Do you own a ceramic V60 and are wondering if using the microwave to preheat it is effective and worth it? Well, a ceramic V60 definitely needs to be preheated, that’s for sure.
This pour-over method is popular in the coffee industry and is one of the ways to make coffee at home. While it can be easy to use, it can also be easy to mess up the brewing process if you don’t know how a ceramic V60 works.
Preheating a ceramic V60 is an important process and microwaving it is one of the ways most people do it. There are other ways to preheat a ceramic V60 but if microwaving it works well for you, there’s no need to fix what’s not broken.
In this article, I will be talking about why you need to preheat a ceramic V60 and if microwaving is the best method of preheating it. I will also talk about other ways you can preheat a V60 if you don’t have a microwave at home.
In this article:
- Why Do You Need to Preheat a Ceramic V60?
- Is Preheating a Ceramic V60 Using a Microwave Worth It?
- Other Ways to Preheat a Ceramic V60
Related: The 7 Best Pourovers for 2024
Why Do You Need to Preheat a Ceramic V60?
Before we discuss if microwaving a ceramic V60 is worth it, let’s talk about why you need to preheat a V60 first.
The Hario V60 is one of the most popular drippers when talking about manual pour-over methods and you’ll see it used by specialty coffee shops. But, a V60 is not only for coffee shops, many coffee lovers also use a V60 to brew coffee at home.
Preheating a V60 is an important step in brewing coffee using this method.
Not only preheating a V60 can produce consistency in producing good coffee, but it also helps stabilize the temperature of your brewing water.
A cold ceramic V60 can pull the heat away from the brew which can cause the temperature to drop.
Ceramics have higher thermal mass, meaning they can take longer to heat up. When brewing coffee using a V60, you would want your intended brew to be the same temperature as your brewing device.
If your V60 is colder, it could result in under-extraction of the coffee grounds which in turn produces weak or even sour-tasting coffee. The brew time could also lessen if you have a preheated V60 since your brewing vessel is already warm.
Is Preheating a Ceramic V60 Using a Microwave Worth It?
Well, using a microwave is certainly one of the ways you can preheat a V60 but is it going to be worth it? It can be.
A microwave is easy to use and can easily heat microwavable things that you put in it so I can see why microwaving a V60 will work.
If you want to microwave a V60, you’ll have to do it empty. However, since microwaves heat water molecules from food and drinks, it now seems impossible to preheat a ceramic V60 in a microwave.
You know when you microwave your food and it ends up heating the plate more than the food? That’s because waves, or radiation, in a microwave also heat up the first thing it comes in contact with.
You can preheat a dry V60 in a microwave but I would not recommend doing it. Microwaves are not used to warm plates and it can end up damaging your microwave in the long run.
Instead, what you can do is rinse your ceramic V60 with water, place it into the microwave while wet, and heat it on high for about 60 seconds. This will heat the water molecules and in turn, heat up your V60.
Once 60 seconds is up, take the V60 out of the microwave, place the paper filter in it, rinse the filter with hot water, and then you can begin your brewing process.
Microwaving a ceramic V60 can definitely get it very hot and it can be worth doing for some. It will definitely depend on your preference. But there are definitely other ways to preheat a V60 aside from using the microwave.
Other Ways to Preheat a Ceramic V60
Most people who have a V60 typically own a plastic one since it requires no preheating. But, if you only have a ceramic V60 and have no access to a microwave, you can still preheat your brewing device with no problem.
Using a Kettle
One of the best ways you can preheat a ceramic V60 is by using a kettle. This actually saves you more time as you can heat your water and V60 in one go.
To use a kettle to preheat a ceramic V60, just replace the kettle’s lid with the V60 and let the steam from the kettle heat it. Some people prefer to place the V60 upright on top of the kettle while others place the V60 upside down to allow the inside to heat better.
If your kettle is too big for the V60, you can use something to create a platform for your V60 to stand on. It can either be chopsticks (the flat ones!) or other things that are flat enough.
Submerge the V60 in hot water
You can fill a small pot with hot water and submerge the V60 in it while you wait for your brewing water to heat up. While this method can work, you have to make sure that the water is very hot so end up with a hot V60 as well.
Conclusion
If you are looking for a way to preheat your ceramic V60, then a microwave is definitely one way of doing it. But, there are also other ways to preheat a ceramic V60 if you don’t like using a microwave or you don’t have one.
Alternatively, you can also use a V60 if you don’t want to go through the process of preheating a ceramic one. So, do you think microwaving a V60 is worth it? Let me know what you think!
