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: why the bonded filter matters
- Pre-Wetting the Filter: taming the papery taste
- Batch Pour Over Recipe: scaling the Chemex up