Recipe

Chemex

Thick paper filter strips oils for a remarkably clean cup.

Ingredients

Coffee

30 g, medium-coarse

Water

500 g at 94 °C

Equipment

• Chemex 6-cup carafe
• Chemex bonded filters (square)
• Gooseneck kettle
• Burr grinder
• Scale with timer

Step-by-step method

1. 1

   Boil 700 g of filtered water and rest 30 sec to reach ~94 °C.

2. 2

   Open the filter into a cone — three layers should sit against the spout side of the Chemex (this prevents collapse and keeps the air channel open).

3. 3

   Rinse the filter thoroughly with ~300 g hot water — Chemex paper is thick and will dominate flavor if not rinsed. Discard rinse water.

4. 4

   Grind 30 g of coffee at medium-coarse (like kosher salt) — slightly coarser than V60 because of the thicker filter.

5. 5

   Add grounds, shake to level, place Chemex on scale, tare, start timer.

6. 6

   Bloom (0:00–0:45): pour 60 g water gently over all grounds. Swirl the carafe (don't stir) to saturate. Wait until 0:45.

7. 7

   Pour 1 (0:45–1:30): pour to 200 g total in slow concentric circles.

8. 8

   Pour 2 (1:30–2:15): pour to 350 g total.

9. 9

   Pour 3 (2:15–3:00): pour to 500 g total. Keep the slurry level — never let it fully drain between pours.

10. 10

    Total drawdown should land at 4:30–5:00. Lift filter out, discard, swirl carafe.

11. 11

    Pour into pre-warmed mugs. The Chemex keeps coffee hot for 30+ minutes thanks to its thick glass.