Chemex
A Chemex recipe for two or three cups (30 g coffee, 500 g water, about four and a half minutes), how to fold the thick filter, and how to adjust it.
What it does well
The Chemex is a glass carafe with a cone built into the top, and it uses filters about twice as thick as other papers. That paper holds back almost all the oils and fine particles, so the cup is the cleanest of any brewer: light-bodied, clear and bright, almost tea-like.
It's at its best brewing two to four cups at once. The thick paper drains slowly, so it wants a coarser grind than a V60.
Starting recipe
- Coffee
- 30 g, ground medium-coarse, like kosher salt.
- Water
- 500 g at 93 to 96 °C, plus extra for rinsing the filter.
- Ratio
- About 1:16.7.
- Time
- About 4:00 to 4:30 from first pour to the last drip.
Step by step
- 1. Fold and rinse
- Open the folded filter into a cone with three layers on one side and one on the other. Put the three-layer side against the spout, so it can't collapse and block the air channel. Rinse with plenty of hot water and pour that water out through the spout, holding the filter in place.
- 2. Bloom
- Add the coffee, level it, start a timer and pour about 60 g of water to wet all the grounds. Wait 45 seconds.
- 3. Main pour
- Pour slowly in circles, to 300 g by about 1:30, then to 500 g by about 2:30. Keep the water about a finger's width below the rim of the filter.
- 4. Draw down
- Let it drain. It should finish around 4:00 to 4:30. Remove the filter, swirl the carafe and serve.
Adjusting
If it drains long past 5:00 and tastes bitter or dry, grind coarser; this is the most common Chemex problem. If it finishes before 3:30 and tastes thin or sour, grind finer. If drainage suddenly stops, the filter has likely sealed against the spout: lift it slightly to let air back in. More in Ratio, grind and time.
For a single cup, a V60 or Kalita Wave is easier. Light-roasted washed coffees are a classic Chemex match.