Chemex is the classic American pour-over brewer.
With a stylish design dating back to the 1940’s, the wonderfully simple brewer makes a strong, balanced and flavorful cup. Pour over coffee can be frustrating though, as using a bad technique or the wrong equipment can lead to coffee that is weak and unpalatable. Follow our handy guidelines and you’ll be making delicious, well-balanced, flavorful coffee in no time.
Tools needed:
- Chemex brewer
- Chemex filters
- Coffee grinder
- Pouring kettle
- Gram scale
- Fresh ground Bluestone Lane coffee
We recommend:
- Flagstaff
- Nicaragua Jinotega
Brew time:
4 min 30 sec
Brew steps:
Step 1:
Grind 42 grams of coffee to the texture of sea salt.
Step 2:
Place the filter inside the Chemex – one side of your filter should have 3 folds which should be facing towards the Chemex spout.
Step 3:
Rinse the filter with hot water then empty. This will warm the Chemex and remove any paper taste.
Step 4:
Add coffee to the filter and gently tap to create a flat bed.
Step 5:
Sit the coffee-filled Chemex on a scale and tare the scale to 0.
Step 6:
The initial pour is 84 grams of water. Start pouring in the center of the bed and swirl the water outwards in a circular motion, being mindful not to pour water down the edges of the brew filter. Now pause – your coffee is now ‘blooming’.
Step 7:
As soon as you have poured your bloom, use a bamboo paddle to quickly give the coffee slurry a ‘North-South-East-West’ stir. This will help to make sure the bed of coffee is fully saturated with water.
Step 8:
Let the bloom rest for 45-60 seconds. You should notice that it will expand and bubble during this time. Once it stops expanding and collapses slightly, you know you’re ready to start your main pour.
Step 9:
Pour 200 grams of water at a time repeating the pouring pattern used for your bloom until you reach a total weight of 720 grams. Start in the middle and work your way outwards in circles. You should raise the water level of the slurry high enough to make sure there are no grounds stuck to the wall of the filter. Start your next pour when the water level drops to the half-filled point. Be careful not to let the brew ‘stall’ by letting all the water pass through the coffee before you start your next pour.
Step 10:
Carefully remove the filter and spent coffee grinds.
Step 11:
Enjoy!
Notes:
For the best tasting pour over coffee we recommend using a 16/1 ratio of coffee to water. Using 1 gram of coffee for every 16 grams of brewing water.
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