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Brew guide by FARO: the chemex

Invented in 1941, Chemex represents the perfect symbiosis between madness and genius. It is now part of the MoMA exhibition and is on the prestigious list of the best inventions of the 20th century according to the Institute of Technology of Illinois. By its unique design, the softness and the balance of the coffee that it produces, it is one of the best filter infusion. Discover all the essential steps to brew a perfect Chemex in the first video of our infusion guide!

Discover all the essential steps in our first video !

STEP 1: PREPARE AND PREHEAT

Grind 15 grams per cup of fresh coffee to a medium grind. The amount of coffee suggested can vary depending on the size of your Chemex or the amount of coffee you wish to serve. Nonetheless the most important factor to respect is a ratio between 1/15 and 1/17.

Place the special Chemex filter in the Chemex cone making sure to place the three-ply side of the filter on the same side as the pouring spout. With the filter in place, wet the entire filter in order to eliminate any residual paper particles that could impair the taste of your beverage (giving it a papery taste).

Discard the water used to wet the filter.

Pour the ground coffee in the center of the filter.

 

Step 2: Grind and weigh

Pour the ground coffee in the center of the filter.

Place the Chemex on your kitchen scale and then set the scale to “0” (tare).

Step 3: Pour and saturate grounds

Delicately pour the hot water over the ground coffee, making slow circular motions with your kettle (preferable a fine spout model, as we said earlier). Slowly increase the diameter of your circular motion to make sure that all your coffee grinds gets infused. Once the coffee is wet, let it degas for 30 to 45 seconds. By doing so, you are letting carbon dioxide evaporate.

Ahh! Smell the infusing coffee! The retronasal experience you can feel during this step of the process is a great pleasure in itself. Breathe in! It’s a slow coffee session!

Step 4: Brew

Slowly resume the pouring process using a continuous circular pouring motion, moving outwards from the center of the filter, until you reach the wanted ratio water/coffee, although you can play with this variable. Indeed, coffee-making is not an exact science; it is an experience, a discovery that only your taste buds can say when it’s over.

Step 5: Pour again and let drip till 4 min

The entire process shouldn’t take more than four minutes in order to avoid over- extraction that would spoil the balance of your infusion, yielding an unpleasant bitterness to your beverage. On the other hand, if the infusion stage is too short, your coffee will be somewhat acid (or sour tasting) which will eliminate the rustic aromas usually obtained with this coffee making method.

Step 6: Serve & Enjoy

As far as we are concerned, we at FARO recommend light to medium roast coffee beans. Such lighter roasts preserve the aromas (because the oils are better preserved inside the bean) and nose of each specific coffee bean, which in turn allows you to have a unique experience with every cup.

Let us raise our glasses… or cups, and drink to that!