CHEMEX

Why Use a Chemex?

The Chemex brew method combines both form and function. Designed by a chemist, this beautiful glass brewing vessel has been in use since 1941, and produces wonderful clarity in flavor. The secret to its success is its heavy filter, which removes lipids and other insolubles that dampen your ability to distinguish nuance. The result is a clean, crisp mouth feel, a higher clarity of acidity, and a delicate flavor. Plus, let’s face it, it looks great.

You will need:

6 or 8 cup Chemex
Chemex paper filter (we prefer bleached filters)
burr grinder
electric gooseneck kettle
digital gram scale
timer
filtered water heated to between 195 and 205 degrees Fahrenheit
whole bean Patriot coffee

Let’s get brewing!

Weigh & Grind

Weigh out 40g of your favorite whole bean coffee. Grind it on a medium-coarse setting (about halfway between drip and French press)

Rinse Your Filter

Open the Chemex filter into a cone, with one side containing three layers of paper, and one side containing one layer. Place it in the Chemex with the side containing three layers facing the spout. Wet your filter with hot water and dump rinse water.

Doing this does three things:
– it helps to remove the paper flavor of the filter
– it keeps the filter in place
– and it warms up the vessel (you can warm your mug up too while you’re at it.)

Set it up

Gently add your freshly ground coffee to the filter. DO NOT shake to level out (the smaller fines will fall to the bottom and clog the filter.)

Place your Chemex on the scale and tare the scale.

Double check and make sure your water is between 195 and 205 degrees Fahrenheit.

Start the Bloom

Start your timer. In concentric circles, saturate your grounds with 80-100g of water. This should take no more than 7 or 8 seconds. Coffee degasses or “blooms” when it’s fresh–the coffee bed should rise up and bubble a bit.

This practice of pre-wetting your grounds helps ensure even extraction. (Yay!)

Second Pour

After 30 seconds have passed, add water to 490g, always pouring steadily in concentric circles, and moving quickly to provide turbulence.

Avoid wetting the filter; water will trickle down without hitting the grounds, thus diluting the brew.

Final Pour

At the 2 minute mark, add water to 640g (again – moving quickly in concentric circles.)

Remove the Chemex from the scale and give a light tap on counter to ensure all grounds get fully immersed.

Finish & Enjoy

Allow the coffee to finish brewing and remove your filter. Your brew time should be between 4 minutes and 4:15. If it takes substantially longer, use a coarser grind. If it goes much more quickly, use a finer grind. For more troubleshooting tips, visit our Variables for Success blog post.

Most importantly, pour yourself a mug and enjoy!