Chemex
The classic from 1941
Hard to believe that this coffee maker has been around for 80 years. in the
Basically, the Chemex is a filter holder and jug in one, the design is timeless and fits into any modern living environment as well as into stylish art studios or cafés. The highlight here is the separate spout through which the air can escape. Compared to the Hario V60, the surface is smooth and the filter rests against the walls. The coffee therefore only flows out below. In addition, the classic Chemex filter paper is rectangular, thicker and has two layers on one side due to the folds. One speaks of a clearer cup, since even more suspended matter is retained here compared to other methods.
In addition to the Chemex (6 cups) , you will need a (hand) mill and a kettle (ideally temperature-controlled such as Fellow EKG ), a scale and of course suitable filter paper for the preparation.
Parameters at a glance
| degree of grinding | amount of coffee | amount of water | temperature | total duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Middle | 36-42g | 600ml | 94-96°C | 4 minutes |
Just add water and the coffee is ready?
Of course it's possible, but since we want to get the most out of the bean, here are some details to consider besides the parameters:
- Switch on the kettle and set the temperature if necessary. Since this step takes the longest, let's start with it.
- Weigh the grist with a good scale . Choose a medium grind, which is slightly coarser than fine table salt. Please do not use pre-ground coffee, as the aromas also disappear very quickly here.
- If you have a hand grinder, grind the coffee while the kettle heats up. Otherwise shortly before.
- If the water is hot, first wash the filter thoroughly with 50-60ml of water to remove the paper taste.
- Now put the grist in the filter and shake the filter holder slightly to get it flat.
Caution: If the kettle has no temperature control: open the lid after boiling and wait 1-2 minutes - Put everything on the scale and set it to 0. Start timer on scale or stopwatch.
- Now we cover the grist completely with water and wait 30s . Depending on the amount of coffee, this should be 50-100ml. This process is called blooming and enhances the taste by giving excess Co2 time to escape from the grind. This can be recognized by the formation of bubbles.
- Now we fill the water in spiral movements from the inside out until we have about 200ml. This enables us to achieve a more even extraction - a major advantage of the hand filter over the coffee machines.
- We wait a few seconds and let the water drain a little.
- Then we continue to fill in water evenly until about 400ml are reached and wait a bit again.
- Finally, we fill in the rest of the water - continue to move in a spiral.
- And your Chemex Pour Over is ready!
Somehow I don't like it
Case 1: The coffee tastes too bitter or generally too strong. The brewing time probably took a lot longer than 4 minutes, so 6 minutes and up.
Solution 1: Adjust the grinding level to a coarser one.
If the brewing time was correct
Solution 2: Use less ground coffee for the same amount of water, or add more water when the coffee is ready to avoid over-extraction.
Case 2: The coffee is too weak, tastes too sour, or flows through faster than 3 minutes.
Solution 1: Adjust the grind finer.
If brewing time was correct
Solution 2: Use more ground coffee for the same amount of water, or add more water when the coffee is ready to avoid over-extraction.
Basically, keep going until you like the coffee. The rules with time and quantity are only guidelines. If you still don't like the coffee, you may want to change the bean. Especially if the taste is too bitter, it is worth switching to medium/light roasts.
Myth: Filter coffee is bad and unhealthy!
Unfortunately, the misconception that filter coffee basically tastes bad or is unhealthy for the stomach persists to this day. In fact, it is due to the fact that, in addition to the often poor quality of the beans, the filter coffee from a machine usually brews for a very long time and is locally very strongly over-extracted by dripping it onto the same spot. As a result, many more tannins are dissolved, which can be difficult for your stomach.
In addition, common filter machines in the office or in bakeries "keep the coffee warm" at a high temperature for a long time. The fine suspended particles that could not be removed by the filter continue to be extracted and the coffee tastes even more bitter or hits the stomach even more.
So it's best to keep your hands off the bad coffee and enjoy the fresh taste and health.
