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The Art of Chemex Coffee Brewing: An In-Depth Guide on How to Make Chemex Coffee
Unveiling the Elegance: A Guide to Brewing Chemex Coffee
Published May 25, 2023
Chandra Melo
Coffee experts@The Coffee Lab
Welcome back, coffee lovers and roasters! Today, we journey into the realm of Chemex coffee—a classic method that marries elegance and simplicity, producing a clean, vibrant brew that beautifully highlights the nuanced flavors of your chosen coffee beans. If you've ever wondered how to make Chemex coffee, you're in the right place. Sit back, grab your favorite mug, and let's embark on this brewing adventure together.
The Chemistry of Chemex: A Brief Overview
Before diving into the brewing process, let's demystify the Chemex itself. Designed in 1941 by chemist Dr. Peter Schlumbohm, the Chemex coffee maker is a stunning fusion of design and functionality. Crafted from non-porous, borosilicate glass, and fastened with a wooden collar and tie, the Chemex is as much a work of art as it is a coffee maker. Its hourglass shape isn't merely for aesthetics—it serves as both a drip coffee pot and a coffee filtration system, allowing you to brew and serve coffee in the same vessel.
The true magic of Chemex brewing lies in its proprietary filters. Up to 30% heavier than regular coffee filters, Chemex's bonded filters ensure a slower brew and a finer filtration, removing even the tiniest coffee grounds and unwanted oils. The result? A uniquely clean, crisp cup of coffee that allows the inherent characteristics of the beans to shine through.
How to Make Chemex Coffee: The Essentials
To start your Chemex journey, you'll need:
- A Chemex Coffee Maker: These come in various sizes, from three to ten cups.
- Chemex Bonded Filters: The uniquely thick paper filters designed specifically for Chemex brewing.
- Coffee Beans: For Chemex brewing, a medium-coarse grind is ideal. You'll need approximately 50 grams of coffee for a 700ml brew, but this can be adjusted according to taste.
- Hot Water: You’ll need water just off the boil (around 200°F or 93°C). If you don’t have a thermometer, simply let your boiled water sit for a minute before pouring.
- A Burr Grinder: For the freshest taste, grind your beans just before brewing.
- A Digital Scale and Timer: For consistency and precision—a key to perfecting your brew.
The Step-By-Step Guide to Chemex Brewing
Now that we have our essentials ready, let's walk through the steps of how to make Chemex coffee:
- Prepare Your Filter: Open your Chemex filter into a cone, ensuring that one side has three layers. Place it into the Chemex brewer, with the three-layered side against the pouring spout. This not only keeps the filter in place but also allows air to escape during the brewing process.
- Preheat and Rinse: Pour hot water around the inside of the filter. This preheats the Chemex, ensuring your coffee stays hot for longer, and also rinses the filter, eliminating any potential paper taste. Discard the rinse water carefully, keeping the filter in place.
- Measure and Grind Your Beans: Weigh your coffee beans (around 50 grams for a 700ml brew, but adjust according to taste), then grind them to a medium-coarse consistency, similar to sea salt.
- Add Coffee to the Filter: Pour your freshly ground coffee into the dampened filter. Give the Chemex a gentle shake to level the coffee bed, ensuring an even extraction.
- Bloom Your Coffee: Start your timer and carefully pour just enough water (around 150g) over the coffee grounds to wet them evenly. This process, known as the 'bloom,' allows the coffee to release carbon dioxide, leading to a fresher, cleaner taste. Allow the coffee to bloom for about 30-45 seconds.
- Begin the Pour: After the bloom, start pouring the water in a slow, circular motion, avoiding the sides of the filter. Try to maintain the water level just above the level of the coffee grounds. The goal is to have added about 700g of water by the four-minute mark.
- Let It Drain: Once all the water has been added, let it filter through the coffee. This should take about 2-4 minutes. Once the drip slows to a stop, you'll know your coffee is ready.
- Remove Filter and Serve: Carefully remove the filter, ensuring not to spill any grounds into the Chemex. Now, all that's left is to pour and enjoy your perfectly brewed Chemex coffee!
The Chemex Experience: More Than Just a Cup of Coffee
Understanding how to make Chemex coffee is about more than just brewing—it's about embracing a coffee experience that has captivated coffee lovers worldwide for decades.
The Chemex's charm lies in its elegant simplicity. It's a tranquil, unhurried process that invites you to slow down and connect with the art of coffee making. The patience required for the slow pour and the anticipation built as the coffee drips, bit by bit, into the lower chamber—it all culminates in a cup of coffee that's not just tasted, but truly savored.
Moreover, the Chemex's unique filtration process allows you to explore your coffee on a new level. By removing the oils and sediments that can mask subtler flavors, it offers a crisp, clean brew that highlights the beans' natural taste profiles. For roasters and coffee enthusiasts, this opens up a world of possibilities for tasting and appreciating the subtle nuances of different coffee varieties.
Lastly, the Chemex itself—with its classic design and graceful silhouette—adds a touch of elegance to any setting. It's not just a coffee maker, but a conversation starter, a centerpiece, and a testament to the beauty that lies in simplicity.
Conclusion: The Art of Chemex Coffee
In the grand tapestry of coffee culture, Chemex coffee holds a special place. It's a tribute to the timeless beauty of manual brewing, and a celebration of the patience, care, and attention to detail that define the true coffee connoisseur's journey.
As you venture into the art of making Chemex coffee, may you find not just a new brewing method, but a deeper appreciation for the journey that every coffee bean undertakes—from the far-off fields, through the roaster's careful craft, to the heart of your home, one delicious cup at a time.
In the end, learning how to make Chemex coffee is more than just mastering a brewing process—it's embracing a piece of coffee history, and a tradition that continues to enrich our coffee experiences. Happy brewing!
About the author
Chandra Melo
Marketing as job, barista as passion. An authentic coffee lover, looking for the next fantastic cup of coffee that I will fall in love with. Coffee, for me, is more than a beverage. It's about community and connection - how can all the world consume the same fruit? And differently? How can we have so many different tastes? I also don't know. And because of this, I feel in love each day more for this world. Happy to share and make a change in the coffee community.
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