Elegant and simple in design, the Chemex coffee maker is known for its classic curves and balanced brews. Since its invention in 1941, it’s become one of the most beloved and enduring brewing devices, even earning a place in the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) for its iconic shape and functionality.
The Chemex is ideal for making multiple cups of rich coffee. Whether you’re brewing for a quiet morning or hosting friends, it offers an approachable way to showcase quality beans with clarity and depth. And once mastered, this brew method delivers consistently clean and flavorful results.
What is a Chemex?
A Chemex is a pour over brewer that makes several servings of full-bodied coffee using proprietary thick filters that remove more oils and fine sediment for a cleaner, brighter cup. Its hourglass-shaped glass carafe is designed to hold Chemex Bonded filters without the need for extra equipment, while the signature wooden collar and leather tie allow you to pour without burning your hand. Chemex coffee brewers come in several sizes, but the 6-cup and 8-cup models are most popular.
The Chemex was invented in 1941 by scientist Peter Schlumbohm, who applied principles of chemistry and physics to the art of coffee-making. For decades, it’s been celebrated for its beauty, simplicity, and ability to highlight the most nuanced notes in your coffee.
How does Chemex work?
Brewing with a Chemex involves placing a thick paper filter into the glass carafe, adding ground coffee, and pouring hot water slowly and evenly over the grounds. As the water passes through, it extracts the coffee’s soluble compounds and drips into the bottom of the carafe—resulting in a clean, balanced cup.
Much like other pour-over methods, the Chemex brews by infusion, meaning water flows gradually through the coffee grounds, extracting flavor as it moves. Although minimalistic in design, the Chemex is carefully engineered for effective extraction with every brew:
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The filter: Chemex’s proprietary filters are 20–30% thicker than standard pour-over filters. This slows the flow of water and removes more oils and fine sediment, producing a cup that’s bright and clean with minimal bitterness.
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The carafe: The carafe’s hourglass shape is beautiful and functional. The conical top supports even flow and saturation of the coffee bed, while the narrower waist slows drawdown—the coffee draining through the grounds—just enough to encourage balanced extraction.
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The pour: Pouring in slow, even stages encourages uniform extraction. This helps highlight the coffee’s nuanced flavors while avoiding sourness from under-extraction or harshness from over-extraction.
Together, these elements produce the kind of clarity and depth that define a great Chemex brew.
How to brew Chemex coffee
Brewing coffee with a Chemex is as much a ritual as it is a method. With just a few steps and a steady pour, you can create a cup that’s clean, layered, and beautifully expressive of the coffee you’re using.
What you’ll need
Before you begin, make sure you have the following brew gear on hand:
Here’s how to get the most out of your Chemex brew:
1. Prep the filter
With the filter still folded, pull one sheet from the other three to form a cone. Set the cone into the Chemex with the triple-folded side facing the spout. Rinse the filter with hot water to remove paper taste and preheat the carafe. Discard the rinse water, then place the filter back in.
2. Grind your coffee
Weigh out your coffee using a kitchen scale, then grind to a medium-coarse grind size. Add the grounds to the filter and gently shake to level the coffee bed. Place the Chemex on the scale and tare.
3. Bloom
Start the timer and pour about twice the coffee’s weight in water that’s just off boil (e.g., 40 grams of water for 20 grams of coffee) in a slow spiral to fully saturate the grounds. Let it bloom for 30–45 seconds to release carbon dioxide and prep the grounds for even extraction.
4. First pour
At 30 seconds, pour a larger amount of water in controlled, spiraling motions, aiming to keep the coffee bed flat. If the drawdown slows too much, gently lift one side of the filter to let some air out and break the suction effect.
5. Second pour
At 1:15, add more water in the same slow, circular motion, starting from the center and working outward. This keeps the extraction even and helps avoid channeling.
6. Finish brewing
At the 2:00 mark, add the remaining water that your recipe calls for. The total brew time should land between 4 and 6 minutes, depending on grind size and pour rate.
7. Remove the filter
Once the drawdown slows to a drip, carefully lift out the filter and compost or discard it.
8. Swirl and serve
Swirl the coffee in the Chemex to mix the layers of extraction. Pour into your favorite mug and enjoy!
Best Chemex recipes
To help you get started, we’ve outlined recipes for brewing two, four, six, and eight Chemex cups based on a 1:16 coffee-to-water ratio. Note that Chemex defines a “cup” as 5 ounces, so it typically takes two Chemex cups to fill one standard mug.
|
Yield (5-ounce cups) |
Coffee |
Water |
|
2 cups |
20g |
325g |
|
4 cups |
38g |
600g |
|
6 cups |
58g |
925g |
|
8 cups |
75g |
1200g |
These recipes are a great starting point for a balanced cup. From here, you can adjust the ratio to match your taste or the coffee you’re using. Prefer a more robust brew? Increase the coffee dose slightly. Want something lighter? Scale it back a bit. Chemex brewing is wonderfully adaptable, so don’t be afraid to experiment with ratio, grind size, or flow rate to dial in your perfect cup.
How to perfect Chemex coffee brewing
Dialing in your Chemex brew takes some initial experimentation, but with a few adjustments, you can brew a consistently delicious cup every time. These four variables can make all the difference in your final cup:
Chemex grind size
For Chemex brewing, we recommend a medium to coarse grind—think sea salt in texture. If your grind is too fine, the water will pass through the grounds more slowly, increasing brew time and risking a bitter, over-extracted result. If your brew is finishing too quickly, the grind may be too coarse, leading to under-extracted, weak coffee. Start with a medium-coarse grind and tweak from there based on your brew time and taste.
Learn more: How to Grind Coffee Beans at Home (With and Without a Grinder)
Chemex brew ratio
A 1:16 coffee-to-water ratio is a great place to start. This means for every gram of coffee, you’ll use 16 grams of water. To calculate how many grams of coffee to use, simply divide the grams of water you plan to brew by 16. To dial in your preferred flavor and strength, you can use a slightly higher or lower ratio—higher ratios make lighter coffee and lower ratios make stronger coffee.
Chemex water temperature
Aim for a water temperature of around 204°F. Water that’s too cool won’t extract enough of the coffee’s soluble compounds, resulting in a dull or underwhelming cup. Too hot, and you risk over-extraction and bitterness. Hitting the right temperature helps dissolve the flavorful compounds in your coffee for a well-balanced and nuanced brew.
Chemex brew time
Your target brew time should be around 4 minutes for a 4-cup recipe. In general, Chemex brew times range from 4 to 6 minutes, depending on your grind size, coffee dose, and the beans you’re using. If your brew is taking too long, try a coarser grind and gently lift the filter away from the glass to release any suction. If it’s finishing too fast, use a slightly finer grind. Taste is your best guide—adjust as needed to bring out the best in your coffee.
Of course, the best way to guarantee a fantastic cup every time is to start with fresh, high-quality coffee beans. Explore our collection of expertly roasted whole bean coffee and find the perfect roast for your Chemex ritual.
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