Learn with the Bears

Chemex Guide

Great For
Clean Body | Perfect For Two People | Great For Bright Notes

The Chemex is a design icon (part of MoMA's permanent collection) thanks to a quirky, eclectic mash-up of laboratory-like features and natural materials. What makes the Chemex truly unique, however, is the design of its proprietary bonded coffee filters which are considerably heavier than others and result in an unmatched clean cup. This makes the Chemex a perfect choice for enjoying more acidic or floral light roast coffees that take on an almost tea-like quality (though it’ll brew you a delicious dark roast as well). The learning curve is a little steeper than other methods but most home-brewers have no trouble making really good coffee after a little practice. If you feel like making a bit more or less coffee, our recipe is totally adjustable, just use a gram of coffee for every 16 grams of water.

step 1

1. Prep Filter

Unfold the filter with the three-fold side facing the spout. With the filter in the Chemex, pre-heat the vessel with some water heated up to 200F. Try to wet the majority of the filter. Pour out the hot water once it has passed the filter, you do not need to remove the filter when pouring out the water.

step 2

2. Grind Your Coffee

Weight 40g of coffee to and grind them to a medium-coarse setting of your grinder. We are using the Baratza Encore at a setting of 22 here in the office. Once grinned, pour them inside the filter. Make sure that the coffee grounds are level. This will ensure that there is an even extraction.

step 3

3. Bloom That Coffee

Now we will start pouring our water. Remember to zero your scale and then start your timer. Pour in a circular motion, starting from the center of the coffee ground moving towards the outside, 120g of water. Let the coffee bloom for 45 - 60 seconds. This process will ensure that we collected all the sweet and flavor from our beans.

step 4

4. Pour the Remaining Water

After your bloom, start pouring another 240g of water in the same circular motion. Wait for 40 seconds, or until the majority of the water has drained, to add another 240g of water. This should be a total of 600g of water that we pour on to our coffee.

step 5

5. Serve and Enjoy!

Once the coffee has been filtered, throw away the filter and serve your delicious cup of coffee! The total process can range from 3 - 5 minutes and should serve two cups. Enjoy!