4:6 Method (Tetsu Kasuya)
The 4:6 method, Tetsu Kasuya’s 2016 World Brewers Cup V60 recipe: 20 g of coarse coffee, 300 g of water, five pours, and how to tune the cup.
Contents
What is the 4:6 method?
The 4:6 method is a V60 recipe by Tetsu Kasuya, who won the 2016 World Brewers Cup with it. Use 20 g of coarse coffee and 300 g of water (1:15), split into the first 40% (120 g) and the last 60% (180 g). The two first pours set sweetness and acidity; the later pours set strength. Wait for each pour to drain before the next.
At a glance
- Ratio
- 1:15
- 20 g : 300 g
- Grind
- Coarse (sea salt)
- Water
- 92–93 °C
- Brew time
- 3:30
- approximately
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
Method
Rinse the filter and add coffee
Rinse the paper filter in your V60 with hot water, discard the water, add 20 g of coarse coffee and level the bed.
First pour (sweetness or acidity)
Pour 60 g of water in a spiral from the centre out and back. Use less (say 40 to 50 g) for a sweeter cup, or more (80 g) for a brighter one.
Second pour (completes the 40%)
When the top of the bed runs dry, about 30 seconds after the first pour ends, pour the rest of the first 120 g.
Strength pours (the 60%)
Pour the remaining 180 g in one to three pours, each after the previous one drains. Two pours of 90 g give a medium strength; three of 60 g, a stronger cup.
Finish
Let it drain and remove the dripper, at around 3:00 to 3:30.
The 4:6 method is the V60 recipe that won Tetsu Kasuya the 2016 World Brewers Cup, and it’s become one of the best-known pour-over recipes in the world. Its idea is simple: split the water 40:60. The first 40%, in two pours, decides the balance of sweetness and acidity; the last 60% decides the strength. With 20 g of coarse coffee to 300 g of water, you can tune the cup just by changing the size and number of pours. Here’s the recipe and how to adjust it.
The short version
- 20 g of coffee, 300 g of water (1:15), coarse grind.
- First 40% (120 g) in two pours: smaller first pour for sweetness, larger for acidity.
- Last 60% (180 g) in one to three pours: more pours for a stronger cup.
- Wait for each pour to drain before the next.
- Water about 92 to 93°C, finished in around 3 to 3½ minutes.
How do you brew the 4:6 method?
This is Honest Coffee Guide’s medium version for a V60:
| Pour | Water | Running total | What it controls |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 60 g | 60 g | Taste (first 40%) |
| 2 | 60 g | 120 g | Taste (first 40%) |
| 3 | 90 g | 210 g | Strength (last 60%) |
| 4 | 90 g | 300 g | Strength (last 60%) |
- Rinse the filter and brewer with hot water, and discard the water.
- Add 20 g of coffee and level the bed.
- Pour 60 g, spiralling from the centre out and back, to wet all the coffee.
- Wait until the top of the bed runs dry, about 30 seconds after the pour ends, then pour again.
- Repeat for each pour in the table.
- Let it drain and remove the dripper at around 3:20.
If the bed drains too fast, grind finer; if it’s slow or clogs, grind coarser.
Grind coarse. Long & Short and Coffee Parts both note that Kasuya uses a much coarser grind than most pour-over recipes, for clarity; the multiple pours keep the strength up.
How do you adjust it?
Sweetness or acidity: change the first two pours. They must add up to 120 g (40%), but the split is yours:
| First pour | Second pour | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 40 g | 80 g | Sweeter, less acidic |
| 60 g | 60 g | Balanced |
| 80 g | 40 g | Brighter, more acidic |
Strength: change the number of later pours. The last 180 g (60%) can go in:
| Pours | Result |
|---|---|
| 1 × 180 g | Lighter body, cleaner |
| 2 × 90 g | Medium strength |
| 3 × 60 g | Fuller body, stronger |
Long & Short describes the competition-style version as five pours in total, two for the 40% and three equal pours for the 60%, and says Kasuya’s winning brew used a first pour of 50 g.
Where did the 4:6 method come from?
Tetsu Kasuya of The Coffee Factory in Ibaraki, Japan, won the 2016 World Brewers Cup in Dublin, the first Asian winner of the competition, Perfect Daily Grind reports. He brewed a natural Geisha from Ninety Plus in Panama, roasted by his boss, on a ceramic V60, using what he called the “four six method” to control the sweetness of a fruity coffee.
The figures for his winning brew differ slightly between sources:
| Wikipedia (competition table) | Honest Coffee Guide (home recipe) | |
|---|---|---|
| Coffee : water | 20 g : 300 ml | 20 g : 300 g |
| Temperature | 92°C | 93°C |
| Time | 3:00 | About 3:20 |
Kasuya went on to co-found Philocoffea, a roaster with coffee bars in Tokyo and Chiba, which teaches the method. According to Coffee Parts, he also worked with Hario on a Kasuya Model V60 with modified ribs, designed to slow the flow for his coarse-grind method.
General guidance only. Take care with just-boiled water and a hot kettle.
The 4:6 method vs other recipes
- Hario V60: the dripper the method was built on, and other V60 recipes.
- Kalita Wave: a flat-bottomed dripper that also suits pulse pours.
- Chemex: a thicker filter for a cleaner cup.
- Automatic drip: when you’d rather a machine did the pouring.
Explore every pour-over method in the pour-over chapter.
What you’ll need
Words in this guide
- Pour-over
- Pour-over is a way of making filter coffee by hand: you pour hot water over ground coffee in a filter cone and let it drip through into a cup or jug.
- Acidity
- Acidity in coffee is the bright, lively, juicy quality you taste on the tongue, like the tang of fruit.
- Total dissolved solids (TDS)
- Total dissolved solids (TDS) measures how much coffee is dissolved in the cup, shown as a percentage.
- Body
- Body is how heavy and textured coffee feels in your mouth, from light and tea-like to thick and syrupy.
- Pulse pouring
- Pulse pouring means adding the brew water in several smaller pours, letting the level drop a little between each, instead of one continuous pour.
Questions & answers
Who invented the 4:6 method?
Tetsu Kasuya, of The Coffee Factory in Ibaraki, Japan, who used it to win the 2016 World Brewers Cup in Dublin. He was the first Asian winner of the competition, and later co-founded Philocoffea, which teaches the method.
What do the 4 and the 6 mean?
The water is split 40:60. The first 40% (two pours) adjusts the taste, sweetness against acidity; the last 60% adjusts the strength.
How do I make the 4:6 method sweeter?
Make the first pour smaller and the second larger, for example 40 g then 80 g. For more acidity, do the opposite, for example 80 g then 40 g.
How do I make it stronger?
Split the last 180 g into more pours: three pours of 60 g give a stronger, fuller cup than two of 90 g, and one pour of 180 g gives the lightest.
Do I need a V60 for the 4:6 method?
It was developed on a V60, but Honest Coffee Guide notes the formula works on any pour-over brewer if you keep the same ratio and pours.
Sources
- World Brewers Cup. Wikipedia
- 5 winning World Brewers Cup performances. Perfect Daily Grind
- Tetsu Kasuya 4:6 method. Honest Coffee Guide
- The 4-6 method by 2016 Brewers Cup champ, Tetsu Kasuya. Long & Short
- Tetsu Kasuya. Coffee Parts
- Philocoffea. Philocoffea
General guidance only. Not medical, food-safety or professional advice. Always follow your equipment's own instructions.