Chemex
The Chemex coffee brewer was designed by a Peter Schlumbohm, a German chemist, who was intent on creating the perfect coffee brewer. It’s design is not only functional, producing a very good cup, but also beautiful, a Chemex is in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York and in the Smithsonian.
Rinse Filter
Place filter in brewer and rinse with hot water. Remove filter, dump water, replace filter.
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Rinse Filter
Place filter in brewer and rinse with hot water. Remove filter, dump water, replace filter.
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Weigh Coffee
Weigh 40 grams (about 5.5 tablespoons) of coffee for a 600 mL brew. Total brew volume should be up to the “button” on the front of the Chemex.
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Grind Coffee
Grind coffee to a medium grind the same as for auto-drip(kosher salt texture).
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Add Grounds
Pour grinds into filter and shake to even coffee bed.
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Begin Bloom
Start timer for four minutes. Pour just enough water (filtered 198-200 degree F) to saturate grounds.
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Continue Bloom
Let bloom for 30-45 seconds.
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Begin Main Brew
Slowly pour enough water in a circular motion to evenly saturate the grounds.
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Keep on Brewing
Once grounds are evenly saturated continue pouring only in the middle of the coffee bed.
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Finish Brew
Continue pouring at a rate that will result in a four minute brew time. If pouring at the correct rate you will see the grounds in suspension for the entire brew cycle and will never see a pool of water over the grounds or dry grounds. You should not see any blonde spots or dark spots in your coffee bed. The coffee bed should be an even color throughout the brew cycle.
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Swirl
Give the brewer a quick but steady swirl to ensure the grounds draw down evenly and aren’t left stuck to the brewer’s walls.
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Pour
Your total brew volume should be to the middle of the “button” on the front of the Chemex. Total brew time should be 4 minutes. After brew is complete remove filter from brewer and pour coffee into your mug.
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Enjoy!
Enjoy!
Detailed Instructions
Brewing coffee with a Chemex coffee brewer is fun and can result in an outstanding cup if a little bit of care is used in the brewing process. Because a filter is used when brewing with the Chemex it produces a very clean cup of coffee. Chemex makes specially formulated coffee filters for use with all of their brewers. The thickness of the filter facilitates a slow brew time while filtering out the sediment that can be left behind by other brewing processes resulting in a very full, sweet and clean coffee. Basically brewing with a Chemex can give you all of the positive attributes of both press pot brewing and of filtered coffee brewing but none of the drawbacks of either.
One of the great things about manual pour-over brewing is that you have control over every aspect of the brewing process. Unlike an automatic coffee maker which brews every coffee at the same temperature for the same amount of time, with a manual pour-over you can change your method to suit a each coffee. The drawback to this is that if you don’t develop a consistent method the inconsistencies from brew to brew can be drastic.
The key in getting a good cup of coffee from a manual pour-over, or any other brew method for that matter, is consistency. Make sure that every time you brew you are consistent in your method. If you take the time to make sure your water is filtered and at the correct temperature, your coffee is of high quality, fresh and at the right grind, and your extraction is timed and performed correctly you are guaranteed great results. Once you have your method down it becomes second nature and it’s very easy to produce great results time after time.
