The CHEMEX® coffeemaker was invented in 1941 by the eccentric chemist Dr. Peter Schlumbohm. Throughout his career, he developed more than 300 patents, ranging from cocktail shakers to automobiles. His focus was on making everyday objects more functional, attractive and enjoyable to use.
While designing the CHEMEX®, Schlumbohm wanted not only to make brewing for the perfect cup of coffee simple, but also for the container to be a thing of beauty. Being a chemist, he studied and clearly understood the chemistry behind the extraction of flavor and caffeine from coffee beans. It was this knowledge that led him to invent CHEMEX® Double Junction Paper Filters for perfect extraction every time. For the pitcher, Schlumbohm drew inspiration from the Bauhaus school of design and non-porous lab-ware that would not give off any flavor of its own. Using these elements he created the shape of the hourglass that has now become an iconic part of American history, it has been recognized and awarded both by the scientific community and by the art and design communities, its first copies rest in important museums of world art.
Chemex is a drip method, which means that the water passes through a layer of coffee and a filter, usually made of paper. The Chemex gives you an incredibly clean cup of coffee, its paper filters are 20-30% heavier than other filters so that they can retain more of the suspended oils during the extraction process and for the solids cannot pass through the filter. The design and the type of filter used highlight the attributes of specialty coffee; clearly, we can experience brightness in acidity, floral notes and keep its body balanced.
What do I need for the preparation?
- Macizo café de Altura, beans preferably.
- Gooseneck kettle (flow restrictor is optional, but allows for more pouring control).
- Scale for coffee.
- Stopwatch.
- Strawberry mill preferably.
- CHEMEX® Method.
- CHEMEX® paper filter.
- 24 grams of Macizo café medium-coarse grinding
- For three cup CHEMEX® (ratio 1:16) we heat enough water, 500 grams of water, below the boiling point (approximately 90-95 degrees Celsius).
Now to the action!
- Boil good quality water until it is between 90ºC and 95ºC.
- Preheating: Fold the filter, and place the side of the folds in the channel of the jar, rinse the filter well, in order to remove the taste of paper, heat the filter and the container.
- Grind the Macizo café de Altura beans, in a medium-coarse grinding (reference: coarse sea salt). Adjust the gramera* and measure 24 gr of coffee, then set it to zero again.
- First pour, Saturation (Bloom): We will start the stopwatch and pour 80 g of water, uniformly soaking the coffee. If necessary, place a mixer and move it gently, making sure that all the particles are saturated.
- Second pour, more water: After 45 seconds, pour more water in a spiral gently over the black holes, avoiding the clear ones until completing 250gr.
- Third pouring, until the end: At 01:45 min pour the rest of the water until completing 380 gr, in this process our senses perceive the aroma and brightness of the drink while we wait for it to be fulfilled around 04:00 min where it is will complete the infusion.
- Serve: Enjoy a method that will bring out the best attributes of your Solid specialty coffee, do not forget to preheat the cups where you are going to serve the drink a little with hot water.Note: all processes are important, and the art of extraction is the final stage in the exciting world of coffee. Make sure that the temperature and grinding are adequate, this to avoid over-extraction and under-extraction of the coffee particles, which could deteriorate the quality of the cup.
2021