Chemex: a BonLife Recipe
The Chemex! There are so many reasons to love this beautiful American-made brew method.
Read on as we share a few reasons why we love it so much here at BonLife Coffee Roasters. Plus we’ll share a few tips and tricks & the recipe we use to brew a Chemex in our cafe.
First of all, let’s talk about the way it looks. So cool, right? The Chemex was invented in the 1940s, and its vintage look is part of its appeal. It has won awards for its design and is featured in several museums. More importantly, though, it looks great in your kitchen or right on your table alongside a home-cooked breakfast!
But there is more to its design than just cool looks. The Chemex is made of a special non-porous glass. It won’t absorb old coffee flavors, giving you a clean cup every single time you use it! It can also handle the heat: you can keep your pot of coffee warm on the stovetop while you sip on it all morning. Plus the pretty wooden collar protects your hands from the hot glass when you pour yourself a cup of coffee.
Really smart design, huh?
But we don’t just love the Chemex’s appearance here at BonLife. We’re big fans of the quality of the coffee it brews!
The Chemex was designed by a chemist to be easy to use and to make a scientifically perfect cup of coffee. The filters are specially designed to filter out bitterness, acidity, and sediments. The design is simple, easy to use, and intended to perfectly extract flavor from coffee.
The result is a pure clean cup of coffee. We find that it’s a great way to taste a coffee for the first time: the tasting notes of a coffee are so clear when you brew it on a Chemex!
So without any further ado, here’s the Chemex recipe we use at BonLife…
What you’ll need:
35 g of coffee, ground at a medium coarse size
595 g of water just under boiling (around 200 degrees Farenheit)
kettle
Chemex
Chemex filter
scale
timer
What you’ll do:
Open the filter in a cone shape so that one side has three layers and place it in the Chemex with the three layered side against the spout.
Preheat your Chemex & rinse the paper filter by pouring some hot water through it (rinsing the filter in the Chemex creates a seal).
Put your Chemex on the scale and add 35 g of coffee.
Flatten the grounds with a shake.
Start timer.
Pour 75 g of water & swirl the Chemex to distribute the grounds and water evenly.
Let it bloom for 30 seconds.
Pour in another 100 g of water. Evenly pour the hot water in circular motions covering the bed of the coffee from the center to the edge and back again.
Continue this process, keeping the water level about the same, evenly pouring in more water in circular motions until you reach 595 g of water. This process should last until around 2.5 minutes on your timer.
Let the coffee draw down. The brew should end around 3.5 to 4 minutes.
Pick the filter up by the points and toss it. (The filter and grounds are compostable!)
Pour into your favorite mug & enjoy!
As always, let us know if you have questions about our recipes or coffees! Just comment on this post or drop us a note here.
Did you know the Chemex can also be made iced? Just substitute 200 g of water for ice. Put the ice in the Chemex before brewing, and let the hot coffee flash chill while you brew it. It’s so refreshing!
Another great thing about the Chemex? It makes enough coffee to share! We think that there aren’t too many things more pleasant than splitting a Chemex of really good coffee with a good friend.
