Chemex requires an overall brew time of approximately 6 minutes. Coffee should be ground medium-fine. On a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being the finest and 10 being the most coarse, this grind would be a 7 or 8. The more coffee you are brewing at a time, the coarser it should be. For this particular set of parameters, it will be closer to 11.
-Coffee: You’ll need 42g of your favorite medium to light roast coffee.
-Grinder: We are using a Hario Slim Handmill. This is a burr grinder, which produces much more consistent granules than a blade grinder, which is really better suited for grinding spices. Almost any burr grinder is preferable to a blade grinder. We chose the Hario because of its affordability.
-Scale: We are using the AWS (American Weight Systems) SC-2kg pocket scale. To consistently produce good coffee, it is imperative to measure all of your ingredients. (Too much water, you’ll over extract the coffee; too little water, and you’ll under extract the coffee.) We love this scale because it is affordable, durable, and compact.
-Kettle: We are using a Bonavita 1 Liter Electric Gooseneck Kettle. This kettle is very easy to use. You simply need to fill it, switch it on, and it will kick off automatically when it reaches temperature. You will need your water to be right around 200 degrees for brewing. A simple way to achieve this is to let your water reach a boil, then let it sit for a minute or two.
-Chemex + filters: We are using the 6-cup Chemex, but these parameters will work with the 6-, 8-, or 10-cup Chemex. We prefer the bleached filters because they give a cleaner, truer extraction, imparting less papery taste to the coffee.
-Coffee cups: Any mugs will do, but make sure you preheat them by filling them halfway full with brew-temperature water to avoid thermal loss to the coffee.
-Timer (or iPhone): Anything that counts in seconds will work fine. Pro tip: You do not need to stop and restart the timer during extraction; you can let it run continuously using a bit of addition.
Step One: The Preparation. Weigh out your coffee (42g) and start heating your water. We are using a brew ratio of 1:15 grams (i.e., 1 gram of coffee to 15 grams of water), so you will need 630 grams of water for brewing and allow for 300 grams to rinse and preheat your vessels. You can go ahead and grind your coffee while you’re waiting for your water to reach temperature.
Credits // Authors: Isaac Neale and Jason Strother. Photos and Video: Sarah Rhodes. Music: Jeremy Larson. Photos edited with A Beautiful Mess actions.
39 Comments
I looove good coffee! Thank you for sharing this.
http://weareatlove.com
WEAR EAT LOVE
Definitely worth the effort! Great tip about it being old if not bubbling – I never would have known!
Loved this article! Hope to see more coffee articles in the future. Really wish I could try out this coffee shop!
I don’t know what I would do without my Chemex! Great post!
I make Chemex coffee nearly exclusively at home; it is my preferred manner of brewing. We usually make about 8-10 cups per go, which can take a while but it’s worth it. I wonder if the wait is because our coffee is too finely ground? I usually use a dark roast – we like our coffee to add chest hair – and have had lovely results as long as I pre-wet the filter and give the first pour a chance to bloom. Cheers and YAY COFFEE.
I don’t drink coffee — like, ever, and I know, that’s basically blasphemy — but seeing this little gadget on Elise’s blog and now here basically confirms I’m nowhere near as cool as I thought I was. I guess this means I’m going to have to start drinking fancy coffee because, after all, everyone’s doing it, right?! 😉
That is such a cool way to brew coffee! I would feel so professional using that 😉
http://everydayingrace.blogspot.ca/
Great tutorial! Too bad Phoenix AZ isn’t anywhere near Springfield. I’ve been debating whether to switch over from french press to Chemex for a while. (The only thing holding me back was really that I’m a creature of habit). Great tutorial! 🙂
LOVE i don’t ever preheat my vessel and now I’m totally going to. Great tutorial!
I love this post! I’ve seen many coffee recipe posts but haven’t come across too many posts that get so in depth on the topic! As an aspiring coffee nerd, I am definitely going to refer to this! I would love to read more on the topic and hope to one day be able to share some tips of our own!
-Tara
themountaincreative.com
Hi! When you say “allow” for 300 grams of water for rinsing and preheating, is this in addition to the 630 grams? So, you need 630 grams for the coffee but you need to remember to heat another 300 for the other steps? Thanks!
the chemex is magic
xx
What a great post! I’ve been brewing Chemex for a year, and overall it is my favorite! Sometimes my brews are better than others though. I’m excited to brew a batch tomorrow and see how it comes out. Thank you!
I am a big coffee fan! This coffee sounds absolutely amazing, although I would prefer it if it were easier to make a single serving 🙂
emmasbeginning.blogspot.com
This so useful! Ive never tried brewing this way. Ive always been a french press/ Italian coffee maker girl through and through but im definitely going to give this a try.
x
Jess
http://www.mossandmink.com
Interesting! I love to learn how other people like their coffee.
This is SO great. I’ve always wanted to try this kind of brew but have never known what to do! Love it!
http://sometimesgracefully.com
my husband and i just got a chemex as a wedding gift. so this is perfect timing for this post. can’t wait to try it out!
Super excited about this post/video! I’m a big beer nerd, but have recently been interested in brewing coffee. This was just the push I needed to take the reins and start making my own at home!
ha! looks like a science experiment!! Never even heard of this method of brewing before…so cool!
Thanks for the refresher! I am going to get the scale out and check my measurements this afternoon. I brew with this method most of the time now although I use a Cilio ceramic filter holder. I like the Cilio because it works great for making one cup at a time. It holds #4 filters which we have for our Bonavita coffee machine, and bonus…the Cilio costs something like half of what a Chemex does (so I bought two).
Great idea, coffee is such an interesting product!
Thank you for sharing this! I’ve been meaning to get a Chemex for my office since I’m not always able to run and get coffee before work–and, let’s be honest, it gets pretty expensive to buy coffee every day. I can’t wait to try this out!
-Helen Grace
http://www.sweethelengrace.com
I hear the chemex makes awesome coffee! I have yet to try it out though, but hopefully I’ll get the chance soon!
xoxo
Taylor
This is a great tutorial — any chance you’ll do one for the AeroPress?
so glad you all made a video! I’ve seen many tutorials for this type of brewing but there are so many steps that it can get confusing. Also, I love that you all are bringing in local and distant craftsmen onto the blog, allowing for a diverse amount of content!
Love where this blog is heading 🙂
I feel like I can smell that coffee just looking at it! Yum!!
Ashley! Well funny you should ask… I would keep checking back if I were you! 😉 xo-Sarah
I would have liked to seen the inside of the carafe during the poor.
Kerrie,
Yes, that’s correct. You will need to preheat around 930 grams of water total.
I’ve never even heard of a Chemex! Thanks for the tutorial and the intro, though, can’t wait to check it out.
PS: Love the music for the video!
Best Coffee people ever!
I worked as a barista all through college, but we never used Chemex, only French Press, so that’s what I’m familiar with. Thanks for sharing all the details about this — I have seen it growing in popularity but now I feel a little more educated!
We have the wooden Chemex 6 cup and use it with a stainless steel Coava Kone filter and it has been amazing for the last 4 years.
great tutorial Kingdom coffee! As a fellow barista, i’m curious: What’s the total brew time with these parameters?
How many clicks are you using on the Hario grinder (mini mill I’m guessing?) from closed?
I LOVE my Chemex! I got it for xmas last year and my mom kept complaining “I don’t get it, how do you keep the coffee warm enough to last all morning?” Um. Mom. You don’t! Argh!
The Chemex coffee makers are amazing. I always hated having the sediment of the coffee in my cup when making it with a french press coffee maker. But with the Chemex, this doesn’t happen anymore. The filter is designed to prevent bitterness and to avoid any sediment to drip into the coffee; simultaneously used with the non-porous glass, the beverage comes out clear, pure and flavorful. I simply love my new Chemex!
Kind regards from another Chemex lover 🙂
I discovered that bending the end of a spring and hanging it down the pour spout channel will do away with the vapor/steam lock that usually plagues these Chemex coffee makers–slowing them to a crawl.