Review: Hario V60 Switch Glass Dripper
A great way to start the day.
Specs:
Capacity: 200ml
Materials: Glass (main body), Silicone Rubber (stopping mechanism)
Brewing Method: Immersion/Pourover
Price: ￥3000–￥4000, $40–$60 USD
Product Links:
When I first moved to Japan, I knew even before I landed that one of the things I absolutely was going to need once I settled in was coffee gear. Instant coffee has come a long way with new tech like flash-frozen coffee, and Japanese bottled coffee has always been passable, but coffee is A Thing™ for me now, and passable-grade coffee is only acceptable in emergency situations. Now that I'm in Japan, I knew I'd have access to all the nifty Japanese coffee gear but I wouldn't have to pay the added costs associated with buying it overseas.
Enter the Hario V60 Switch. I'd first heard about this gadget from James Hoffman and Lance Hedrick. The idea of getting something that could easily get me the notes I wanted out of immersion brews with the simplicity and extra filtration of a pourover sounded really good to me. Also, since I was in Japan, a glass Hario Switch actually cust me less than buying a plastic V60 in America. Which is awesome because now my coffee doesn't have to come with a side of microplastics. I've been using this as my daily driver for 2-3 years now, so I'll give you my take on it.
First off, though I like coffee a lot, and I have opinions on it, I am not a conoisseur. I'm a level or two below that. I think I just don't have the tastebuds necessary for it anymore, and trying to develop them at this point in my life would have diminishing returns for me. Don't subject my opinion to rigorous scrutiny, because that's not why I'm writing these reviews. I'm writing them so that people who are going to approach this as a beginner, or as someone who just feel like they'd be satisfied with a cofee-making process that'll get 'em an 8/10 cup of coffee reliably, every time.
With that out of the way, I really enjoy using this brewer. The fact that it's glass makes it very easy to clean. When using it with a paper filter, it doesn't hold onto a lot of fines anyway, but the main section is super easy to get looking brand new. The bottom section detaches and reattaches pretty easily, but I have had bad luck trying to take apart coffee gear to clean it up. (There's a sub 50% survival rate, which is not sustainable.)
Looking pretty good for ~1000 brews and counting. Hard to top glass!
Because you can easily switch between steeping your coffee and letting it flow, I feel like I'm able to get the extraction up to a good potency, while still tasting the complexity of the coffee. I can get the jolt of caffeine and the tasty pleasures of specialty coffee.
One of the aspects that goes unmentioned with the Switch is the fact that you're pausing in between pours means you can do stuff with those 30-60 second intervals. I found that "exercise snacks" really help make me feel like the coffee is extra rewarding. During the bloom phase, I'll do some squats. As it sits on the first pour, I'll do pushups, and then a plank for the last one. That first sip of coffee really hits the spot after that, and it's not like other brewing methods where I have to be hovering over something to pull it off the stove at the right moment. It's a very forgiving method of brewing, a very chill method of brewing.
If you're traveling in Japan and you make pourovers, I'd definitely recommend that you pick up a Hario V60 Switch while you're here. At the current exchange rates, you could even pick up a ceramic version for something close to 50% of what it’d cost outside Japan. The filters are also super cheap here, but you probably don't want to be using too much space saving $5 on filters. Definitely a worthy brewer that has earned the respect of much more knowledgeable coffee people, but is simple and convenient enough to use for those of us on the more amateur levels.