If I were to describe the Chemex with one word, it would be “elegant”. Among the pour over brewers, it is by far the most eye-catching and makes for a great presentation. The coffee it makes can also be described that way because of its very clean taste and light mouthfeel.
Recipe Guide
| Taste Description | Serving Size | |
| Jump to Recipe 1 | Light and fruity | Serves 2 – 3 people |
| Jump to Recipe 2 | Clean with a velvety mouthfeel | Serves 4 – 5 people |
What You’ll Need for Brewing:
- Scale
- Timer
- Gooseneck kettle
- Thermometer
- Filtered water
- Chemex
- Chemex filters
- Good coffee
Recipe 1 – 6 Cup Chemex
To brew with the 6 Cup Chemex, start with 1 part of coarsely ground coffee to 17 parts of brewing water. Using this ratio, that’s 30g of coffee to 510ml of water. This recipe takes around 4 minutes to finish and can serve up to 3 people.
- Dose (g): 30
- Brew volume (ml): 510
- Ratio: 1:17
- Grind size: coarse
- Water temperature: 91°C / 196°F
- Pouring pattern (ml): 60 – 50 – 50 – 50 – 50 – 50 – 50 – 50 – 50 – 50
- Pouring intervals: every 15 seconds (after 30 second bloom)
- Total time (minutes to seconds): 4:00
This recipe makes for a fruit-forward brew with a tea-like mouthfeel. In that regard, African coffees will pair well since they are naturally bright and fruity in flavor.
Grind size for the Chemex is usually quite coarse. This is mainly because the paper filters for it are very thick, which prolongs the drain time for the coffee.
Multiple pours help make this recipe repeatable as larger brews have more room for error. Instead of going for long continuous pours, we recommend dividing the pour into manageable bits to make things easier.
Start with a 60ml circle pour and bloom the coffee for 30 seconds. After the bloom, pour 50ml of water in a circular motion. Continue doing this every 15 seconds. Pouring should be done by the 2:45 mark and the coffee should completely drain by 4 minutes.
Read more about coffee brewing ratios.
Recipe 2 – 8 Cup Chemex
We brew with the 8 Cup Chemex by starting with 1 part of coarsely ground coffee to 15 parts of brewing water. Using this ratio, that’s 53g of coffee to 800ml of water. This recipe takes 5-6 minutes to finish and can serve up to 5 people.
- Dose (g): 53
- Brew volume (ml): 800
- Ratio: 1 : 15
- Grind size: coarse
- Water temperature: 96°C / 205°F
- Pouring pattern (ml): 150 – 130 – 130 – 130 – 130 – 130
- Pouring intervals: every 15 seconds (after a 30 second bloom)
- Total time (minutes to seconds): 5:30
Larger brews need coarser grind settings since more water will be in contact with the coffee.
With this recipe, push for a grind setting almost as coarse as a French Press grind. Only dial back the settings if the coffee draws out too quickly or tastes weak. The resulting brew should have a distinct and velvety mouthfeel that is heavier than normal for a Chemex.
Pour 150ml in a circular motion and let the coffee bloom for 30 seconds. Continue with a 130ml pour every 15 seconds and finish pouring by 1 minute and 30 seconds. The coffee should fully draw out by the 5:30 mark.
The pouring pattern for this recipe is divided into larger amounts than the previous recipe to add more agitation and compensate for the coarser grind. This also helps produce a heavier mouthfeel.
Want to brew great iced pour overs with the Chemex? Learn more about Japanese iced coffee.
Understanding the Chemex
The Chemex was invented in 1941 by chemist Dr. Peter Schlumbohm to both make brewing the perfect cup simple and to be a vessel of beauty. Among the pour over methods, the Chemex produces the lightest and most tea-like brews, even when compared to a V60. This comes down to the thick paper filter needed for it since the paper absorbs much of the oils from the coffee.
All Chemex designs are made out of glass, with its classic series having 5 available sizes (FUNNEX, 3 cup, 6 cup, 8 cup, 10 cup). This eliminates any worry of adjusting recipes to the brewer material. Unlike the Kalita Wave, for example, since it behaves differently depending on what material it was made from.
A challenge in brewing with the Chemex, however, is how the paper filter could perfectly stick to the spout of the brewer. If this happens, the brew will clog up as a result of air not properly circulating through the vessel.
To prevent this, it’s best to only use Chemex-branded filters and fold the thicker side into the spout. While other cone-shaped filters can fit into the Chemex, they’ll be more prone to clogging since they are made out of thinner material than the official Chemex filters.
2007 World Barista Champion, James Hoffmann, also outlines some other ways to prevent the Chemex filters from clogging in his video:
Final Thoughts
The Chemex is elegant for both its aesthetic and the coffee it makes. While it can perfectly brew for smaller servings, try sticking to larger servings to maximize the volume it can hold. Its presentation will definitely also be a crowd-pleaser.
About the Author
Daniel Yu
Daniel is the head author of Project Barista. Since 2016, he discovered his passion for specialty coffee. His personal mission is to share everything he’s learned over the years.
