Hario Switch
How to use the Hario Switch: a V60 with a steel ball valve that turns it into an immersion brewer. Tetsu Kasuya’s hybrid recipe, steeping, sizes and Switch vs Clever.
Contents
- Method
- The short version
- How does the Hario Switch work?
- Three ways to use the Switch
- How much coffee and water should I use?
- What grind size should I use?
- How do you brew Tetsu Kasuya’s hybrid recipe, step by step?
- What sizes and materials are there?
- Hario Switch vs other brewers
- How do you clean it?
- Hario Switch vs other methods
- Words in this guide
- Questions & answers
What is the Hario Switch?
The Hario Switch, or V60 Immersion Dripper Switch, is a V60 cone on a base with a stainless steel ball valve. Close the switch and the coffee steeps; press it and the coffee drains through the paper. Released in 2019, it can brew as a pour-over, an immersion brewer or a mix of both, like Tetsu Kasuya's 20 g, 280 g hybrid recipe.
At a glance
- Ratio
- 1:14
- 20 g : 280 g
- Grind
- Medium-fine (table salt)
- Water
- 90–93 °C
- Brew time
- 3:00
- approximately
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
Method
Rinse and prepare
Set a V60 paper filter in the Switch, rinse it with hot water with the switch open, and pour the rinse water away.
Add the coffee
Add 20 g of coffee, ground medium-fine, a touch finer than usual, and level it.
First pour, switch open30 s
Start a timer and pour 60 g of water at 90–93°C, letting it drain through.
Second pour, switch open30 s
At 0:30, pour another 60 g at 90–93°C.
Close and add cooler water15 s
At 1:00, close the switch and pour 160 g of water at about 70°C, to 280 g in total.
Steep30 s
Let it steep with the switch closed until 1:45.
Open and drain1:15
Open the switch and let it drain, aiming to finish at about 3:00.
The Hario Switch, which Hario calls the V60 Immersion Dripper Switch, is a V60 cone on a silicone base with a stainless steel ball valve. Close the switch and the ball blocks the outlet, so the coffee steeps. Press it and the coffee drains through the paper. That one switch means it can brew as a pour-over, as an immersion brewer like the Clever Dripper, or as a mix of both. Hario released it in 2019. Here’s how it works and Tetsu Kasuya’s popular hybrid recipe.
The short version
- A V60 with a valve: switch closed to steep, pressed to drain.
- Three ways to brew: pour-over, immersion, or a hybrid of both.
- Tetsu Kasuya’s hybrid recipe: 20 g coffee, 280 g water, done by about 3:00.
- Hario’s simple guide: let it steep about 2 minutes, then press the switch.
- Uses V60 filters, in 02 and 03 sizes.
How does the Hario Switch work?
At the base of the Switch is a stainless steel ball. With the switch closed, the ball blocks the outlet, so the water stays with the coffee. Hario Europe describes leaving it to steep for about 2 minutes. Press the switch and the coffee drains through the paper filter. Because you can open and close it at any point, you can mix pouring and steeping however you like.
Three ways to use the Switch
| Way | How | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Pour-over | Leave the switch open | Brews like a V60 |
| Immersion | Close it, add all the water, steep, then open | Like a Clever: easy and consistent |
| Hybrid | Pour some with it open, then close it to steep | Tetsu Kasuya’s approach |
How much coffee and water should I use?
This is Tetsu Kasuya’s hybrid Switch recipe, as published by Outpost Coffee. Kasuya won the 2016 World Brewers Cup.
| Amount | |
|---|---|
| Coffee | 20 g, medium-fine, a touch finer than usual |
| Water | 280 g in total |
| First two pours | 60 g each at 90–93°C, switch open |
| Last pour | 160 g at about 70°C, switch closed |
| Finish | About 3:00 |
For a simple immersion brew, use your usual pour-over ratio, close the switch, add all the water, steep about 2 minutes as Hario suggests, then press to drain.
What grind size should I use?
Medium-fine, a touch finer than for a V60 in Kasuya’s recipe. Aim for a grind that lets the whole brew finish at about 3:00. If it runs long or tastes bitter, go coarser; if it’s fast and sour, go finer.
How do you brew Tetsu Kasuya’s hybrid recipe, step by step?
- Rinse a V60 filter with the switch open and pour the water away.
- Add 20 g of coffee, ground medium-fine.
- Pour 60 g at 90–93°C with the switch open.
- At 0:30, pour another 60 g.
- At 1:00, close the switch and pour 160 g at about 70°C, to 280 g.
- Steep until 1:45.
- Open the switch and let it drain, finishing at about 3:00.
Brew mode on this page times each stage for you.
What sizes and materials are there?
| Switch 02 | Switch 03 | |
|---|---|---|
| Finished capacity | About 200 ml (Hario Europe, glass) | Larger |
| Filters | V60 02 | V60 03 |
Hario lists the glass Switch as heatproof glass with a silicone base, a PCT resin switch and a stainless steel ball. Ceramic versions are also sold.
Hario Switch vs other brewers
| Hario Switch | Clever Dripper | V60 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Valve | Steel ball, pressed by hand | Opens when set on a mug | None |
| Brewing styles | Pour-over, immersion or hybrid | Immersion | Pour-over |
| Filters | V60 cone filters | #4 cone filters | V60 cone filters |
How do you clean it?
Lift out the filter and grounds, then rinse the cone and the base, pressing the switch a few times under running water so nothing blocks the valve.
General guidance only. Take care with hot water and glass, and follow the instructions that come with your Switch.
Hario Switch vs other methods
- Clever Dripper: the steep-and-drain brewer that came before it.
- V60: the cone it’s built on.
- French press: immersion with a metal mesh and heavier body.
- AeroPress: steep and press through paper.
Explore every hybrid brewer in the hybrid chapter.
What you’ll need
Words in this guide
- Immersion vs percolation
- Immersion brewing steeps all the coffee in all the water at once, as a French press does.
- Steeping
- Steeping is leaving ground coffee to sit in water so its flavour dissolves out, as in a French press or cold brew.
- 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.
- Metal filter
- A metal filter is a fine stainless-steel mesh that holds back coffee grounds, as used in a French press plunger and some reusable pour-over filters.
- Body
- Body is how heavy and textured coffee feels in your mouth, from light and tea-like to thick and syrupy.
Questions & answers
How does the Hario Switch work?
It's a V60 cone on a silicone base with a stainless steel ball valve. With the switch closed, the ball blocks the outlet and the coffee steeps. Press the switch and the coffee drains through the paper filter.
What's a good Hario Switch recipe?
Tetsu Kasuya's hybrid recipe: 20 g of coffee and 280 g of water. Pour two 60 g pours at 90–93°C with the switch open, then close it and add 160 g at about 70°C, steep until 1:45, and open it to drain by about 3:00.
How long should I steep in a Hario Switch?
Hario Europe suggests letting the water stay in the dripper for about 2 minutes before pressing the switch. You can steep longer for more body.
What sizes does the Hario Switch come in?
02 and 03, like the V60. Hario Europe lists the glass 02 at a finished capacity of about 200 ml. There are also ceramic versions.
Hario Switch vs Clever Dripper?
Both steep and then drain through paper. The Clever opens when you set it on a mug; the Switch has a switch you press, so you can open and close it whenever you like and pour-over through it too.
Can I use the Hario Switch as a normal V60?
Yes. Leave the switch open and it brews like a V60 pour-over, with the same V60 filters.
Sources
- V60 immersion dripper Switch, 02/03 size. HARIO Europe
- V60 glass "Switch" immersion dripper. HARIO Global
- Tetsu Kasuya’s Hario Switch recipe. Outpost Coffee
- Tetsu Kasuya’s hybrid method recipe. Honest Coffee Guide
- Hario Switch review. Coffeeness
General guidance only. Not medical, food-safety or professional advice. Always follow your equipment's own instructions.