For the longest time, we were a Folgers Coffee from a drip machine kind of house. Set it all up the night before and simply press start in the morning. It was an easy way to begin the day and just enough flavor to bring us back for another cup. That is until we tasted a really good cup of coffee. The area we live in seems to be going through a bit of a coffee renaissance. Really good coffee is not hard to find. We are very much DIYers which led us to wonder, how do we create that same taste at home?
After doing some research, we purchased the Classic Chemex Coffeemaker and, through a bit of trial and error, it brought us into the modern world of coffee consumption.
When we first started with our Chemex Coffeemaker, we struggled with taste consistency. Sometimes it was bitter, other times it was weak. It was rarely like you would get at a coffee shop. Ultimately, the key to finding a coffee bean to water ratio was weighing everything with a kitchen scale every time. Let me repeat this for those just skimming through – Weigh everything.
This is my guide to brewing coffee at home with the Chemex pour over coffee maker.
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Chemex Coffee Brewing Tutorial
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Loading...Ingredients
- Chemex Coffee Pot
- Chemex Filter
- Coffee Grinder
- Coffee Beans
- Hot water (195° - 205°F)
- Kitchen Scale
- Timer
Instructions
Measure out the water and heat it to around 195° - 205°F. We use a stove-top kettle with a built-in thermometer.
Insert a Chemex Filter into the Chemex Coffeemaker. Use hot water to rinse the filter to remove any paper taste.
Measure out the coffee beans. The ratio I use of water to coffee beans is 15:1. Therefore, using 60 grams of coffee beans requires 900 grams of water. This should give you a good base to go off of.
Grind the beans to be about the coarseness of Kosher salt, which is pretty coarse in comparison to your average table salt.
Place the coffee grounds in the center of the filter-lined Chemex and gently shake back and forth to settle the grounds.
Place the Chemex on the scale and zero it out.
Start the timer and pour roughly 100g of hot water in a circular motion covering all of the coffee grounds. You may notice the coffee starting to bloom and release gasses. Allow this process to complete before adding more water, about 1 minute.
Continue to pour water in a circular pattern starting in the center. Spiral out toward the edge of the Chemex before moving back toward the middle. Avoid pouring on the filter. If the water level nears the rim of the Chemex, pause for a moment to let it drain before continuing.
Allow the water to drain through the filter. Remove the filter from the Chemex and discard the grounds.
Notes
- If the time of pouring was longer than 4 minutes, your grind was probably too fine. If your final time was shorter than 3 minutes, your grind was probably too coarse. Make a small adjustment to the grind next time you brew.
- It's best to grind your coffee beans right before you brew the coffee.
- To get the appropriate amount of water, I will measure out the water using the cup or mug that I will be drinking out of. If I think I'll have two mugs of coffee, I'll use that to measure.
- Take the filter out of the Chemex shortly after the brewing process is complete. The last few drips are acidic and can negatively affect the taste.
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