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Chemex Coffee

Chemex Coffee — Clean, Balanced Pour-Over (House Method)

Chemex Coffee — Clean, Balanced Pour-Over (House Method)

Our dependable house method: precise ratio, gentle pouring, and a quick drawdown for clarity. Use filtered water, weigh both coffee and water, and tune grind for taste.

Ratio: ~1:16–17 Water: ~200°F / 93°C Time: ~3:30–4:00 Yield: 2 mugs (~600 g)

Chemex brewer with fresh pour-over coffee Clean, sweet cup: rinse filter, bloom well, pour in calm pulses.

Jump to: Ingredients & Gear · Method · Ratio Cheats · Troubleshooting · Notes

Ingredients & Gear

If your tap water is very hard or very soft, try filtered or spring water for better extraction.

Method — Step by Step

  1. Rinse & preheat: Place the filter with the thick, 3-ply side at the spout. Rinse thoroughly and discard the rinse water.
  2. Grind: Medium-coarse—between table and kosher salt.
  3. Bloom (0:00–0:45): Add grounds, pour ~70 g to saturate, swirl gently. Wait 30–45 seconds.
  4. Main pours:Pour in calm circles, avoiding the walls:
    • 0:45 → to 300 g by ~1:15
    • 1:15 → to 480 g by ~2:15
    • 2:15 → to 600 g by ~2:45–3:00
  5. Drawdown & serve: Let it drain. Aim to finish at 3:30–4:00. Swirl and serve.
Ground coffee loaded into the Chemex filter, ready to bloom Medium-coarse grind: between table and kosher salt. Bloom phase as the coffee bed de-gassesBloom for 30–45 seconds to de-gas and prep extraction.

Ratio Cheat Sheet

YieldWater (g)Coffee (g) @1:16Coffee (g) @1:17
1 mug (~300 g) 300 19 18
2 mugs (~600 g) 600 38 35
3 mugs (~900 g) 900 56 53

Start 1:16 for a fuller cup; 1:17 for lighter. Keep total brew time in range by adjusting grind.

Troubleshooting

  • Sour / under-extracted: Grind slightly finer, extend brew to 3:45–4:00, or raise dose a touch.
  • Bitter / over-extracted: Grind slightly coarser, keep total time ~3:20–3:40, or reduce dose slightly.
  • Stalled drawdown: Grind is too fine or filter sealed to the wall—lift the cone slightly and keep pours centered.

Rinsed Chemex filter seated with the thick side at the spoutFilter orientation: the thick, 3-ply side faces the spout to prevent vacuum.

Notes

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