How to Properly Use a Chemex | Hustle Coffee Brew Guides

How to properly use a Chemex? Created in 1941, the Chemex is a renowned coffee maker that is simple to use and visually appealing. The Chemex can be found in the MOMA permanent design collection and is a common fixture on many a hustler's kitchen countertops. It produces a clear brew while preserving its full-bodied and harmoniously floral flavors. Not only is the Chemex simple to use, but it's also aesthetically pleasing, making it an ideal brewing option for many.

How to Brew Coffee with Chemex

Like all great things, full flavor requires time and your unique input. The Chemex only provides the necessary components for a rich coffee taste, allowing your preferences and methods to stand out.

What You'll Need

8-cup Chemex Coffee Maker
Chemex Filter
Grinder
42 grams of medium grind coffee (6 tablespoons)
Hot water just under boiling (approximately 205°F)
Scale
Timer
Mug

Brew Time: 4:30-5:00 minutes.

Brewing Process

Step 1: Prep Time and Preheat

Insert the Chemex Filter into the brewer with the single fold positioned away from the spout and the multiple folds lined up against the spout.

Use hot water to rinse the filter and ensure a consistent seal. This will preheat the brewer and eliminate any papery taste from the filter.

Discard the rinse water and fold the filter towards the spout to reinforce this area.

Step 2: Get into the grind

Crush your preferred whole coffee beans to a moderately coarse grind (like that of Kosher salt). Add 42 grams of coffee (about 6 tablespoons) to your brewer. Tare the scale with the Chemex and coffee grounds in it.

Hustler Tip: A burr grinder provides a consistent grind size, which gives a more uniform extraction and a richer cup of coffee. As a rule finer grind requires less extraction time, hence a coarser grind is needed for the pour-over method.

Step 3: Saturate the grounds

Start the timer. Using a gooseneck kettle and with circular motion, pour hot water until the coffee bed is completely soaked or until you've reached around 150g on the kitchen scale.

Hustler Tip: The “coffee bloom” is the release of gas trapped in the beans during roasting. You will notice the grounds swell and bubbles forming on the surface as the flavor-inhibiting gas escapes upward. Once this process is finished, water can fully extract the aromatics and coffee oils while brewing.

Step 4: Add more water

Begin the second pour on the coffee grounds at the 45-second mark, ensuring that the coffee and water are mixed again. Use a gentle spiral, starting from the center to the rim, until the liquid volume reaches about a fingertip down from the top of the brewer or about 450 grams of water.

Step 5: Fill the brewer to the top

Pour 700g of water or fill the brewer to the top at around 1:45.

Step 6: Wait for your strong coffee to brew

You should be near the desired volume around 4:00 draw-down time. Check the glass bubble or belly button for a 20-ounce water level indication. Raise the coffee filter. It's fine to pause briefly to ensure that you have enough volume. Then, remove the filter and allow it to drain into the sink.

Step 7: Serve and enjoy

The Chemex can be gently swirled, and you'll be ready to pour two cups of coffee.

Keep your coffee warm

To retain the temperature of your drink, you can put the Chemex coffee maker atop a glass stove top or a gas flame at a low setting. Ensure there is liquid in the carafe before placing it on a warming device so it does not break.

Hustler Tip: Avoid putting the Chemex Water Kettle directly on an electric coil stove top. Use a stainless steel wire grid (TKG) between the kettle and the electric coils to prevent damage and personal injury.

About Chemex

What exactly is a Chemex? This coffeemaker was created by a chemist named Peter Schlumbohm in 1941. Taking inspiration from a glass funnel and Erlenmeyer flask typically used in laboratories, the Chemex features a simple but genius design that facilitates the escape of excess air from the bottom of the carafe through a filter, allowing the coffee to filter at an optimal rate.

It's made from a single piece of borosilicate glass and adorned with an elegant wooden collar and rawhide tie. The tie now comes in different colors to complement your kitchen decor (because this is certainly a piece you'd like to showcase on your countertop).

Hustler Fun Fact: Each rawhide adornment is hand-tied at the Massachusetts facility! The Chemex Coffee Maker is available in various shapes and sizes, from the smallest to a Three-Cup Classic Chemex.

How to Clean a Chemex

Most Chemex carafes can be cleaned in a dishwasher, but we personally advise against it. Instead, after each use, it is better to wash it with warm water, soap, and a soft-bristled brush to prevent the accumulation of unwanted bacteria in the carafe. We also suggest using unscented soap to ensure that the next brew won't have any residual flavors of Palmolive or Dawn!

Take your pick from our four Hustle Coffee Brews to enjoy with your Chemex. Power Your Story today and try our bundle to save and discover which Hustle Coffee brew is your favorite.