Chemex for two (or one very happy person)

30 g coffee and 480 g water through a thick filter for a super clean cup.

⏱️ 10 minA little practice

Starting recipe

30 g coffee + 480 g water at 94 °C (201 °F), total brew time 3:30–5:00.

Grind: Medium, like coarse sand (a bit coarser than a V60)

Heat water and grind
Boil water and let it rest about 20–30 seconds, near 94 °C. Grind 30 g of coffee a little coarser than table salt. The thick filter slows things down, so a slightly coarser grind helps.
Fold in the filter and rinse
Open the filter so the side with three layers faces the spout. That stops it collapsing into the spout and blocking airflow. Rinse it well with hot water, then carefully pour the rinse water out of the spout while holding the filter in place.
The glass gets hot. Hold it by the wooden collar or handle.
Add coffee and tare
Add the grounds, shake gently to level, place the Chemex on the scale and tare to zero.
Bloom
Start the timer and pour about 60 g of water, wetting all the grounds. Swirl gently. Wait.
45 s
Pour to 200 g
Pour slowly in circles from the center outward up to 200 g, finishing around 1:15. Keep the water away from the very top of the filter.
Pour to 340 g
When the level drops by a couple of centimeters, pour again to 340 g, finishing around 2:00.
Pour to 480 g
Final pour up to 480 g, finishing around 2:45. Give it a gentle swirl to settle the bed.
Let it drain
Drawdown should be done between 3:30 and 5:00. Lift out the filter, swirl the coffee and serve.
1:30
Taste and adjust
Sour or thin? Grind a bit finer. Bitter or slow? Grind a bit coarser.

Putting the single-layer side of the filter toward the spout, which blocks airflow and stalls the brew.
Grinding as fine as for a small cone: the thick paper then drains very slowly.
Not rinsing the filter, leaving a papery taste.
Pouring over the top edge of the filter so water skips the coffee.

If it…	Try this
Sour or thin	Grind a little finer so the water extracts more.
Bitter or dry	Grind a little coarser.
Weak	Add a little more coffee for the same water, for example 32 g.
Too strong	Use a little less coffee for the same water, for example 28 g.
Stalls, takes over 5 minutes	Grind coarser, and check the filter's three-layer side is at the spout so air can escape.

Bloom: The first small pour that just wets the grounds. Fresh coffee puffs up and releases gas, which helps the rest of the water extract evenly.
Ratio: Water weight divided by coffee weight. 1:16 means 15 g of coffee to 240 g of water.
Extraction: How much flavor the water pulls from the grounds. Under-extracted tastes sour and thin; over-extracted tastes bitter and dry.
Drawdown: The last stage, when you've stopped pouring and the water drains through the coffee bed. It tells you how fine your grind is.
Bed: The layer of grounds in the filter. A flat bed after drawdown means the water flowed evenly.
Pulse pour: Pouring in several small portions with short pauses, instead of one long continuous pour.
Gooseneck kettle: A kettle with a thin curved spout that gives you a slow, precise stream. Helpful, but a normal kettle poured carefully works too.
Fines: Tiny dust-like particles from grinding. Lots of them can clog the filter and slow the drawdown.