There’s a lot of hype around the Chemex coffee maker, it’s a bit weird – especially considering it looks like a fancy scientific beaker! But the chemex really is a great coffee maker, and it’s totally replaced my nespresso machine. You really do make the perfect cup of coffee with a Chemex.

A Chemex Coffee Maker

So to start. Is it for you?

If you like sugar or milk or cream in your coffee, then this probably isn’t going to be right for you. The reason is that the Chemex brings out the best flavour from your coffee beans, if you add milk or sugar you mask that taste. It becomes diluted, and tastes like any other coffee you could buy. It’s like buying a lovely couch and then covering it in plastic in order to preserve it, but all you end up doing is sitting on a plastic covered couch!

I only like Black Coffee! But doesn’t it take forever to make?

If you like black coffee, then you’ll really notice the difference in taste from the Chemex. The Chemex is basically a practical flask which has a nice place to put the filter. The filter is thick, and this removes all bitterness from the coffee. The slow filter process takes all the best flavours from your bean. What you’re left with is a mug of coffee which has so much flavour!

But there is a compromise! It takes time to make it. I would say around 5 minutes to make. But it’s actually quite fun to make and after you’ve got used to it, it’s never a problem because you know a good coffee is at the end of it.

What beans do I need?

I made a big mistake when I first bought mine. I thought any old bean would be fine. For me, the coffee bean is the single most important part of this process. The wrong bean can produce a horrid cup of coffee! So what beans should you go for? I have a local coffee shop which makes great coffee, so I bought my beans from there. However, I bought espresso beans and this created a strong coffee without much flavour.

My tip is to find a good coffee shop and try their filter coffee. Find one which you like and buy their beans! Always buy filter coffee beans! Whatever the filter coffee tastes like in the coffee shop, it’ll taste better in the chemex.

If you don’t try before you buy, then go for a mild bean. After the espresso beans, I bought Number 4 beans from a bean shop because ‘they smelt the best’. Don’t go on smell, go for a good quality bean which is in the 1 or 2 range (i.e. very mild). This is the best bean.

What do I need to make my first brew?

Get yourself some Chemex filters! Don’t use normal filters, the flask doesn’t make good coffee, it’s the filters. They’ll last a while and cost about £10 for 100. Bargain.

You’ll need some beans and a grinder. Since you’ll be pouring a lot, try and get a vessel which allows you to pour the hot water (or one of those kettles with a narrow spout).

Method

Ok, so you have all the above.

First, grind the beans. You just bought a Chemex to make the best coffee … so don’t skimp out on a grinder. Buy coffee beans and grind the beans as you need to. Trust me!

First put the filter into the conical flask. The three layers should be covering the spout part as the picture above.

Next, pour hot water onto the filter. I tried making the coffee without doing this and the coffee has less flavour. A wet filter is good! Pour out the water that’s filtered through. So next thing is to add the coffee? I put 2.5 tablespoons in. This is good for two small cups of coffee or one large mug.

Next is to make the coffee bloom, basically this is just a fancy term for, wet the grinds a little bit. All you do is to add a little bit of hot water so that it just covers the coffee grinds. You should see the air bubbling out of the grinds.

I tend to leave it to bloom for about a minute or two. Once you’re bored, start pouring the water in. Pour at a slow rate in the center and move it around a bit. Nothing fancy, just keep the water pouring in the center.

And that’s pretty much it! Let the coffee filter through, take the filter out and then put back on the heat so that steam starts to appear in the bottom of the flask. Take off immediately!

How does temperature affect the taste?

One thing a baristta told me was that the taste of good coffee changes as the temperature falls. Don’t drink the coffee straight away, let it cool a little. The taste of the coffee is at it’s best at around 60 degrees, so just under hot.

Enjoy