Chemex Brew Guide
Classical Elegance
Chemex brew guide
The CHEMEX® coffeemaker was invented in 1941 by the eccentric chemist Dr. Peter Schlumbohm. He desired not only to make brewing the perfect cup simple, but also to have the vessel be a thing of beauty. The Chemex Coffeemaker -an icon of American history- is "one of the best-designed products of modern times" and is included in the Museum of Modern Art collection in New York City.
WHAT YOU'LL NEED
Chemex carafe
Chemex filters paper
Kettle
Grinder
Fresh Coffee beans
Filtered/bottled water
Digital scale
BREW TIME: 4–5 minutes
Grind size: Medium
Water temperature: 96 °C
Tip 1: We recommend freshly ground beans for the best flavour experience.
Tip 2: Ensure you fold the filter with the multilayers of paper facing forward. Wash the paper more than with a pour-over like Kalita or Hario V60 because the paper has multiple layers and can easily cause a papery taste.
Tip 3: Ensure that the front pour spout is open. Otherwise, an air vacuum can be caused in the Chemex, slowing down the brew time and causing over-extraction. When available, I use a glass or stainless steel straw to ensure it is open, or check regularly and have an object that can push the paper back without tearing it.
Tipp 4: If you like a stronger cup of coffee than suggested above, increase the amount of ground coffee. The opposite goes if you like less strong coffee. Make sure to record your results in order to duplicate them in the future.
Coffee is always about what tastes best for you. This includes the grams of ground coffee to water ratio as well as grind size. Be creative and build your home barista skills.
STEP 1:
Boil water in the kettle of your choice, then allow it to cool to approximately 96°C, just below boiling point. We prefer using a gooseneck kettle for Chemex. Fold your filter and place it in your Chemex, ensuring that the triple-fold side faces the pour spout and lays across without obstructing it.
STEP 2:
Thoroughly saturate the filter, because it is thicker than standard drip coffee paper filters. This will also warm the glass of the Chemex. Decant the water through the pour spout.
Note: The amount of coffee and water varies depending on the type of coffee you are brewing and your preferred strength.
STEP 3:
Put your Chemex on the scale with the saturated paper filter, ensure the water is decanted, and zero the scale. We recommend you use 65g of freshly ground coffee (10 cups). Throw coffee in paper filter and shake gently to level. Zero your scale again to prepare for the pour.
Medium grind size
STEP 4:
Bloom pour 250ml
Begin each pour in the centre, moving outwards in concentric circles and back in again, repeating the process. Be careful when
coming to the outer edge for bypass. This is when coffee flows behind the coffee through the filter paper down the glass side without passing through the coffee. Give a quick stir to ensure all grinds are completely saturated. Allow to bloom for 1 minute.
STEP 5-7
Second pour 250ml
Pour in the same way, starting at the centre and moving outwards and allow the coffee bed to drain till you don’t see water on the surface of the coffee bed. Pour two more pours in the same fashion to end with a total brew time of around 4-5 minutes. We recommend you heat your kettle quickly after the second pour to ensure that your brew water temperature does not go below 85C.
STEP 8
Once the coffee bed is completely dry and the coffee has stopped dripping, give your Chemex a gentle swirl to fuse all layers of flavour. Carefully remove the paper filter and dispose of it. Enjoy your freshly brewed cup of coffee.
Tip: If your brew tastes sour, check your water temperature, because it might be too cold. It should be in the range of 90-96 °C. Also,
Sour coffee means your coffee is under-extracted. Consider grinding finer.
Bitter coffee means your coffee is over-extracted. Consider grinding coarser.