CHEMEX

MAKING COFFEE WITH A CHEMEX IS IDEAL FOR SLOW MORNING RITUALS OR RELAXING AFTERNOONS. IT'S A WONDERFUL CELEBRATION OF COFFEE AND ALL ITS SUBTLE AROMAS. THE COFFEE MAKER ITSELF HAS A SIMPLE YET UNMISTAKABLE DESIGN WITH A SHAPE REMINISCENT OF A WOMAN'S BODY. IT IS MADE OF HIGH QUALITY GLASS THAT IS HEAT RESISTANT AND DOES NOT BRING ANY UNWANTED TASTE. POPULARIZED IN MOVIES BY JAMES BOND IN THE 1960S, THIS SLOW EXTRACTION METHOD PRODUCES A CLEAR CUP RESULT THAT HIGHLIGHTS THE SWEETNESS OF THE COFFEE YOU ARE BREWING. UNPLEASANT BITTERNESS HAS ALMOST NO CHANCE OF PASSING THROUGH THE THICK CHEMEX FILTER. IN ADDITION TO ALL THESE QUALITIES, THE CHEMEX IS THE MOST BEAUTIFUL COFFEE MAKER OF ALL TIME, PERFECTLY DECORATING A KITCHEN OR LIVING ROOM. PREPARATION TAKES A LITTLE PRACTICE AT FIRST, BUT AFTER TWO OR THREE EXTRACTIONS, IT BECOMES A BREEZE. JUST FOLLOW THE RECIPE IN THIS ARTICLE AND YOU'LL HAVE YOUR CHEMEX COFFEE READY IN JUST A FEW MINUTES.

A NICE FEATURE OF CHEMEX IS THAT IT IS MADE FROM THREE SIMPLE EVERYDAY MATERIALS: PYREX, WOOD AND LEATHER. IT LOOKS LIKE IT CAME STRAIGHT OUT OF A LABORATORY AND CERTAINLY DESERVES A PROMINENT PLACE IN THE KITCHEN. WHILE IT'S AN ADVANTAGE THAT THE CHEMEX ISN'T MADE OF PLASTIC, IT'S NOT A GOOD TRAVEL COMPANION. IF YOU'RE PLANNING TO HIKE OR CAMP, THE CHEMEX IS NOT THE IDEAL COFFEE MAKER TO TAKE WITH YOU BECAUSE ITS GLASS BALL IS FRAGILE AND COULD BREAK IN YOUR PACK. IT IS ALSO A LITTLE TOO BULKY TO FIT IN A CARRY-ON SUITCASE. IF YOU TRAVEL OFTEN AND WANT TO BE ABLE TO BREW COFFEE AT ANY TIME, THE AEROPRESS IS A BETTER OPTION.

THE CHEMEX DESIGN - A WORK OF ART.

THE CHEMEX IS THE KIND OF COFFEE MAKER THAT CAN BE CREATIVELY REUSED BECAUSE OF ITS TIMELESS DESIGN AND ELEGANCE. WHETHER IT'S A VASE OR A LAMP FALLING FROM THE CEILING, THERE'S NO SHORTAGE OF IDEAS FOR TRANSFORMING IT. THE CHEMEX WAS CONCEIVED LONG BEFORE FILTER COFFEE BECAME FASHIONABLE AGAIN - IN 1941 BY GERMAN SCIENTIST PETER J. SCHLUMBOHM TO BE PRECISE - BUT IS HARDLY EVER ABSENT FROM COFFEE SHOP SHELVES TODAY. AS SIMPLE AS IT SOUNDS, THE GLASS BALLOON WITH ITS WOODEN NECKLACE AND LEATHER STRAP REPRESENTS PURE SOPHISTICATION. THE NECK ALSO SERVES TO KEEP YOUR FINGERS FROM GETTING BURNED. THIS HOURGLASS-SHAPED VESSEL HAS NOT BEEN MODIFIED SINCE ITS INVENTION. ITS DISTINCTIVE DESIGN IS SO NOTABLE THAT THE CHEMEX HAS BECOME PART OF THE PERMANENT COLLECTIONS OF THE BROOKLYN MUSEUM, CORNING MUSEUM OF GLASS AND MUSEUM OF MODERN ART IN NEW YORK.

WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE COFFEE WITH THE CHEMEX.

THE ESSENTIALS ARE THE CHEMEX COFFEE MAKER AND CHEMEX FILTERS. YOU CAN BUY THE CLASSIC CHEMEX IN DIFFERENT SIZES - 3 CUP, 6 CUP, 8 CUP OR 10 CUP. THE 6-CUP CHEMEX IS THE MOST POPULAR OPTION. WE ALSO RECOMMEND USING A GRINDER, A GOOSENECK KETTLE AND A SCALE. SINCE COFFEE LOSES ITS AROMA ABOUT 30 SECONDS AFTER BEING GROUND, IT IS ESSENTIAL TO FRESHLY GRIND YOUR BEANS EVERY TIME YOU MAKE A COFFEE. THE GOOSENECK KETTLE ALLOWS YOU TO BETTER CONTROL THE FLOW OF WATER AND BE MORE PRECISE WHEN POURING WATER OVER THE COFFEE BEANS IN YOUR CHEMEX FILTER. TO FOLLOW THIS RECIPE YOU WILL ALSO NEED A SCALE. IT WILL ALLOW YOU TO ACCURATELY WEIGH THE GROUND COFFEE YOU ARE USING FOR YOUR EXTRACTION.

THE FILTER TO USE TO MAKE A CHEMEX COFFEE.

IF YOU ARE MAKING COFFEE WITH A CHEMEX, WE RECOMMEND USING THE PERMANENT CHEMEX FILTERS. THEY ARE ABOUT 20-30% THICKER THAN CONVENTIONAL PAPER FILTERS AND THEIR SPECIAL FIBER PREVENTS OILS, BITTER ELEMENTS OR COFFEE BEANS FROM PENETRATING YOUR COFFEE DURING PREPARATION. AS A RESULT, CHEMEX COFFEE WILL BE PARTICULARLY AROMATIC, NUANCED AND NON-BITTER. THE FILTERS ARE PRE-FOLDED AND COME IN THREE DIFFERENT SHAPES: SQUARE (FOR 6-8 CUP CHEMEX), CIRCULAR (FOR 6-8 CUP CHEMEX) OR HALF-MOON (FOR 3 CUP CHEMEX). ALTHOUGH THE SQUARE AND CIRCULAR FILTERS ARE SHAPED DIFFERENTLY, THEY WORK EXACTLY THE SAME WAY. WHETHER YOU PREFER ONE OR THE OTHER IS MOSTLY A MATTER OF AESTHETICS. YOU CAN ALSO CHOOSE BETWEEN WHITE OR NATURAL CHEMEX FILTERS. THE LATTER ARE MORE ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY SINCE THEY ARE NATURALLY BROWN, WHEREAS THE PAPER FILTER TURNS WHITE ONLY AFTER WASHING IN AN OXIDIZING BATH. DESPITE THE COLOR DIFFERENCE, YOU CAN BE SURE THAT THEY ARE BOTH MADE OF THE SAME QUALITY LABORATORY-MADE PAPER.

FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO AREN'T A FAN OF SINGLE-USE PAPER FILTERS, THERE'S ANOTHER OPTION! THE ABLE BREWING KONE FILTER IS MADE FROM DURABLE STAINLESS STEEL, BUT IT ALSO HAS A PLASTIC RING TO SAVE FOOD AND IS, OF COURSE, REUSABLE. THE MICRO-FILTER HOLES LET MORE OILS THROUGH THAN CHEMEX FILTERS, BRINGING MORE BODY TO YOUR CUP. IT FITS 6, 8 AND 10 CUP CHEMEX COFFEE MAKERS. WHETHER YOU PREFER A STAINLESS STEEL FILTER OR A PAPER FILTER REALLY DEPENDS ON YOUR PERSONAL PREFERENCE.

MAKING COFFEE WITH A CHEMEX - ADRIAN HEYS' RECIPE.

WEIGH 25G OF COFFEE BEANS ON A SCALE.

GRIND COARSELY THEN SMELL THE SWEET AROMA OF THE FRESHLY GROUND BEANS.

HEAT 400G OF WATER (IDEALLY TO 96°C).

IN THE MEANTIME, MOISTEN THE FILTER ATTACHED TO THE CHEMEX WITH HOT WATER TO BOTH HEAT THE COFFEE MAKER AND PREVENT THE UNPLEASANT TASTE OF PAPER. DO NOT FORGET TO EMPTY THE WATER.

EXTRACT THE GROUND COFFEE DEPOSITED IN THE FILTER DURING 4MIN30. POUR THE WATER IN 3 TIMES.

LET IT COOL FOR ABOUT 1 MINUTE TO APPRECIATE ALL THE DIFFERENT FLAVOURS OF YOUR COFFEE.