Which Size Hario V60 Cone Should You Get? 01 vs. 02 vs. 03?

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Want to buy a Hario V60? You might have noticed they come in different sizes. What do those sizes actually mean and which is the best for you? Here’s what you want to know. 

Most people are best served by getting the middle 02 size Hario V60 cone which can brew approximately 240-480 ml of coffee. If you need to brew more than 480 ml at a time, size 03 is suitable, while for less than 240 ml size 01 is better. 

Find out below which size works best for you and which material V60 cone is best. 

Which Size Hario V60 Cone Should You Get?

There are three sizes of Hario V60 cones; 01, 02, 03. 01 is the smallest while 03 is the largest and 02 is in between.

The shapes and curves of all these sizes are the same, just scaled up or down in size. The biggest difference is the size of the hole in the bottom which are slightly differences. The shapes and angles are the same otherwise. That makes them suitable to brew different amounts of coffee. 

• V60 size 01 is suitable for 10-20 grams of grounds to brew 160-320 ml of coffee.
• V60 size 02 is suitable for 15-30 grams of grounds to brew 240-480 ml of coffee.
• V60 size 03 is suitable for 25-60 gramps of grounds to brew 400-960 ml of coffee.

Click here to find more information about how much coffee a V60 brews.

Those are recommendations. You can brew more or less coffee in the different cones but it’s not ideal. Going a little bit outside of those recommendations is fine but if you go outside of them regularly, it’s better to buy a different size cone. 

The amount of coffee you can brew doesn’t have as much to do with the amount of water but more with the amount of grounds in the filter. Brewing more coffee in a V60 than it’s meant for, means you have to put a lot of grounds in the filter and fill it quite high. This creates a very thick bed of grounds. This means there isn’t a lot of room for water left, especially after a bloom but it also leads to slower brew times. 

Since the coffee bed is thicker, the water takes longer to get through. This means a longer contact time between the grounds and water which in turn can lead to very bitter, unpleasant coffee. In smaller V60s, the hole in the bottom is smaller to compensate for less grounds and vice versa. 

Is your V60 coffee too bitter? Click here to find my tips to solve that.

When brewing less than the cone is meant for, you’ll have the opposite problem. The water flows too fast, leading to weak, sour coffee. 

It’s possible to partly compensate for this by changing the grind size but using the right size cone will yield the best results. 

Which Size Is Right For You?

For most people, the Hario V60 size 02 is the sweet spot since you can use that size to brew amounts that are good for one or two people. Size 01 is only really for one person. You probably know how much coffee you brew regularly. Simply match the size V60 that is the closest to this. 

Take a look at the chart below and see what works best for you. Regularly brew two different amounts of coffee that don’t fit in one size V60? It’s best to get two different cones. Plastic ones are cheap and last a long time. 

	Optimal Brew Amount @1:16	Brew Amount Range @1:16	Suitable amount of grounds	Optimal amount of grounds
Hario V60 Size 01	240 ml	160-320 ml	10-20 grams	15 grams
Hario V60 Size 02	376 ml	240-480 ml	15-30 grams	23.5 grams
Hario V60 Size 03	680 ml	400-960 ml	25-60 grams	42.5 grams

Don’t rely on the amount of cups quoted by Hario. For example, they will claim a cone is suitable for 1-4 cups. However, they forget to mention that their cups only measure 120 ml./4 oz. That means a 12 oz. Mug would actually be 3 Hario cups. 

Does Hario V60 Material Matter?

The V60 cones are made from several different materials; Plastic, ceramic, glass and metal. There honestly isn’t that much of a difference between these materials in terms of brew quality. Plastic is cheap and works great but the other materials look and feel better. 

Plastic ones are cheap and do a good job and if you don’t care about feel and appearance much, plastic is the way to go. The low price makes them accessible for pretty much everyone so you can see if you like the V60 first before maybe upgrading to another material later. Plastic is also less prone to breaking or denting which is great for camping and travel. 

The downside of plastic is that it holds on to a little less heat but it also preheats faster and I’ve never found the heat loss to be an issue with normal brew times. Most heat escapes through the open top anyways so if it’s a concern for you, putting a lid on top is going to have a bigger effect than another material. Plastic also gets stained brown over time, especially the white version. 

Suggested: Is a V60 suitable for beginners?

The other materials mainly look and feel nicer but for the actual brewing process, the difference is minimal. Ceramic, glass and metal V60s have a larger thermal mass which means you’ll have to preheat them with more hot water than a plastic one to prevent the brew water from cooling down too much. 

They all look and feel good and work pretty much the same so if you want a V60 that’s nicer than a plastic one, they’re all good choices. Go for the one that you like the best. Pick the one that fits your kitchen/coffeeshop the best. 

Some recommendations; 

• White ceramic (Amazon link)
• Glass with Olive Wood (Amazon link)
• Copper (Amazon link)

The ones above look great in my opinion but your taste might be different. 

One thing to note is that the metal versions, are only easily available in the 01 and 02 size. The other materials can be found in all three sizes.