How To Brew Your Chemex Coffee Every Morning

14 January 2021

Coffee is truly the liquid that makes the world go round. We, for one, know that our office would be an awful lot less productive if there was no ready source of caffeine hiding in a corner somewhere.

We’ve recently got more and more into pour-over coffee, and that’s led us to the Chemex! It’s a beautiful piece of design that we’re really loving using, and in this article, we’re going to talk you through how to get the best out of it.

What is The Difference Between v60 and Chemex?

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The Hario v60 and the ubiquitous Chemex are, on the surface of it, very similar. The main difference, of course, is that while both are pour-over brewers, the Chemex brews into a pot to be decanted into a mug, while the v60 brews directly into the mug.

That difference is much of a muchness and doesn’t really affect the overall flavor too much. The only thing that could alter the taste, however, is the filters used. The Chemex uses slightly thicker filters than the v60, which means that it’s a little harder to mess up the pouring process. Pours are often messed up by poor water distribution, and a thicker filter can help to negate that problem. Therefore, on the surface, a Chemex is a little easier to use.

How to Brew Chemex Coffee?

Brewing with a Chemex is really easy and doesn’t take too long either. Generally, both will take three-and-a-half minutes to brew, and yield roughly two large mugs. Of course, you could do a little more or less depending on how many people are drinking. Without further ado, let’s brew:

Heat your water up to roughly 205˚F, the easiest way is to let it boil and then sit for thirty seconds.

Unfold the Chemex filter and insert it into the top of the brewer - make sure that the three-layered side of the filter is lined up with the pouring spout.

Give the filter a quick rinse by pouring hot water inside the filter for about five seconds. Make sure to dispense the rinse water before you start the brewing process!

Now, you can either add pre-ground coffee straight into the brewing chamber or grind your own beans to a texture slightly coarser than medium. Either way, add in roughly 36g of ground coffee, or five to six tablespoons.

Place the Chemex on a digital scale, and set the weight to zero.

Now that the coffee is in the filter, pour enough water over them to allow them to bloom. This is roughly 70 grams, just enough to make sure all of the coffee is wet.

After about thirty seconds of blooming, pour the rest of the water in continuously, spiraling to get optimum coverage. Try to avoid pouring directly in the center of the coffee, or around the ultimate edges.

When the scale reads 600g, stop pouring! Allow all of the water to drain through, and discard the filter. Then, feel free to pour your coffee into mugs and enjoy!

Can I use Regular Filters with Chemex?

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There are a multitude of coffee filters available out there, so it’s only natural to wonder if you really have to use the Chemex filters for your morning brew. The shape and size of the Chemex mean that you can use a huge number of different filters available, but you may have trouble with them.

At the end of the day, we’d recommend that you use Chemex filters if that’s at all possible. The reason for this is that the glass heats and cools a lot during brewing, so non-Chemex filters may not be entirely stable on the frame.

If you’re concerned about sustainability, then we completely understand. Throwing away a paper filter for every pot of coffee certainly feels a little wasteful. There are a number of Chemex-compatible metal filters out there, which could be worth a try. People have reported there is a slightly different taste between paper and metal filters, though whether you like or dislike the taste is a matter of opinion. We’d encourage you to give it a go and see if you like it!

The Chemex is one of the classic pieces of design from the last few decades, and for that reason alone it has earned its place in people’s kitchens. Brewing with it can be a little confusing, however, and we hope we’ve been able to help you out there. Happy sipping!