Chemex uses a thick paper filter and the resulting brew is a well balanced and clean cup. The beautiful design of the chemex makes it a brewer you won't mind leaving on your counter. There are multiple sizes of Chemex allowing you to brew up multiple cups at a time, perfect for hosting brunch. This recipe makes 2 12oz cups of coffee (or 4 small cups).
Recommended Coffee to Water Ratio: 1:16
What you'll need
- Chemex brewer
- Chemex filters
- Fresh coffee, medium-coarse grind (45g)
- Scale
- Timer (if scale does not have built in)
- Gooseneck kettle / hot water (720g) just off boil at 205°
- Carafe or mug to brew into
Prep
- Fold your Chemex filter into a cone and insert into the brewer, with 3 layers on the spout side. Rinse with hot water then discard the water (removes any paper taste and preheats the brewer).
- Grind coffee of your choice on a medium-coarse setting (about the center point on most grinders). Place the grounds in your filter, tapping or lightly shaking to level the grounds. Note that for this recipe listed we are using a 1:16 brew ratio, 45g coffee and 720g water. Scale up or down depending on the size of your Chemex and how many cups you want to brew.
- Place your brewer on a scale, tare to 0.
Brew
1. Start your timer and pour 90g of hot water into the center of the grounds to start the bloom. Then add the remaining water in three even pours as follows: - At :30, pour 210g of water starting in the center of the grounds, circling outward, then inward, making sure to saturate all of the coffee. Don't pour water onto the edge of the cone, you just want to evenly saturate the grounds bed (total weight at this point is 300g)
- At 1:30, pour 210g more water (total weight 510g)
- At 2:30, pour remaining 210g (final weight is 720g)
3. Discard the coffee grounds and filter directly into your compost.
Pro Tips:
- For your bloom, use twice as much water as your coffee dose. For example, with a smaller Chemex where you are brewing 30g of coffee, your first pour (bloom) should be 60g.
- Did your brew take longer than 5:00 minutes? Try a coarser grind. Go finer if it was too quick.
- If you aren't planning to drink all of your coffee right away, transfer immediately after brewing to an insulated vessel or cover with a lid to retain heat.
- Chemex brews such clean-tasting coffee that many light-roasted single origin coffees really shine with a high water-to-brew ratio. This recipe uses 16:1; try experimenting with 17:1 if you want an even lighter brew.
- If you're brewing in a very large Chemex where you might want to brew 60g of coffee at a time, try brewing with a by-pass. Calculate your brew weight using your desired ratio, but withhold 100-200g of water. Add this water to your brew after extracting your coffee.
