Chemex Official Recipe
The Chemex is as much design object as brewer — a single piece of hourglass glass with a wooden collar, sold since 1941 and held in the Museum of Modern Art. Its defining feature is the proprietary bonded filter, up to 30% heavier than ordinary paper, which produces the cleanest, most sediment-free cup in pour over. That thick filter also slows things down, so Chemex recipes run coarser and longer than a V60. 🍷
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Brewer | Chemex (6-cup shown) |
| Dose | 42 g |
| Water | 630 g total |
| Ratio | 1:15 |
| Temp | 94-96°C |
| Grind | medium-coarse, like kosher salt — see Grind Size for Pour Over |
| Bloom | 90 g for 45 s |
| Brew time | ~4:00-5:00 |
| Roast | medium, also light |
| Source | Chemex Corporation, published method |
| Resulting cup | Exceptionally clean and tea-like; light body, bright, sediment-free |
#Pour Schedule
- 0:00 — Add 90 g (cumulative 90 g) to saturate evenly; bloom 45 s.
- 0:45 — Pour in slow circles to 300 g (cumulative 300 g).
- 1:45 — Pour to 480 g (cumulative 480 g).
- 2:45 — Pour to 630 g (cumulative 630 g), keeping the bed level.
- ~4:00-5:00 — Drawdown finishes; remove the filter promptly.
#Why It Works
The thick bonded filter traps fines and oils that thinner papers let through, which is why the Chemex cup is so strikingly clear and low in body — and why it benefits from a coarser grind to keep the long drawdown from stalling. Always seat the filter with the triple-folded layer over the pouring spout and pre-wet it generously (see Pre-Wetting the Filter) — unrinsed Chemex paper imparts a notable papery taste. The big thermal mass of the glass and the slow flow make this a method that rewards a hotter pour and a gooseneck kettle for control.
Chemex scales beautifully for entertaining — see Batch Pour Over Recipe for larger volumes. The 1:15 to 1:17 band and the exact pour counts are approximate; the constant is the coarse grind and the patient, level pour.
#Continue Reading
- Chemex — the brewer and its history
- Chemex and Peter Schlumbohm — the inventor's story
- Coffee Filters — Paper, Metal, and Cloth — why the bonded filter matters
- Pre-Wetting the Filter — taming the papery taste
- Batch Pour Over Recipe — scaling the Chemex up