Guide on How To Use FourSix

FourSix is designed to make the 4:6 method simple and easy enough for anyone to use and get consistently good results without having to pull out a calculator or keep track of every pour in your head.

Simply pick a size, flavor balance between sweet, even, or bright, and then your desired strength. FourSix will instantly calculate and display your resulting recipe broken down in a simple graph. Your chosen balance and strength affect how the total water is broken down for each pour.

To start, you’ll need:

  • Hario V60 dripper cone
  • Filter (paper is standard, but other types can work too)
  • Pouring kettle (narrow spout)
  • Digital scale
  • Fresh ground coffee
  • Clean water (ideally not too hard and not too soft)

Once you have your recipe, heat your water to about 92º C / 198º F. If you don’t have a thermometer, just heat till boiling and let cool for at least 30 seconds. Darker roasted coffee benefits from letting it cool longer.

Meanwhile, grind your coffee. Fresh ground coffee is always preferred for the best flavor. You should try for a coarse grind, similar to what you’d use for French press.

Place the V60 on top of your brewing vessel or cup. If you’re using a paper filter, fold your filter seam to the side so it fits flat and place in the V60. Pour hot water into the empty cone to wash the paper filter flavor away and preheat everything. Discard the water.

Pour your ground coffee into the cone and shake it so it’s level. Place everything on your scale and make sure to tare the weight so it reads 0g.

Now you’re ready to start using the recipe FourSix has calculated. Tap “Start” to bring up the Timer. You’ll see the current step count, the current amount to pour, the timer count for the current step, and the total amount of water to aim for at the end of the current step.

Start by pressing the start button at the bottom. You’ll get a short 3 second countdown so you can prepare your first pour.

Start to pour water till your scale reaches the amount shown under “Total Water”, making sure to pour in an even, circular motion so all your grounds get wet. If after the first pour, it looks like some of the grounds didn’t get any water, give the cone a little swirl, or take a spoon and gently stir. It’s important that in the first pour, all the grounds get wet. This is part of the “bloom” phase, where the coffee releases CO² gas.

Once the timer reaches 45 seconds, you’ll hear a chime and the next step will start automatically. Continue following each step, pouring each time till the scale reads the same as the “Total Water” amount.

Each pour should be about 45 seconds apart, and the water should drain entirely from the cone before the next step.

If your water drains faster and you want to move to the next step, tap the “Next” button in the bottom right of the screen to skip ahead. 45 seconds is just a guideline, not a requirement.

When the timer reaches the final step and the water has completely drained, discard the filter and grounds, and give the coffee a little stir. FourSix will show you a quick rundown of your brew session, including the average time of each step and the total time elapsed. FourSix Pro users can take some additional notes and enable a notification for when the coffee has cooled to the perfect temperature for tasting. After you’re done, your note will displayed in the Notes tab.

Using Notes can help you dial in your process for next time. It’s a good idea to add a rating and a note about the flavors you get from your brew. If it’s bitter and astringent, remind yourself to grind coarser. If it’s sour or empty, then grind finer. Use this info paired with the session details on the total brew time and average interval time to tweak your technique.

Enjoy!