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8-Cup Chemex Classic

Brewing Information at a Glance
  • Coffee: 35g to 42g
  • Grind: 20 (Baratza Encore (TM) Grinder)
  • Water: 700g used; 20oz served
Instructional Video
Step-by-Step Instructions
  1. Place the Chemex Filter in the brewer with single fold away from the spout and multiple folds lined up against the spout. Rinse the filter with hot water to get a nice even seal all the way around. This preheats the brewer and gets rid of any paper flavor from the filter. Dump the rinse water and fold the filter toward the spout to reinforce this area.
  2. Add 42g or about 6 Tablespoons of coffee, ground kind of like Kosher salt. Center the coffee in your brewer and zero out the scale.

    Chris's note: For the 8-Cup Chemex Classic, I've found 35g of reputable coffee to be sufficient. Use 42g to reach the barista-grade water/coffee ratio of 1:17.

  3. Start the timer when you add the hot water. Pour until all the grounds are saturated or until you reach about 150g. Stir with a chopstick or spoon to make sure there are no dry clumps.

    Manufacturer's note: The “bloom” is escaping gas that has been trapped in the beans during the roasting process. You will see the grounds inflate and bubbles appear on their surface as the flavor inhibiting gas expels upward. Once this is complete, water can freely extract the aromatics and coffee oils while brewing.

  4. At :45, start the second pour, making sure to reintegrate the coffee and water. Pour with a wiggling motion, then a gentle spiral until the volume reaches about a fingertip down from the top of the rim or 450g of water. Pour over the dark spots and avoid the light ones.
  5. At 1:45, fill the brewer flush to the top or about 700g of water.
  6. At 4:00, you should be pretty close to volume. Look at the glass bubble or belly button, which indicates 20 ounces. Lift the filter. It’s okay to hover for a couple of seconds to make sure you have enough volume. Then pull the filter out completely and let it drain into the sink.
  7. Swirl the Chemex around a little and you’re ready to serve two cups of brewed coffee. 
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