published recipe. The 4:6 method uses 20 g coffee to 300 g water, which is 1:15, a slightly stronger ratio than the bloom-focused V60. Both are valid; they are just two different recipes with different balances. The water temperature, 93 to 94 °C, is the same in both.
- Does the first pour count as the bloom?
- Yes. In the balanced version the first 60 g pour wets the whole bed and lets the coffee degas, doing the job a separate bloom would. You wait about 45 seconds before the second pour, which is the bloom rest.
- How do I make the cup sweeter?
- Make the first pour of the 40 percent phase larger. Instead of 60 g then 60 g, try 80 g then 40 g. A bigger first pour pushes the cup toward sweetness and roundness. A smaller first pour pushes it toward brightness and acidity.
- How do I make the cup stronger?
- Add more pours in the last 60 percent. Instead of three pours of 60 g, split the 180 g into four or five smaller pours. More pours means more agitation, which builds a stronger cup. Fewer, larger pours make it lighter.
- What grind should I use?
- Medium-coarse, a little coarser than a standard V60, closer to coarse table salt. The five separate pours add up to a lot of water passing through the bed, and the coarser grind keeps it draining in time instead of stalling.