Chemex coffee maker and filters

Which Chemex size?

Chemex counts in cups of about 150 ml, which is smaller than most mugs. The Chemex Classic 3 cups brews enough for one or two mugs. The Chemex Classic 6 cups is the one to choose if you make coffee for several people, or want a second mug. Both have the wooden collar with a leather tie, so you can pour without a handle. Because the Classic is made of glass, wood and leather, no plastic touches the hot water or the coffee: a plastic-free coffee maker.

Which filter fits which Chemex?

Chemex filters are not interchangeable between sizes, so check before you order. All our Chemex filters come in packs of 100.

• 6 cups: square, pre-folded filters. Choose FS-100 (white) or FSU-100 (natural).
• 3 cups: half-moon filters that you fold yourself. Choose FP-2 (white) or FP-2N (natural, unbleached).

White or natural makes little difference to the coffee, as long as you rinse the filter with hot water before brewing. That removes any paper taste and warms the glass.

How to brew with a Chemex

1. Put the filter in the top of the Chemex with the thick, three-layered side against the spout, so air can escape while you pour.
2. Rinse the filter with hot water and pour that water away.
3. Add medium-coarse ground coffee, roughly the texture of coarse sand. About 60 g per litre of water is a good starting point.
4. Use water just off the boil. Pour about twice the weight of the coffee first and wait 30 to 45 seconds while the coffee blooms.
5. Pour the rest in slow circles, in two or three stages, keeping the level below the rim of the filter.
6. Remove the filter once the water has run through. If that takes much longer than four or five minutes, grind coarser next time; if it runs through very quickly, grind finer.

Which coffee?

Because the thick filter holds back the oils, a Chemex brings out clarity and acidity. Single-origin coffee beans and a light roast or medium roast show that best. Grind the beans just before brewing with a coffee grinder; if you buy ground coffee, choose a grind for filter coffee, not for espresso.

Why grind matters with a Chemex

The Chemex filter is thicker than most paper filters, so water runs through it more slowly. That is why a Chemex needs a coarser grind than a paper cone or a filter machine. An even grind matters too: a burr grinder gives particles of a similar size, while a blade grinder leaves fine dust that clogs the filter and slows the brew down. If your coffee tastes bitter and dry, grind coarser; if it tastes thin and sour, grind a little finer.

Looking after your Chemex

Untie the leather tie and take off the wooden collar before you wash the glass. Rinse the Chemex after every use so coffee oils do not build up on the glass.