How Does the Chemex Coffee Maker Differ From Pour-Over
The Chemex coffee maker is a one-piece brewer and carafe introduced in 1941 by a chemist, and it has been rated by Illinois Institute of Technology design scholars as a notable design, now held in the Museum of Modern Art. It needs no separate dripper, but it does require proprietary filters. Brewing follows the same pour-over steps used in coffee shops, built around four elements: grind size, water temperature, coffee-to-water ratio, and pouring technique.
Because the Chemex mouth is wide, only its own specification of filters fits, and those filters cost more than standard ones. For the pour-over method, Front Street Coffee recommends four beans at different roast levels: Yirgacheffe Gedingding, Kenya Asaliya, Brazil Queen, and Indonesia PWN Golden Mandheling, each with its own grind, temperature, ratio, and pouring parameters, similar in principle to how to use a drip coffee maker.
Since its introduction in 1941, the Chemex coffeemaker, with its one-piece brewer-and-carafe design, has been rated by Illinois Institute of Technology scholars as one of the best-designed products and is now held in the Museum of Modern Art. It requires no separate dripper, but needs proprietary filters. From the perspective of Front Street Coffee, this article outlines the Chemex's features and pour-over steps, focusing on the four key elements of grind size, water temperature, coffee-to-water ratio, and brewing technique, and recommends four Front Street pour-over beans of different roast levels—Yirgacheffe Gedingding, Kenya Asaliya, Brazil Queen, and Indonesia PWN Golden Mandheling—with their respective brewing parameters and flavor descriptions for coffee lovers' reference.
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FrontStreet Coffee is going to talk about a coffee device with a rather striking appearance that combines brewing function with artistic appeal and often appears in various fashion publications: the Chemex coffeemaker. Below, FrontStreet Coffee will introduce the design features of the Chemex coffeemaker, along with pour-over coffee bean recommendations.
What is the Chemex coffeemaker?
According to information gathered by FrontStreet Coffee, the Chemex coffeemaker was created in 1941 by an inventor who was a chemist. Since then, it has been listed by design scholars at the Illinois Institute of Technology as one of the best contemporary design products and is now part of the Museum of Modern Art's collection.
Features of the Chemex coffeemaker
The Chemex is a coffee brewing pot with a strong artistic temperament. The reason is that it combines the dripper and the sharing carafe into one, so you don't need to buy a separate dripper, saving that expense. However, filters are still essential; because the mouth of the pot is wide, you must use filters of a proprietary specification, which are also more expensive than ordinary filters.
Steps for making Chemex pour-over coffee
In addition, the operation of the Chemex coffeemaker is basically the same as the pour-over coffee steps commonly seen in FrontStreet Coffee shops. Next, FrontStreet Coffee will explain the correct way to brew coffee.
FrontStreet Coffee believes that to brew a good pot of coffee, you must grasp four key aspects: grind coarseness, water temperature, coffee-to-water ratio, and brewing technique.
1. Grind size
If coffee beans are ground too coarse, flavor compounds are not easily extracted because the particle size is too large; conversely, if ground too fine, it causes over-extraction and brings out undesirable flavors as well. So to get a good cup of coffee, controlling the grind size is crucial.
According to SCAA cupping standards, the cupping grind requires a 70-75% pass rate through a No. 20 standard sieve. Therefore, when FrontStreet Coffee brews light-roast pour-over coffee, the grind size is usually controlled within the 75-80% range. To solve the calibration issue, the solution is to unify standards; FrontStreet Coffee uses a national standard No. 20 (850 microns) sieve for sieving calibration.
2. Water temperature
Lightly roasted coffee beans retain more amino acids, malic acid, citric acid, furans, and other delicious small-molecule substances, and require a higher water temperature for extraction, generally falling between 90-93°C for pour-over.
Darkly roasted coffee beans have undergone longer Maillard reactions and caramelization, and the original small-molecule flavor substances have been largely consumed. If you again use a high temperature above 90°C, bitter large-molecule substances will inevitably be more easily extracted. At this point, you should lower the water temperature to suppress extraction efficiency. The recommended water temperature for dark-roast coffee is usually between 86-89°C.
Based on what FrontStreet Coffee has said above, the suitable water temperature for pour-over coffee is roughly in the range of 86-93°C; too high or too low will affect extraction concentration.
3. Coffee-to-water ratio
FrontStreet Coffee has learned that, according to SCA Golden Cup extraction theory, the water-to-coffee ratios for pour-over coffee correspond to different extraction parameters and taste differences as follows.
【Bold taste】 1:10–1:11, i.e., 1:12.5–1:13.5 under the Golden Cup rule 【Moderate taste】 1:12–1:13, i.e., 1:14.5–1:15.5 under the Golden Cup rule 【Light and refreshing】 1:14–1:16, i.e., 1:16.5–1:18.5 under the Golden Cup rule
When the ratio of coffee bean grams to brewing water is between 1:14.5 and 1:15.5, it is easiest to fall into the golden range of 18%–22% Golden Cup extraction yield and 1.15%–1.35% concentration. This is also why FrontStreet Coffee always recommends brewing at 1:15.
4. Brewing technique
As for how many pour-over brewing techniques there are, the more common ones in coffee shops currently include the three-stage method, one-cut method, and drip method. FrontStreet Coffee here suggests that beginners use the three-stage pouring method, because this method suits light-roast, medium-light roast, and medium-roast coffee beans. The staged extraction of three-stage pouring can clearly distinguish the front, middle, and back notes of the coffee, and is better able to ensure complete flavor presentation.
The above is what FrontStreet Coffee has compiled regarding the steps to note for Chemex pour-over coffee and the features of the Chemex coffeemaker. As FrontStreet Coffee mentioned above, different roast levels correspond to different water temperatures and grind sizes. Below, FrontStreet Coffee recommends four pour-over coffee beans for everyone, with their brewing process parameters attached.
Four pour-over coffee bean recommendations
Light roast—FrontStreet Coffee Yirgacheffe Gedingding coffee beans
Country: Ethiopia Region: Yirgacheffe Altitude: 1900-2300m Variety: local heirloom Processing method: washed Flavor: tropical fruit, cream, honey, berries, citrus.
FrontStreet Coffee Yirgacheffe coffee bean brewing parameters & technique Dripper: V60 Dose: 15g Coffee-to-water ratio: 1:15 Water temperature: 90℃ Grind size: medium-fine grind (78% pass rate through China standard No. 20 sieve)
FrontStreet brewing technique: three-stage extraction. First bloom with 30g water for 30 seconds, then pour in a small stream in circles to 125g for the stage break, and when the water level drops to the point where the coffee bed is about to be exposed, continue pouring to 225g and stop. When the water level drops again to the point where the coffee bed is about to be exposed, remove the dripper. (Timing starts from the bloom) Extraction time is 1'55".
Brewed flavor: The entry has notes of citrus and black tea; as the temperature changes, it reveals a finish of cream, caramel, and almond, with obvious sweetness returning, and a clean, sweet taste.
Medium-light roast—FrontStreet Coffee Kenya Asaliya coffee beans
Country: Kenya Region: Thika Altitude: 1550-1750 meters Variety: SL28, SL34 Processing method: Kenyan 72-hour washed Flavor: snow pear, smoked plum, yellow sugar, cherry tomato, plum.
FrontStreet Coffee Kenya region coffee bean brewing parameters & technique Dripper: Hario V60 Dose: 15g Coffee-to-water ratio: 1:15 Water temperature: 91℃ Grind size: medium-fine grind (77% pass rate through China standard No. 20 sieve)
Brewing technique: staged extraction. In the first stage, pour 30g water to bloom for 30 seconds, then pour 95g (electronic scale shows about 125g), finishing in about 1 minute; when the water level drops to 2/3 of the coffee bed, pour the remaining 100g (electronic scale shows about 225g), finishing in about 1 minute 40 seconds. Drip filtration completes at 2'00", remove the dripper, and extraction ends.
Brewed flavor: The entry has flavors of smoked plum and cherry tomato, with strong and full-bodied acidity, prominent mid-palate sweetness with a juicy feel, and a finish of berry aromas and yellow sugar sweetness, accompanied by green tea aroma.
Medium roast—FrontStreet Coffee Brazil Queen coffee beans
Country: Brazil Region: São Paulo State (Queen Estate) Altitude: 1400-1950m Variety: Yellow Bourbon Processing method: semi-washed/natural Flavor: nuts, cream, peanut, fermented fruit, sucrose
FrontStreet Coffee Brazil region coffee bean brewing parameters & technique Dripper: Kono dripper Water temperature: 88℃ Dose: 15 grams Coffee-to-water ratio: 1:15 Grind size: medium-fine grind (75% pass rate through China standard No. 20 sieve)
Brewing technique: staged extraction. Bloom with 30g water for 30 seconds, pour in a small stream in circles to 125g for the stage break, and when the water level drops to the point where the coffee bed is about to be exposed, continue pouring to 225g and stop. When the water level drops to the point where the coffee bed is about to be exposed, remove the dripper. (Timing starts from the bloom) Extraction time is 2'05".
Brewed flavor: Sugarcane juice-like fresh sweetness, black tea, smooth fruit sweetness, obvious nutty flavor, balanced and soft acidity, faint and clean bitterness, rich chocolate aroma and nutty flavor, with a bright, refreshing, smooth, and delicate mouthfeel.
Medium-dark roast—FrontStreet Coffee Indonesia PWN Golden Mandheling coffee beans
Country: Indonesia Region: Sumatra, Aceh, Gayo Mountain Altitude: 1100-1600m Variety: Ateng Processing method: wet-hulled Flavor: toasted bread, nuts, pine, caramel, herbal
FrontStreet Coffee Indonesia region coffee bean brewing parameters & technique Dripper: Kono dripper Water temperature: 88℃ Dose: 15 grams Coffee-to-water ratio: 1:15 Grind size: medium-fine grind (73% pass rate through China standard No. 20 sieve)
Brewing technique: staged extraction. Bloom with 30g water for 30 seconds, pour in a small stream in circles to 125g for the stage break, and when the water level drops to the point where the coffee bed is about to be exposed, continue pouring to 225g and stop. When the water level drops to the point where the coffee bed is about to be exposed, remove the dripper. (Timing starts from the bloom) Extraction time is 2'15".
Brewed flavor: Layered and varied, mellow and clean, highly balanced, with rich nutty and caramel aromas, chocolate notes, and a lasting finish.
The above are the four coffee beans of different roast levels recommended by FrontStreet Coffee. From the above, you can also see the flavor differences among them: light-roast coffee beans show more prominent acidity, while medium-dark roast leans toward a mellow, full-bodied taste. In the future, coffee lovers may choose the one that matches their taste according to the roast level of the coffee beans.
For more specialty coffee beans, please add the private WeChat of FrontStreet Coffee, WeChat ID: kaixinguoguo0925
The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.
