Did you know that if you start your day with a great cup of coffee, it can set the atmosphere for the entire day? However, when the coffee bars get closed, depending on a barista to serve up your daily mug may not be a choice for you. So, you can make a good cup all by yourself using certain methods. Depending on the quantity of coffee you consume per day, it can also save you money.
How to Make Coffee with Chemex
Are you wondering how to use a Chemex to make your coffee? Here is a step-by-step guide on how to go about it.
Step 1: Heat the Water in the Jug/Kettle
Fill the gooseneck kettle with water and heat it to 195 to 205 degrees. It will take several minutes, so in the meantime, get the other stuff ready for brewing.
Step 2: Place the Filter in Chemex
Take one of the triple filters and place them in the Chemex. Keep in mind that when you open it up, you need to put the individual layer on one side and, on the other side, place the remaining three layers. Place the three-layer side against the spout.
Step 3: Clean the Filter
After the kettle is adequately hot, take it and clean the filter to facilitate a type of seal near the Chemex. The aim of undertaking this is twofold. The first is that it eliminates any paper flavor you can get out of the filter. The second is that it preheats Chemex. Once you’ve done both, discard the water by turning your Chemex upside down while holding your filter in position.
Step 4: Weigh Your Coffee
Now it’s time to pause and turn on the scale. Take your freshly roasted coffee and measure 25 grams if you are using 400 grams of water for this preparation. For a Chemex, you can apply a ratio of 16:1 (water: coffee). You can also utilize any ratio you want, for example, 14:1 or 17:1, etc.
Step 5: Grind the Coffee for Chemex
Open your electric or manual coffee grinder and pour in the measured beans. It would be best if you had a medium-stiff grind or something similar to the mass of kosher salt. Each grinder differs.
If you are brewing coffee and feel it is bitter, the grind might be too fine and overly extracted. However, if you notice that the coffee is sour, the grind might be too rough, and the coffee is not extracting enough. Adjust appropriately if you see any of these things happening.
Step 6: Begin Brewing
Place Chemex and the cleaned filter on the scale and put the ground coffee into the filter. Tare the scale and remove the timer. Now start the timer, take hot water, and begin saturating the coffee to 75 grams.
At that point, take your stir stick and shake the coffee very gently to ensure there are no dry patches, then give it 30 seconds. In case you are utilizing fresh coffee, you will notice a “bloom” where your coffee removes the CO2 produced during roasting.
Step 7: Add More Water to Chemex
Once it reaches 30 seconds, start adding water. You have to pour clockwise or counterclockwise from the middle. Do this continually until the water rises a little above the edge of your Chemex, and when it goes down a little, add more water until it reaches 400g.
This will take about a minute or till you reach the 1:30 mark on the timer. Now put the kettle down and wait for the timer to reach 4 minutes. After that, lift the coffee grounds and the filter and wait for a second or 2 to get more coffee drops. Then place the filter in your sink to keep it from getting messy.
Step 8: Sit Back and Enjoy Your Cup of Coffee
Take your favorite porcelain or ceramic mug and after tossing the Chemex a few times, put the coffee in the mug. Sip your coffee slowly and enjoy it.