Chemex Coffee Brewing: A Step by Step Guide

What does it take to make coffee with a Chemex coffee maker? While visiting Hacienda Pomarossa at the foot of Cerro Punta, Puerto Rico’s highest mountain, Sebastian Legner the barista, showed us the exact science and art of Chemex coffee brewing.

A list of things he had before brewing:

1. A gooseneck pour over kettle

2. Chemex glass coffee maker

3. Chemex white pre-folded circle coffee filter

4. A coffee drip scale/timer

5. Of course freshly ground coffee from the coffee farm

To brew coffee with Chemex:

1. Boil water in the gooseneck pour over kettle. Only use water at about 200-205 F.
2. Weigh the coffee beans and grind the beans in an electric burr grinder. For this brew, Sebastian wanted 40 g of ground coffee and 600 g of water.
3. Place the coffee filter to the top compartment of the Chemex. After placing the coffee filter on the Chemex, rince the coffee filter with hot water to pre-wet the filter. It also helps to reduce paper smell. Discard the water from the Chemex.
4. Set the scale to 0 and place the Chemex on top of the scale. Add the ground coffee previously weighed to the filter.
5. Start the timer on the scale and pour over the hot water slowly in clockwise motion to saturate the ground coffee. Sebastian said that the slow clockwise pattern of pouring helps the coffee to release carbon dioxide. It took about 4 minutes to pour the 600 g of water.
6. Sebastian said to wait for 10 minutes to let the coffee completely filter through to the lower compartment. He then discarded the used filter and served the freshly brewed coffee to his guests.

Tips for a successful Chemex coffee brew:

• Use only coarsely ground coffee
• Chemex coffee filters are double bonded. Don’t use normal coffee filters

Who invented the Chemex coffeemaker?

The Chemex coffee maker is an hourglass looking borosilicate glass container with a wooden collar and a rawhide tie. It was invented in 1941 by Dr. Peter Schlumbohm, an American chemist. Dr. Schlumbohm applied his chemistry knowledge into the making of the Chemex. That’s the reason why brewing coffee with a Chemex coffee maker feels like a science experiment. You can find Dr. Schlumbohm’s 1941 Chemex Coffee Maker on display at the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) in New York City.

Here is a 3-cup Chemex coffee maker from Diguo:

Have you brewed coffee with a Chemex coffee maker? How do you like it?