What's the 4:6 Method? (Hint: It's Our Favourite Pour Over Method!)

As a pour over fan, you might have heard of the 4:6 Method created by the 2016 World Barista Champion, Tetsu Kasuya. In learning about this recipe and reading more about it, I was blown away at how timing, water distribution, and extraction levels can totally change the flavor profile of your brew, giving you more tools to better understand your beans. I especially love how Tetsu’s focus was on the usability and ease of this method, allowing anyone to get the best out of their beans.

So, What is the 4:6 Method?

Designed for any barista, regardless of skill level, to create a great cup of coffee, the 4:6 Method is essentially splitting up your water into 40% and 60% of the total volume. The initial 40% (or what we think of as the bloom stage) of your brew affects the sweetness and acidity, and the 60% affects the strength of your coffee. 

Why the 4:6 method is so revolutionary, in my opinion, is that it takes our basic understanding of pour over and allows us to manipulate a few variables to customize your brew, giving you more versatility in your coffee. Rather than brewing a bag of coffee one way and eventually getting tired of it, this method allows you to experiment and fully understand the taste profile of the beans, giving you a multi-faceted experience every time you brew, and allowing you to better understand the pour over process.

What are the Phases of Pour Over?

In the bloom phase, we see bubbling occurring as a result of carbon dioxide being released from the grounds (a process known as “degassing”). In the 4:6 Method, there are two separate pours that account for 40% of the total volume, and this is because we need to allow the gasses to be released before we can introduce more water and fully saturate the beans. In these initial two pours, how much water you introduce in each pour changes the sweetness and acidity of the brew.

In the Dissolution/Dilution phase, the water is passing through a clear path of fully saturated grounds and “dissolves” the solubles in the coffee. It’s important to be thoughtful about your timing in state, especially as this is where much of the over-extraction can happen (i.e. a bitter flavor in your cup). In the 4:6 Method, breaking up this phase into smaller pours can help mitigate some of the over extraction that can happen in your cup, although some may argue that introducing multiple pours allows for too many variables you can’t control. Experimenting with what works for you and your pour patterns will help you learn about the desired flavors in your cup!

On the note of over extraction, I tend to lean into the bypass method, which is a shorter brew time (2:30 at most) that focuses mostly on the bloom phase and a shorter dissolution phase (but that’s another blog post entirely! Let me know if you’re interested in learning more!)

What’s Our 4:6 Recipe?

The best thing about the 4:6 Method is that it allows us to fully customize our brew every time, so we never have a “set” recipe. However, I do change the brew based on what kind of coffee I’m making (and knowing the preferences of the other Coffee Addicts here!), so here are my guidelines:

Medium-Dark Roasted Coffee (notes of chocolate, caramel, maybe something citrus-y)

Flavor profile: I’ll want to keep the brew pretty balanced and on the stronger side

• Grind 20g of coffee (I use the 1ZPresso J Hand Grinder)
• I’ll set the kettle temperature for 91 - 93°C for a darker brew; 93 - 95°C for a medium brew
• For the 40% brew:
• I’ll start with 60g of water, and swirl the container around to fully saturate the beans. Because I want the grounds to fully bloom (or the grounds to be degassed), I’ll wait until the water goes through the entire bed and no water is dripping through the filter. 
• I’ll repeat with another 60g of water, and wait until the entire bed has been saturated - equal parts of the brew creates a very balanced pour.
• For the 60% brew:
• First option: I will do two pours of 90g to create a strong cup. Again, I will wait until the water has passed through the entire bed of grounds before starting my next pour. 
• Second option: for an even stronger brew, I will do three pours of 60g, waiting for the water to pass through before starting the next pour. 
• On the last pour of either option, I will swirl the container to ensure all of the grounds are saturated.

Medium-Light Roasted Coffee (notes of fruit; either an Ethiopian or Colombian origin)

Flavor profile: My favorite kind of coffee! I’ll want a sweet, light, and bright brew

• Grind 20g of coffee (I use the 1ZPresso J Hand Grinder)
• I’ll set the kettle temperature for 93 - 95°C for a medium brew, potentially bump it up to 96-97°C for a lighter brew.
• For the 40% brew:
• For a sweeter cup, I’ll start with 50g of water, and swirl the container around to fully saturate the beans, then do a 70g pour.
• For a brighter cup, I’ll do a 70g first pour, swirl, then 50g for the second pour.
• The amount of water going through the bloom phase will affect how long the bloom phase will last, resulting in how much carbon dioxide is emitted.
• For the 60% brew:
• First option: If I have a coffee that is more on the delicate side (with floral notes, anything with “tea” mentioned, etc.), I will do one pour of 180g of coffee to ensure it stays nice and light. 
• Second option: If there’s anything with citrus that I would like to have punch through/have more acidity, I will try to create a stronger cup with the 90g, 90g pour.

What are Other Important Considerations?

Ratio: The brew ratio refers to the grams of coffee ground : amount of water you add. Most standard ratios are anywhere between 1:17 or 1:17.5, but I tend to like stronger brews like 1:16 or 1:15 to fully extract all flavors. 

Water temperature: I tend to use a lower water temperature in general because 1) I’ve found that hotter water can leave a burnt taste, and 2) it’s better for the environment, and 3) I’m a bit on the impatient-side waiting for my morning brew! 

Agitation: Something I’m not totally versed in, but important to note, is the speed and movement of the water coming out of the kettle and affecting your brew. I will note that it is important to introduce some movement into your grounds (which looks a little bit like a bobbing motion baristas use with their kettles) to fully saturate the beans.

Equipment: Pour over has definitely evolved to give you many different options that allow you to experiment with your pour over game. Here are our top picks:

• The classic Hario V60 is a classic choice for any beginner in pour over, giving you complete control over your brew (I love this kit to get you started!)
• We love the Origami for a conical brewer because of the 20-fold design, which increases airflow, leading to a better bloom and extraction (this is my personal favorite!)
• Kalita Wave features a flat bottom with three holes for increased extraction, leading to a more balanced and less acidic profile (you may have seen this one in our Instagram stories!)

There you have it: a pretty conclusive guide to the 4:6 Method (with my personal preferences added in!) Please let us know your thoughts using the comments below, or connect with us via email, social media, or come visit the shop! We’d love to hear from you.

Happy Brewing everyone!