Chemex Method
4:00 min
500ml / 94℃
med-coarse
33g
Preparation
First, boil your filtered water to 95°C. Grind your coffee beans at a medium to coarse setting. Fold your filter paper and place it at the top of the Chemex. Wet the paper with hot water. This helps the filter paper stick to the sides of the glass, while getting rid of the residual paper flavours. Remember to empty this water from the Chemex before you begin brewing.
Add the coffee
Carefully distribute your coffee into the centre of your Chemex, avoiding the wet sides as it may stick. Give the Chemex a gentle nudge to flatten the top of your coffee dome.
First pour and bloom
Tare your scale and start your timer. Your first pour should be vigorous and must cover all the dry grounds, so it should be double the amount of dry coffee. This 'degasses' your coffee - it starts to bloom which will result in a better flavour of your finished brew. Wait for 30 seconds.
Brewing
Every 30 seconds add another 100 grams of water in a circular motion until you reach 500 grams.
Release Flavours
Let your coffee brew and filter through to the bottom of the Chemex, where you will notice the dripping will finish up at around 3 minutes. Some brews may run faster or slower than this, but the most important thing is how it tastes and how well the coffee is being extracted.
The final check
Once the coffee has poured through, check to see if your grind bed is flat. This indicates how consistent your pour was. If one side is higher than the other, or there is a ditch in the middle, some parts of your coffee may have been over- or under-extracted. The shape of the Chemex helps cool your coffee to an ideal temperature, so swirl, serve, and enjoy!
