Medium, roughly coarse sand — finer than a French press, coarser than espresso. For a 15 g dose in a V60 02, that should give you a total brew time between two and a half and three and a half minutes.
Let the time tell you
As with espresso, texture gets you close and timing gets you there.
- Finishes under 2:30 — the water is running through too fast. Grind finer.
- 2:30 to 3:30 — in the window. Adjust from here by taste.
- Still draining after 4:00 — too fine, or the bed is clogged with fines. Grind coarser.
Change only the grind while you are finding the window. Once you are in it, sourness means finer and bitterness means coarser.
Why the V60 is fussier than other brewers
The V60 has one large hole and full-height ribs, so it does not restrict flow at all — the coffee bed is the only thing controlling the rate. That makes grind size unusually influential, and it also means a grinder producing lots of fines will clog the bed and stall regardless of the nominal setting.
An immersion brewer forgives this. A V60 does not.
Grinder quality shows here
Pour-over is where grind consistency is most audible in the cup. Fines over-extract fast and turn bitter; boulders barely extract and taste sour. A wide particle distribution gives you both at once, which people usually blame on the beans.
If your brews are inconsistent at every setting, the grinder is the variable.
Different brewers, different sizes
A Chemex needs a step or two coarser than a V60, because its paper is much thicker and restricts flow on its own. A flat-bottom brewer sits between the two.
Questions people actually ask
Does the same grind work for a Chemex?
No — go coarser. Chemex papers are 20 to 30 per cent thicker, so they slow drainage considerably. A grind that works in a V60 will often stall a Chemex.
Should I rinse the paper filter?
Yes. It removes the papery taste and preheats the dripper and server, which matters a lot with ceramic — a cold cone steals heat from the pour where you need it most.
Last reviewed 8 August 2026