Brew Guide: Chemex Brewer

With its sleek and iconic design, the Chemex effortlessly brews coffee for one person or two. The resulting cup is clean-bodied, sweet and vibrant.

What You Need:
8-cup Chemex brewer
Chemex filter
Burr grinder
44g of coffee 
700g hot water just off the boil (about 205° F)
Scale
Timer
Stir stick

Prep and Preheat:
Place the Chemex filter in the brewer with single fold away from the spout and the three-layered side facing the spout. This will allow air to escape during the brew process. Rinse the filter with hot water to achieve an even seal all the way around. This preheats the brewer and eliminates any paper flavor from the filter. Once thoroughly saturated, tip the Chemex over a sink to dispose of the rinse water. Don’t be tempted to remove the filter to empty faster as it can be difficult to secure into place once removed.

Weigh and Grind Coffee:
Add 44g of coffee ground medium-coarse, similar to Kosher salt. Center the coffee in your brewer and tare the scale to zero.

Saturate Grounds:
Start the timer when you begin to add the hot water. The goal is even saturation, so pour slowly in a clockwise pattern. This bloom allows the coffee to de-gas, enabling the water to yield the full potential of the coffee. This is an essential step that should never be rushed. Pour until all the grounds are saturated or until you reach about 150g. Stir with a chopstick or spoon to make certain there are no dry clumps. 

Add More Water:
At :45 begin the second pour, being certain to reintegrate the coffee and water. Pour with a wiggling motion, then a gentle spiral until the volume reaches about a fingertip down from the top of the rim or 450g of water. Pour over the dark areas and avoid the light ones.