Calculators

4:6 Method Calculator

How to split the first 40%

How many pours for the last 60%

Each pour

  1. Pour 1 · first 40% 50 g total 50 g
  2. Pour 2 · first 40% 70 g total 120 g
  3. Pour 3 · last 60% 60 g total 180 g
  4. Pour 4 · last 60% 60 g total 240 g
  5. Pour 5 · last 60% 60 g total 300 g

The calculator follows Tetsu Kasuya’s 4:6 method, one approach to dividing water into separate pours.

Split total water the way Tetsu Kasuya’s 4:6 method does—first 40%, then 60%—and get grams for each pour. The default is 20 g of coffee at 1:15, with 50 g then 70 g, then three 60 g pours.

Updated: Sep 2, 2026 Reviewed by: Content and layout review

What this calculator does

Tetsu Kasuya’s 4:6 method divides the water for pour-over into two portions: the first 40% and the remaining 60%. In his method, the balance between the first two pours adjusts sweetness and acidity, while the number of pours used for the remaining water adjusts strength.

The default matches the recipe he gave HARIO: 20 g of coffee and 300 g of water, or 1:15. The first 40% is 120 g, split 50 g then 70 g. The last 60% is 180 g, in three equal 60 g pours. For water, 1 g is about 1 ml.

This is not a standard every pour-over has to follow. The site’s usual hot-filter starting point is on brew ratio and the brew ratio calculator.

How to use it

If you know the coffee dose, choose “I have coffee,” then adjust the dose or brew ratio to update the water amounts for each pour. If you know how much water you want to pour, choose “I have water” and work backward to the dose.

For the first 40% of the water, choose a split intended to favor sweetness or acidity, or divide it evenly. For the remaining 60%, choose one, two, or three pours. 1:15, 1:16, and 1:17 are common filter ratios for changing the total; the default stays at his 1:15.

Where the numbers come from

BeanScene records the 2016 World Brewers Cup win and the name four, six brew method: 40% of the water, then 60%.

The recipe he gave HARIO divides the first 120 ml into a 50 ml pour followed by a 70 ml pour, then adds the remaining water in three 60 ml pours. He says less water in the first pour leans sweeter, and more water leans more acidic.

Philocoffea explains the same method in more detail: a smaller first pour tastes sweeter, a larger first pour tastes brighter; pouring the last 60% once is lighter, twice stronger, three times stronger still. It also uses five 60 g pours as a memory trick, which is the even-split version. The calculator defaults to 50 g followed by 70 g, using the recipe he calls his favorite in the HARIO interview.

What the number cannot tell you

This page does not factor in grind, time, or temperature. In the recipe he gave HARIO, the brew runs about 3:30, at 92°C, with a coarse grind.

Common Misconceptions

  • What is the 4:6 method?

    It is the method Tetsu Kasuya used to divide his pours at the 2016 World Brewers Cup. The first 40% of the water sets how sweetness and acidity balance; the last 60% sets strength. It is his framework, not a rule for every pour-over.

  • Why default to 20 g and 1:15?

    That is the dose and water he gave HARIO—20 g of coffee and 300 ml of water. 1:15 is the start for this method, not the site’s usual hot-filter 1:16.

  • How do the first two pours change sweetness or brightness?

    He splits the first 40% in two. A smaller first pour leans sweeter; a larger first pour leans brighter. The default copies the 50 g then 70 g he gave HARIO. The even option gives both pours the same amount of water.

  • Why change how many times you pour the last 60%?

    He writes that one pour is lighter, two are stronger, and three stronger still. He usually uses three pours, but suggests starting with two for darker roasts. This page does not calculate grind.

  • Should every pour-over use this split?

    No. A pour-over can be one continuous stream, or a bloom plus pulses. The 4:6 method is one way to divide the water. See the pour-over page for the method itself.

Sources and Notes

  • HARIO Europe, Tetsu Kasuya — V60 Ambassador Q&A and V60 Recipe, 2023 : He describes the 4:6 method as his own. The recipe he gave HARIO uses 20 g of coarse coffee, 300 ml of water at 92°C, and about 3:30 total. The first pour sets sweetness versus acidity: more water leans brighter, less water leans sweeter. The rest is split into equal pours for strength. His example is 50 ml, then 70 ml, then three 60 ml pours, timed at 0:00, 0:45, 1:30, 2:10, and 2:40, with the dripper removed at 3:30. This page uses those gram amounts as the default and does not factor in time or temperature.
  • Tetsu Kasuya of Japan wins 2016 World Brewers Cup, BeanScene, 2016 : The report covers Kasuya’s 2016 World Brewers Cup win and introduces his four, six brew method, which divides the total water into 40% and 60% portions.
  • Philocoffea, How to Make Coffee Using the 4:6 Brewing Method, 2022 : Kasuya’s company page starts at 1:15, such as 20 g coffee to 300 g water, then 120 g and 180 g. The first 40% is two pours: first less than the second tastes sweeter; first more tastes brighter. The last 60% all at once is lighter, two pours stronger, three even more; he recommends three, and suggests starting with two for dark roasts. The five 60 g pours are a memory trick for even splits, not the 50-then-70 split he gave HARIO.