I have always considered French Press coffee to give me the richest cup. Recently I noticed a trend in the coffee shops around town to sell these Chemex glass funnels which look pretty sharp but do they make a better cup? I currently use a Baratza Virtuoso grinder and get my coffee from Coffee Culture direct. Anything else I should consider apart from roasting my own to get a better cup? Oh, and I also use distilled water with trace minerals added back for a consistent clean water quality and pour my water from a Zojirushi hot pot at the right temperature letting the beans set for 3 minutes before the press. 2 tablespoons of beans per single cup.
French Press vs Chemex
- Thread starter groovyd
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They make a completely different tasting cup of coffee in my opinion.
the French press has oils and all of the coffee awesomeness that comes from not using a filter. So very delicious when done correctly.
The Chemex makes a cup of coffee that is clean and is more like coffee from a mr coffee drip machine just better.
I also use an Aeropress and a Moka pot. Gonna get me a percolator too.
I believe that it boils down to how you prefer your coffee on a particular day at a particular time.
the French press has oils and all of the coffee awesomeness that comes from not using a filter. So very delicious when done correctly.
The Chemex makes a cup of coffee that is clean and is more like coffee from a mr coffee drip machine just better.
I also use an Aeropress and a Moka pot. Gonna get me a percolator too.
I believe that it boils down to how you prefer your coffee on a particular day at a particular time.
The taste is vastly different between filtered coffee and unfiltered coffee regardless of the brew method (filtered = pour-over, drip - un-filterd = press or siphon and to a lesser extend espresso which is its own class).
I am not going to color this by saying that one is "better" than the other, they produce very different tastes in the cup though.
If you have not experienced coffee made in a Chemex you need to!!! If only to have that taste locked into the "little grey cells" for future reference. Use only the Chemex brand filters as that is the secret to their taste.
I find coffee brewed with a Chemex to be the smoothest among the filtered pour-over/drip brew methods. To my taste there is a "noticeable difference" in the smoothness. I am not saying this is "better", just "different". You "can" use the Chemex filters in a V-60 (Hario) dripper if you do not want to go to the expense of getting an actual Chemex brewer but you will also need a carafe to brew into so not a great deal of savings will be realized in the end.
I started with a Chemex as my first brewer when I went to college in the early 70's and still have some of the (used 50's 60's) ones I got at thrift stores for 50¢ -$1 back then. Some are the earliest style with the Chemex logo branded/embossed into the funnel part of the brewer. I no longer use these old 1950's brewers as they would be almost imposable to replace today and there is NO difference in the taste of the coffee they produce.
Chemex has changed their brewer styles over the years but most of the changes have been cosmetic or very minor to make them less "breakable" The actual shape and size has remained unchanged. They have also changed their filter once since I started using their products. The newer filters are thinner but the time through (the time the water is in contact with the grounds in the filter) appears to be unchanged so they must be a tighter weave/compression than the older heavier filters. I've been using the new filters for quite a while and they are just as good as the old style (which I still have a few boxes of remaining). The new style filters do not require a double wash like the old ones did but I still double wash my filters anyway, whether I am using the Chemex, Melitta, or Kalita (wave) filters.
You want to set your grinder to produce a grind similar to table salt when you rub it between your thumb and forefinger. Not too fine but not coarse. Seep for 30-60 seconds (I go 1 min myself), then you should find that if you are pouring correctly your brew time for a 6 cup Chemex brewer should be between 3-4 minutes (not including your steep time). If you are over 4 min, you need to grind finer, under 3 min then go coarser.
Chemex brewers are sized based on a 5 oz cup so keep this in mind when purchasing (a 6 cup Chemex will yield 3 "American size" cups of coffee)
If you are on Decatur city water you can view a copy of the current city water quality report (required by law) at this URL:
http://www.decaturcountyga.org/admin/cms/uploads/Water_Quality_Report.doc
It is a MS word file so you will need to have a program installed on your local computer that can deal with word (doc) files.
Some of my older hand blown Chemex brewers that I use daily:
I am not going to color this by saying that one is "better" than the other, they produce very different tastes in the cup though.
If you have not experienced coffee made in a Chemex you need to!!! If only to have that taste locked into the "little grey cells" for future reference. Use only the Chemex brand filters as that is the secret to their taste.
I find coffee brewed with a Chemex to be the smoothest among the filtered pour-over/drip brew methods. To my taste there is a "noticeable difference" in the smoothness. I am not saying this is "better", just "different". You "can" use the Chemex filters in a V-60 (Hario) dripper if you do not want to go to the expense of getting an actual Chemex brewer but you will also need a carafe to brew into so not a great deal of savings will be realized in the end.
I started with a Chemex as my first brewer when I went to college in the early 70's and still have some of the (used 50's 60's) ones I got at thrift stores for 50¢ -$1 back then. Some are the earliest style with the Chemex logo branded/embossed into the funnel part of the brewer. I no longer use these old 1950's brewers as they would be almost imposable to replace today and there is NO difference in the taste of the coffee they produce.
Chemex has changed their brewer styles over the years but most of the changes have been cosmetic or very minor to make them less "breakable" The actual shape and size has remained unchanged. They have also changed their filter once since I started using their products. The newer filters are thinner but the time through (the time the water is in contact with the grounds in the filter) appears to be unchanged so they must be a tighter weave/compression than the older heavier filters. I've been using the new filters for quite a while and they are just as good as the old style (which I still have a few boxes of remaining). The new style filters do not require a double wash like the old ones did but I still double wash my filters anyway, whether I am using the Chemex, Melitta, or Kalita (wave) filters.
You want to set your grinder to produce a grind similar to table salt when you rub it between your thumb and forefinger. Not too fine but not coarse. Seep for 30-60 seconds (I go 1 min myself), then you should find that if you are pouring correctly your brew time for a 6 cup Chemex brewer should be between 3-4 minutes (not including your steep time). If you are over 4 min, you need to grind finer, under 3 min then go coarser.
Chemex brewers are sized based on a 5 oz cup so keep this in mind when purchasing (a 6 cup Chemex will yield 3 "American size" cups of coffee)
If you are on Decatur city water you can view a copy of the current city water quality report (required by law) at this URL:
http://www.decaturcountyga.org/admin/cms/uploads/Water_Quality_Report.doc
It is a MS word file so you will need to have a program installed on your local computer that can deal with word (doc) files.
Some of my older hand blown Chemex brewers that I use daily:
Commander Quan
Commander Yellow Pantyhose
I think this is backwards.
I use a Chemex for my daily coffee needs, and a FP or vacuum pot for when I want to be fancy. The FP is by far a richer cup of coffee, the chemex is extremely smooth. I wish the handled models were available in the 13 cup size, but since it's not I had to settle for 10.
Thanks for catching this
Yea... The brain knew but the fingers did not understand
Too slow: Grind coarser to speed it up
Too fast: Grind finer to slow it down
From a noob: different taste
I have a cup drip and a moka pot. I like the moca pot brew better...especially with a bit of butter and chili thrown in.
[just kidding on the last statement
]
I have a cup drip and a moka pot. I like the moca pot brew better...especially with a bit of butter and chili thrown in.
[just kidding on the last statement
]- Thread starter
- #7
Ok, thanks for the advice, will def add it to my repertoire. I make coffe for just me so I guess the smallest chemex they make? I use distilled water with trace minerals added back that i distill at home so the water quality is consistent and very good.
The smallest one will make you up to 3 americian sized cups of coffee. The filters are a bear to source so you might want to get a couple boxes to start out with. The small Chemex uses a different filter than all the rest of them do so you need to be aware of this. They are really cool looking though
This older B&B Cafe post of mine shows the filter and process to fold it into a cone (they come flat unfolded half moon shaped)
http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php/360179-Chemex-Origami
I use my small Chemex when I evaluate a new roast as I can make 1 or 2 cups with it as that is what it is designed for (narrower filter stacks the coffee higher than the wider filters do so it works better with less coffee)
I am not trying to steer you away from the Chemex, as it is a quality brewer. But if you are brewing for yourself and usually drinking one cup at a time, then you may also want to consider one of the many pour-over devices. There are a variety of cone shaped drippers available from different manufacturers as well as specialty drip brewers like the Hario V60 (V-shaped) and Kalita Wave.
The V60 will use standard Chemex filters.
The Chemex filters are a little taller than the V60 ones but both the v60 and larger Chemex brewers seem to have very close to the same funnel angle and I have found that the filters are interchangeable.
In fact I had a Chemex filter in my V60 for today's second carafe but at the last minute as I was just about to rinse the filter I changed back to the V60 filter to remind myself of the difference in taste between the two filter papers. There IS a difference. I do not know which is "better" but the Chemex filters make a smoother coffee and the Hario filters make a bolder tasting coffee
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Just out of curiosity - am I am seeing one too many "Marco's" avatar in this thread?
Seriously - I wasn't looking closely at the nicks and thought that Marco had visited this forum. And multi posted...
Seriously - I wasn't looking closely at the nicks and thought that Marco had visited this forum. And multi posted...
Just out of curiosity - am I am seeing one too many "Marco's" avatar in this thread?
Seriously - I wasn't looking closely at the nicks and thought that Marco had visited this forum. And multi posted...
Just piggy-backing on this. This avatar is popping up everywhere. Not sure if there is something to it or not. Thought about adding as my avatar, but didn't want to do it "just to fit in". Definitely has piqued my curiousity and was happy to have someone else notice.
It was in recognition of Marco winning the Merit Award yesterday.
- Thread starter
- #14
I was wondering what the advantage to a bottom chemex beaker part over just filtering straight into my cup. Less to clean doing it direct? Just have to get the right amount of water or it will go everywhere I guess...
- Thread starter
- #15
purchased a chemex 3 cup and the chemex filters and cleaning brush. should be here in a couple days. what pulled me over to chemex is some comments on amazon of those who favored it slightly to the V60. cost is not an issue, was actually curious about the hand blown glass version but it was unavailable.
There is a difference in taste between a V60 using Hario filters to a Chemex using Chemex filters. Chemex filters make a smoother tasting coffee. Hario filters make a cup with more nuances but not as smooth overall. It's a toss up which taste is "best". If you ask 10 difference people you will not get a consensus of which taste they like the the best.
I think if you use a Chemex filter in a V60 you will get the same taste (I do anyway)
The standard sized Chemex filters (4, 6, 8, 10, 12 cup brewer models) and the Hario V60 have pretty much the same angle so the filters from each company can pretty much be used in either brewer. The 2-3 cup Chemex uses a special sized filter as the funnel is much narrower and the angle much steeper so the filters for the 2-3 cup are only usable in that model brewerChemex filters are what makes that brew system taste different from the others.
Post some pics when things get in and you start using your new brewer.
- Thread starter
- #17
Taste is very good... not bitter at all. much lighter and smoother then french press but not as 'rich' with the oils and milkiness. Very good. First tried using the same 35 setting grind on my virtuoso which is what I had been using for french press and poured it too quickly from my Zojirushi CV-DSC40 hot pot and it came out very light but still good, more like a coffee tea then coffee. Today I turned the grind to 30 and pumped the slow setting pour so it didn't just wash through and it is much darker. Amazing how small changes make huge differences. I ordered this small drip kettle which I think should really help control the flow...
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008L3R8BM/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Too bad my Zojirushi doesn't pour even slower or it would be a perfect kit I think. Perhaps i could find a small glass drip funnel to pour the Zojirushi through instead of having to fire up the stove and kettle.
Also I am not weighing or measuring anything, just holding the grinder button 10 sec which gives me a good 2+ tablespoons of coffee and then drip pouring until it fills my normal drinking glass so i imagine every day it will come out differently until I get good at it.
The smallest Chemex is really a good model for me. I just drink one cup of coffee a day. Unfortunately the brush I got it with to clean it is way too big to fit the small brewer. Chemex should really make a smaller brush for their smallest brewer. The brush they sell is unwieldy and way too big . Also it would be nice if their paper filters came already folded.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008L3R8BM/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Too bad my Zojirushi doesn't pour even slower or it would be a perfect kit I think. Perhaps i could find a small glass drip funnel to pour the Zojirushi through instead of having to fire up the stove and kettle.
Also I am not weighing or measuring anything, just holding the grinder button 10 sec which gives me a good 2+ tablespoons of coffee and then drip pouring until it fills my normal drinking glass so i imagine every day it will come out differently until I get good at it.
The smallest Chemex is really a good model for me. I just drink one cup of coffee a day. Unfortunately the brush I got it with to clean it is way too big to fit the small brewer. Chemex should really make a smaller brush for their smallest brewer. The brush they sell is unwieldy and way too big . Also it would be nice if their paper filters came already folded.
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Grab yourself one of these inexpensive scales
http://cutebabybuy.com/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=2100011761
weighs up to 100 grams with an accuracy of 0.01 grams.
I have a different AWS scale but that one at $10 is almost to cheap to pass up.
Weigh your beans.
Find a small cup or container that will hold the amount of un-ground beans you want to use. Tare the sale to the weight of the container then fill it with beans to the weight you want. I go 18-20 grams for 1 cup in my small Chemex.
You can either weigh the un-ground beans and single grind (empty grinder and grind just what you have weighed)
OR
You can put the grinder's empty bean hopper and tare that, then use your method of holding the button to grind. Move the grounds bin onto the scale and see how close you are. Scoop out any extra/over or go back to the grinder for more if you are too far off.
OR
You can grind into your beans hopper then scoop ground coffee into your small container which you have tared to zero on the scale.
The great thing about filtered pour over is you have a much larger leeway when it comes to the coffee to water ratio and sill come out with a fine cup of coffee. Don't be afraid to brew too strong as filtered coffee can be brewed stronger without getting bitter unlike unfiltered brewing methods that is more "persnickety" about the ratio of water to grounds
If you have one of the Baratza grinders you can get their Esatto attachment that integrates a scale into the grinder so you can tell the grinder "give me this much ground coffee" and it will, every time you push the button AND to within .1 of a gram accuracy every grind.
http://www.baratza.com/conical-burr-grinders/esatto-grinder/
The Esatto scale will fit every model except the early Maestro and the Vario grinders. I picked mine up as a refurb directly from Baratza. They usually have the refurb Esatto up every week.
http://cutebabybuy.com/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=2100011761
weighs up to 100 grams with an accuracy of 0.01 grams.
I have a different AWS scale but that one at $10 is almost to cheap to pass up.
Weigh your beans.
Find a small cup or container that will hold the amount of un-ground beans you want to use. Tare the sale to the weight of the container then fill it with beans to the weight you want. I go 18-20 grams for 1 cup in my small Chemex.
You can either weigh the un-ground beans and single grind (empty grinder and grind just what you have weighed)
OR
You can put the grinder's empty bean hopper and tare that, then use your method of holding the button to grind. Move the grounds bin onto the scale and see how close you are. Scoop out any extra/over or go back to the grinder for more if you are too far off.
OR
You can grind into your beans hopper then scoop ground coffee into your small container which you have tared to zero on the scale.
The great thing about filtered pour over is you have a much larger leeway when it comes to the coffee to water ratio and sill come out with a fine cup of coffee. Don't be afraid to brew too strong as filtered coffee can be brewed stronger without getting bitter unlike unfiltered brewing methods that is more "persnickety" about the ratio of water to grounds
If you have one of the Baratza grinders you can get their Esatto attachment that integrates a scale into the grinder so you can tell the grinder "give me this much ground coffee" and it will, every time you push the button AND to within .1 of a gram accuracy every grind.
http://www.baratza.com/conical-burr-grinders/esatto-grinder/
The Esatto scale will fit every model except the early Maestro and the Vario grinders. I picked mine up as a refurb directly from Baratza. They usually have the refurb Esatto up every week.
- Thread starter
- #19
I just pulled the trigger on a 01 gram hario...
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009GPJMOU/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i01?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Will zero the scale with my filter wetted chemex on there and pour the coffee into it from the baratza bin until it reaches the right weight and then add the water using the kettle until it reaches the right weight again. I thought about the baratza scle but it is expensive and then only useful for coffee whereas this scale will work for any cooking or postal needs.
I also ordered a stainless baster...
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0000CFTOE/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i02?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Thinking perhaps I could do my drip using this instead of the kettle dipping it straight in the Zojirushi after boil which would heat the stainless up and act as an insulator during the drip. might need 3 fills of the baster but would offer perfectly controlled delivery down to the drop. Was also cheap. If that experiment doesn't work I will use the kettle and still have a nice baster for cooking.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009GPJMOU/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i01?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Will zero the scale with my filter wetted chemex on there and pour the coffee into it from the baratza bin until it reaches the right weight and then add the water using the kettle until it reaches the right weight again. I thought about the baratza scle but it is expensive and then only useful for coffee whereas this scale will work for any cooking or postal needs.
I also ordered a stainless baster...
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0000CFTOE/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i02?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Thinking perhaps I could do my drip using this instead of the kettle dipping it straight in the Zojirushi after boil which would heat the stainless up and act as an insulator during the drip. might need 3 fills of the baster but would offer perfectly controlled delivery down to the drop. Was also cheap. If that experiment doesn't work I will use the kettle and still have a nice baster for cooking.
Nice stove top kettle. That is one you will use for a while to come. I have contemplated getting a stove top but my electrics are so convent that I am not sure I would use a stove top. I suppose I could use it in my other home but up there I use a big #6 Melitta dripper so I don't need to be so careful pouring and my trusty old Russell Hobbs has worked just fine.
I have never used a brush on any of my Chemex brewers. For the larger ones I always xfer to a heated thermal carafe and the small 2 cup Chemex is emptied very quickly around here so plain water rinse is all it gets.
I will take the wood off and stick them in the dishwasher when I notice a build up of staining. This is no more than once a year so no big for me.
You could also use some Urnex Cafiza desolved in hot water and let it sit in the Chemex for 5-10 minutes. Urnex Cafiza is a commercial coffee oil dissolving product and it works magic on anything that gets near coffee and stained.
I've read a lot of good things about that scale. Nice choice and much more universal that the $10 I found for you.
The Hario and Bonavita scales are water proof so you don't need to be worried about splashing as they are "coffee making scales" so built to withstand having water poured directly in to something sitting on them.
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