French Press vs Chemex

[StillShaving]

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.

I will be interested in your thoughts and opinion of that Hario scale after you have used it for a while. I considered buying that model to weigh tea and also do coffee pour overs with optional the accessory stand. The scale + stand package looked functional and nicely paired together which is what drew me towards it, but I did not really need it, so have not purchased.

If you get the Hario kettle that you mentioned before, I doubt you will find any need to use the baster repurposed as a dripper. Unless you are careful I would expect the baster to release water with more force, more than the force of gravity which will agitate your coffee bed too much. Sometimes you might want extra agitation, but in general I have found that minimizing the agitation or stiring of the coffee bed while drip brewing improves the taste.

 

[groovyd]

Picked up the handblown version of the chemex hoping for a piece of art and was left sadly disappointed. It is essentially the same machine made unit as the classic but with thicker glass. Actually riding the fine line of false advertising. Maybe I misunderstood what hand blown means nowadays but you can see the assembled molded pieces. Good chance a person didn't even blow it into the mold.

 

[Mick]

I believe that hand blow just means "a person" made it instead of it being made on a machine but it is still a molded piece of glass.

They all used to be "hand blown" back when I purchased mine.

Which size did you get?

Do the new ones still say made in USA?

 

[groovyd]

no text on it at all... not even sure it is pyrex. will it crack if I rinse it with cold water immediately after emptying it to my cup? Currently I let it sit empty until it cools down before rinsing it. I read somewhere a description saying all their hand blown glass was made in Germany. Infact I was under the impression atleast at some point in history it was a German company.

 

[groovyd]

got the 3 cup size.

 

[Mick]

no text on it at all... not even sure it is pyrex. will it crack if I rinse it with cold water immediately after emptying it to my cup? Currently I let it sit empty until it cools down before rinsing it. I read somewhere a description saying all their hand blown glass was made in Germany. Infact I was under the impression atleast at some point in history it was a German company.

Pyrex is a trademark of Corning glass works (NY). If your coffee brewer does not say Pyrex on it then it is made from a different type of glass. You should not have problems putting cold water into a warm brewer to rinse it but letting it cool down is a good habit to get into as they are expensive to replace.

The inventor of the Chemex was German born but the coffee maker was patented in the US (NY) in 1939 and the Chemex company was founded in 1939 in New York so AFAK it has always been made in the US and always known as a US company. The inventor lived in the US (not sure if he became a US citizen or not though)

The Chemex web site says they are made in western Massachusetts: http://www.chemexcoffeemaker.com/chemex/about_us.html

 

[groovyd]

I like it... today i just found some online instructions how to make the coffee using a scale and timer and found out i had been using way to little coffee, only about 18 grams for my normal single cup. it recommends 28. also i learned to do 15 seconds pours of 100g every 1 minute for 4 minutes. 400g water. This makes a much bigger cup of coffee though then I was making so perhaps my scaling of water and coffee weight was appropriate for the smaller cup size. Plus I like to leave some room for frothed milk. But the less bitter the coffee the less milk I prefer so perhaps in the end it is all good either way. The coffee is not bitter from this at all and the strength is very good. The cleanup is easier then french press for sure but you do have the expense of the filters. Anyone have experience with these stainless filters:

http://www.amazon.com/Able-Brewing-...396219111&sr=1-1&keywords=chemex+filter+metal

 

[groovyd]

oh, and the hario scale is very nice. very accurate and easy to use. recommended. the hario kettle is also very nice and heats quickly on my stove and pours very well controlled.

 

[BobK]

I've been using a Chemex for years, and my wife loves my coffee more than any she's ever had anywhere else. I also use Counter Culture coffee; I like to try their different sources. I started with the paper Chemex filter, but I found it took a couple of pots to get the grind right with each new batch of coffee, i.e. Coffee from Peru needed a slightly different grind size than one from Ethiopia or it could get over extracted because it took a little too long for the water to make it through the paper, and it would have some bitterness. I also found the coffee too smooth and clean; lacking body and richness like a French press would give you. I recently picked up a Kone filter for my Chemex, and it makes great coffee. It has some sediment, but not as much as a French press. It has the oils and richness I was missing from the paper filter. In addition, I can use the same grind with each batch of coffee. I've read that the sediment in coffee can raise your cholesterol, so most of the time I put the Kone filter inside the paper filter, and for some reason, it is still richer than using just the paper filter, though not as rich as using just the Kone filter. Also, I can use the same grind size now with the Kone filter whether I use the paper or not. The combination somehow takes the temperamental nature of the paper filter out of the equation and I've never experienced over extraction since.
This post is longer than I meant it to be, but in answer to OP's question, a Chemex with a Kone filter can be similar to a French press, not quite as rich, but with less sediment. But you also have the ability to make a flavorable cup of coffee that is much cleaner by adding a paper filter; which is great if you put it in a thermos to drink later, since it doesn't keep brewing because of the sediment.

 

[groovyd]

Thanks, exactly what I was looking for. Only issue is they don't sell the stainless filter for the 3 cup chemex... if i am making one cup of coffee and using the bigger 6 cup chemex is this satisfactory or is it much better to use the smaller 3 cup for just 1 cup? i am wondering if I get the 6 cup to use the stainless filter if making single cups will not work so well as the 3 cup chemex and paper.

 

[StillShaving]

I expect that you could use the larger 6 cup Chemex + Able KONE (or paper filters) to make a single cup without too much trouble. The only complication will be that the coffee bed will sit lower down so the water will land with more force and thus create a little more turbulence while brewing. I don't have that setup, but I would expect it to work pretty well.

 

[BobK]

I've never made just one cup with my 8 cup Chemex, but I'm sure it would work well. The grind size might have to be adjusted from what I currently use though, so the water doesn't filter through too fast, but I'm guessing.

 

[Retiredgene]

Enjoyed reading this thread and lots of very good information on Chemex & French Press coffee brewing methods as well as Baratza grinders being given.

Just personal preference, I have found after many years of using both brewing systems as well as a Technivorm, I like Kenyan & Ethiopian coffees in the French Press (brings out all the richness) and the South American coffees (more subtle flavors?) in the Chemex or Technivorm. I buy my coffee from George Howell former owner of Coffee Connection in Boston area.

Gene

 

[groovyd]

Am getting pretty good at making the chemex coffee, with the right pour rate and timer and amounts etc. Very nice very consistent cup now. I prefer it to french press. A bit smoother and lighter on a hot day. Perhaps the french press would suit me more in the winter cut with a bit of cream and a splash of hazelnut. The 3-cup size, the smaller kettle and scale are all perfect is perfect for me. Am impressed with CounterCulture so far.

 

[Mick]

Am getting pretty good at making the chemex coffee, with the right pour rate and timer and amounts etc. Very nice very consistent cup now. I prefer it to french press. A bit smoother and lighter on a hot day. Perhaps the french press would suit me more in the winter cut with a bit of cream and a splash of hazelnut. The 3-cup size, the smaller kettle and scale are all perfect is perfect for me. Am impressed with CounterCulture so far.

I always keep coming back to the Chemex. hard to beat the smoothness that it brings to a pot of coffee.

 

[groovyd]

My 3-cup handblown Chemex fell off the 4' counter today straight to the wooden floor with nothing to cushion the blow and somehow it survived undamaged. Perhaps there is quality and value in the heavier handblown glass.

 

[Mick]

My 3-cup handblown Chemex fell off the 4' counter today straight to the wooden floor with nothing to cushion the blow and somehow it survived undamaged. Perhaps there is quality and value in the heavier handblown glass.

Dude..... Go buy a lotto ticket..... NOW!!!!!

 

[StillShaving]

Good deal, glad to hear it survived. And another reason to like wooden floors.