The Chemex is a manual pour-over coffee maker with an elegant hourglass-shaped glass carafe. It uses thicker paper filters than other methods to produce a clean, bright, and smooth cup of coffee. In the 1940s, a German chemist named Peter Schlumbohm invented the Chemex coffee maker.
You add the ground coffee and pour warm water over it straight from the kettle into the top, funnel-shaped portion. The coffee is directed through to the bottom section. The Chemex is very popular and actually has a place in the New York Museum of Modern Art (MOMA).
To make Chemex coffee, start with a 1:16 coffee to water ratio. For every 50 grams of coffee, you will need 28 ounces of water.
- Let the water cool for 30 seconds after removing it from the heat source before pouring.
- Grind the coffee beans slightly coarser than for drip coffee to absorb the water completely. This grind will give you a cleaner cup with less sediment.
- Your brew should finish between four and a half to five and a half minutes.
Chemex leaves a lighter impression than drip coffee because its unique filter removes much of the sensation of heaviness referred to as body. The longer extraction develops more flavor so tasting notes become more obvious.
The Chemex filter is folded to use more paper, making it more expensive than regular filters. Most people prefer medium roast coffee beans, but lightly roasted small batch beans are popular too. The slower brew and richer taste impresses anyone used to auto-drip coffee’s weaker flavor. Although not as rich as French Press, the Chemex produces sediment-free coffee.
The Chemex is a manual pour-over coffee maker. It is featured in the Museum of Modern Art in New York.
The Chemex brews coffee that is lighter than drip coffee and impresses those accustomed to auto-drip coffee’s flavor. It produces sediment-free coffee with more obvious tasting notes due to the longer extraction time.