Filter
How to brew Chemex
Pour over with a thicker, paper filter that produces a clean, bright cup with very low sediment.
Difficulty
Intermediate
Total time
4-5 minutes
Ratio
1:10 – 1:17
How-to guide
Gear needed
- Chemex brewer (3, 6, 8 or 10 cup)
- Chemex bonded paper filters
- Gooseneck kettle
- Digital scale with timer
- Grinder (medium-coarse)
- Freshly roasted coffee
Step-by-step
1. Prepare the filter
Open the Chemex filter so the triple-fold side faces the spout. Rinse thoroughly with hot water — this removes paper taste and preheats the glass. Discard the rinse water.
2. Add coffee
Add 30g of medium-coarse ground coffee (slightly coarser than V60). Shake to level.
3. Bloom (0:00 – 0:45)
Start timer. Pour 90g of water (3x dose) in slow circles to saturate the grounds. Wait 45 seconds.
4. Main pours
At 0:45, pour up to 250g in slow concentric circles. At 1:30, pour up to 400g. At 2:15, pour the final amount up to 500g total.
5. Drawdown
Let it draw down completely. Total brew time should be 4:00 – 5:00. Remove the filter, swirl the carafe, and serve.
Troubleshooting
- Brew too slow: Coarsen grind. The thicker Chemex filter can choke easily.
- Weak / watery: Finer grind, or extend the bloom slightly.
- Channeling: Pour more gently and keep the bed even.
Ratios & recipes
Ratio
1:10 – 1:17
Grind
Medium-Coarse
Temperature
92–96°C
Typical time
4:00–5:30 min
Standard (1:16.5)
- Dose
- 30g
- Yield
- 500g
- Time
- 4:30
Classic Chemex ratio for a clean, bright cup.
Bigger batch (1:16)
- Dose
- 45g
- Yield
- 720g
- Time
- 5:30
Use the 8 or 10-cup Chemex for this dose.
Pour sequence
- 10:00Bloom — saturate all grounds evenly90g
- 20:45First main pour, slow circles250g total
- 31:30Second main pour400g total
- 42:15Final pour, keep bed level500g total
Tips
- Always use genuine Chemex bonded filters — they're thicker than V60.
- Medium-coarse grind is key — too fine and it stalls.
- Swirl the carafe before serving to mix the brew.
- Great for highlighting clarity and acidity in light roasts.
- Preheat the carafe with the filter rinse.
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