How to Brew Coffee with a Chemex

I love coffee, lets just get that out there. There is so much more that goes into a great cup of coffee than opening a pre-ground package and throwing it into a coffee maker. There are so many things that can effect your coffee, from the origin of the bean, to its varietal, to how long its roasted and finally how you choose to brew it. For me, my favorite way to brew coffee lately has been with the use of my Chemex. It’s simple and the results are a superior cup of coffee. Do I do this everyday? No, but it is definitely a weekend ritual that I cherish. Some great person somewhere once said that “Life is too short for bad coffee”, so let me help you up your coffee game.

the overhead

Things you will need:

Scale
Timer – or use your iphone
Chemex 6-Cup Classic Series Glass Coffee Maker
Chemex Bonded Unbleached Pre-folded Square Coffee Filters, 100 Count
Coffee bean grinder – This is the one we use – Cuisinart DBM-8 Supreme Grind Automatic Burr Mill
Coffee beans – 52grams
Water – 700 grams
Optional- Bonavita 1.0L Electric Kettle BV3825B – This isn’t essential but it will help to have more control over your pour.

We are going to start by heating up our water either using a Gooseneck kettle or another method you choose. While the water is heating take the chemex filter and place it in the Chemex. Your Chemex filter will be folded into quadrants. Open your filter so that 3 layers of the filter are on one side and only 1 is on the other. And then face those 3 layers toward the spout of the Chemex.

3 side filter

Next take some of our water that has been heating up in the kettle and just wet the filter. The biggest reason for this is so that the coffee doesn’t taste papery (is that a word?). Once the filter is wet, dump out the water that is in the Chemex.

Now things are getting serious, It’s time to add the coffee. So grab your 52 grams of coffee and grind them to a medium course grind. Them add them into the filter.

Set the Chemex on your scale and then turn it on so that it calculates the weight accurately. Add 100 g of water. When pouring the water do so in a circular motion to wet all of the grounds evenly. This next part is called “The Bloom.” This is where the coffee is being saturated with the water and you will literally see it grow or… bloom. Once you add the 100 grams of water let it bloom for 1 minute 30 seconds.

the bloom

After 1 minute and 30 seconds, you are going to add the remaining 600 grams of water to the coffee. Start by repeating the circular motion again to wet the grounds once more and then move the pour to the middle of grounds (this is called a “Center Pour”) and pour the remaining water into the center. Once you have poured the remaining 600 grams to have a total of 700 grams of water then you can set your timer for 4 minutes 30 seconds and allow “The Drawdown” to happen. This a fancy term that means your coffee is brewing and then draining into the bowl portion of the Chemex. After the time has expired, remove the filter and your coffee is ready to be poured into your favorite mug.

chemex coffee

chemex and beans

the light

perk up

That’s it, you did it, you have upgraded your coffee skills or at least brag to your friends that you have a coffee brewer that looks so amazing that it has been a feature of the New York Museum of Modern Art since 1944 and to go even further, it was used by James Bond in From Russia with Love. Did I mention how much of a coffee nerd I am? I know you will enjoy the Chemex and if you need any advice on places to get great coffee let me know. Thanks for stopping by.

-John