Instructions for Brewing Coffee with a Chemex

Excellent coffee. Pour over coffee brewed in a Chemex is the standard for us. How to make pour over coffee with a Chemex.

Here, mornings begin the same way no matter the day of the week, the season, or the weather. The day begins with a pot of coffee brewed in our unconventional glass pour over coffee pot, the Chemex. And the coffee is perfect every time. Even though Alex and I have been married for six years, we only recently started making Chemex coffee every morning. And it was a huge step up in the quality of our coffee. The Chemex, in our opinion, produces the finest pour over coffee. As promised, here are all of our insider details. Continue reading for a video demonstration on how to use a Chemex and detailed instructions.

How to Use a Chemex: Video

Observation is a crucial part of mastering the Chemex. Having the proper tools is also crucial. Here's a video of me demonstrating how to make Chemex pour over coffee in our kitchen before you get started.

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Supplies for brewing perfect Chemex coffee

There is some prerequisite coffee equipment study before you can master the Chemex. Everything you'll need, along with links to the tools we use and demonstrate in the video, is below. While the initial investment in a Chemex and accessories may seem high, over time, making your own coffee at home can save you money compared to buying it from a coffee shop. Furthermore, your coffee equipment (including your kettle and food scale) has many other uses besides just brewing coffee. )

Burr grinders, weighing scales, and goosenecks, oh my!

It can be intimidating to begin brewing coffee with a Chemex because of the specialized tools you'll need. Once upon a time, before we switched to using a Chemex, we used a regular teapot and a blade-style coffee grinder. We discovered that while some days the coffee was excellent, other days it had an unusual flavor.

If you're going to use a kettle, why get one with a gooseneck It was a huge improvement to use a gooseneck kettle, which allows water to be slowly poured onto the coffee beans for optimal flavor extraction. (It's pretty neat-o, too!) ) As for the motivation behind using a burr grinder, To ensure a great, consistent cup of coffee, a burr grinder is your best bet for grinding the beans. A consistent dose of coffee grounds means you can hone your brewing skills day in and day out.

Instructions for Using a Chemex

You'll need some time to get used to using a Chemex, but after that, it's a breeze. Chemex pour over coffee is so much better that it's worth waiting the extra 10 minutes it takes to prepare it. To make the perfect cup of coffee every time, follow these Chemex-specific instructions and then use the official recipe provided below. Here are the main ones:

1. Bring the filtered water up to a temperature between 200 and 205 degrees. In our experience, filtered water has the best taste (here's the filtered pitcher we like to use). ) We get the water boiling in an electric kettle.
2. Preparation for brewing coffee involves measuring and grinding beans. For this, you'll need a kitchen scale to measure out the coffee. We've determined that 34 grams of coffee is just right for two cups. Put it through a grinder and set the coarseness to somewhere in the middle. Since the flavors of the coffee are highlighted in the Chemex, we prefer a light or medium roast.
3. Put in the filter and coffee, and wait for the magic to happen. The next step is to let the coffee bloom, or develop its flavor, by wetting all the grounds and letting them sit for 1 minute. As a result of the bloom, the coffee's carbon dioxide is released, leading to the grinds' expansion and subsequent rise.
4. Fill in the remaining water. Make your coffee as usual, adding the remaining water last. A perfect cup of coffee for us requires 15 to 16 grams of water per gram of coffee. That's 520 grams of water for just 34 grams of coffee. How Much Water Should Be Added to Coffee Beans in a Chemex?

And that's the way a Chemex works. Even though there are a lot of moves to make, you'll get used to them after a few tries. Alex was the one who brewed the first cup of Chemex coffee every time we had it. Before he showed me a few times, I was scared to try to learn, but now I can do it while half asleep. Chemex coffee is truly our ideal cup of coffee, so it's well worth the few extra minutes it takes to make it. Inquiring minds want to know: Leave your thoughts in the section below.

Is the Chemex suitable for iced coffee?

Yes To learn how to make a perfect Chemex iced coffee, visit our recipe page. Making iced coffee in a Chemex is convenient because it only takes 10 minutes from start to finish. It doesn't need to chill for hours or even a full night; you can whip some up whenever you have a hankering. The one and only reason we make this Chemex iced coffee regularly is because of this one thing. The key is to pour the hot coffee over ice, which will instantly reduce its temperature. Details can be found in the recipe.

I'm on the lookout for alternative coffee preparation techniques.

We also have a series on making coffee with a variety of other tools besides just a Chemex.