Chemex

Chemex was invented in the 1940s and presently manufactured in western Massachusetts. The Chemex gives you an incredibly clean cup of coffee: its paper filters are 20% to 30% heavier than other filters, so they can retain more of the suspended oils during the extraction process and solids cannot pass through the filter.

 Below, we show how you can brew Chemex either with utensils found in every kitchen, or top notch tools for home barista pros.


What you need:

  1. 6-cup Chemex

  2. Chemex filter

  3. Medium-coarse ground coffee

  4. Hot water

  5. Cup / mug

  6. Stopwatch

What you can add:

  1. Gooseneck kettle

  2. Grinder

  3. Scale

  4. Thermometer

– Ratio 1/16 of coffee / water: 40 grams of coffee and 640 grams of hot water (at 96 C).
– Medium-coarse grind (it should look grainy and not sandy).
– Infusion time: 03:00 minutes.

Recipe

Step 1

Boil the water and let it steep for about 60 seconds.
If you have a thermometer, measure until the water reaches 96 degrees.

Step 2

Put the filter in the coffee maker. Wet the filter. Rinse the recipient. Then add the coffee.

Step 3

If you are using ground coffee, serve 6-7 tablespoons.
If you have a scale, weigh 40 grams of coffee and grind it medium-coarse (it should look grainy).

Step 4

Pour the ground coffee onto the filter paper.
Give the coffee maker a light shake so the coffee sits evenly.

Step 5

Time: 0:00 – 00:30

For the next step we recommend using a gooseneck kettle.
Pre-infusion: start the timer and start pouring the water in circles from the center out, until the coffee gets wet (this process is called Blooming *).

With the scale you can measure to pour 80 ml of water.

Let it sit until the timer hits 30 seconds.

* Blooming: It is the process in coffee brewing in which the gasses from the coffee are released as the water hits the grinds. It causes the grinds to grow & rise. The CO2 that is inside the bean is purged out and replaced with the water and begins the brewing / extraction process.

Step 6

Time: 00:30 – 03:00

Pour again in circles from the center out another 560 ml of hot water, gradually and slowly for about two and a half minutes.

It will take an additional 01:00 – 01:30 minutes for the fluid to drain completely.

HOT TIP

Time: 00:30 – 03:00

Pour again in circles from the center out another 560 ml of hot water, gradually and slowly for about two and a half minutes. It will take an additional 01:00 – 01:30 minutes for the fluid to drain completely.