Brewing guide: Chemex
Quick review
Level of effort
After some practice you will be able to brew really good coffee.
Affordability
Aside from the Chemex, you'll need to use a scale & gooseneck kettle.
Quality
Very bright cup of coffee with clean flavours.
Why we like it
For the clarity and brightness in the final cup.
Step by step guide
Brewing time: 3 mins
You'll need the following equipment...
Chemex
Chemex paper filter
Grinder
Digital scale
Timer
Gooseneck kettle
Step 1
Measure your coffee
Measure 17* grams of coffee and grind it. We recommend a coarse grind (like sea salt).
* Recommended weight for a single cup. Vary the weight according to taste or number of cups.
Step 4
First pour
Start your timer. Pour boiling water over the coffee, about double the amount, and wait for 45 secs, allowing the coffee grounds to soak and bloom.
*Blooming refers to the sudden release of Carbon Dioxide from the coffee grounds when in contact with water.
Step 2
Prepare the Chemex
Place the paper filter inside the Chemex (putting three layers towards the spout and one at the back). Rinse the paper with an abundant amount of boiling water to remove its paper taste, then discard that water.
Step 5
Second pour
Start pouring boiling water slowly in circles, avoiding the walls, until you reach 260 grams of water.
Step 6
Allow coffee to drip
When the timer hits 3mins, remove the paper filter from the Chemex, serve and enjoy.
CHEMEX TROUBLESHOOTING
In case you come across these problems, here are some tips...
Water drains too slowly
This might be due to the grind size. When the grounds are too fine, the water cannot flow at a normal rate and gets stuck, which might over-extract the coffee.
Water remains in the brewer after time is up
When placing the filter paper on top of the Chemex, make sure you do not block the beak, as this might stall the brew.If there is a just a little water still left to drip through the coffee, then it might not be a problem. However if you have a considerable amount, then the grounds might be blocking the water flow due to their size being too fine. Note: Chemex paper filters are thicker than filter papers used in other methods, which already leads to a longer percolation time. A fine grind will add to this, increasing the chance of over-extraction.
Clumps of grind on top
If your grind has a muddy texture after the water has drained through, this is due to the grind size being too fine, and could affect the taste.
Flat bed
After the water has drained through the coffee, if you are left with a flat bed of grind, instead of a dome or a well, this indicates a uniform percolation of the coffee, one sign of a good extraction.