Essay: On the Chemex Persuasion

(2023) Somewhere between drip coffee and French press is a brewing method that is considered by coffee drinkers to be the standard in flavor. Drip coffee has a reputation of being quantity while sacrificing quality. French press has all the flavor but some slight drawbacks. It would be nice if there were something in the middle to bring out positives on both sides. Here is where the Chemex coffeemaker system slots in perfectly.

Nearly two decades ago my first experience with coffee came in the form of a French press. It was the day of days to go through the process: putting the kettle on, grinding the beans, blooming the grounds in the cylinder, waiting the four minutes before ultimately pressing down. Cups and cups were consumed. For the next few months, this was how I experienced coffee. Raw, unfiltered, and of the utmost octane. While the French press has its perks, often proclaimed as the purest coffee delivery system, it has one outstanding drawback. The omission of a paper filter means the brew is high in cholesterol. Whether it was the regular heavy dosage of coffee or the daily deliverance of cholesterol, a change needed to happen. The French press had to be considered a weekend experience.

Here is where the drip coffee came in. No longer was the water boiled on the stovetop, but now it was easily poured into a reservoir. As a matter of fact, little care and measurement is needed for drip coffee. More water means more liquid; grinding too many beans means stronger coffee. It also went the other way. The main point is that drip coffee was - and still is - convenient. The act of grinding coffee is still insisted. That means drip coffee could be even more convenient if a further sacrifice in fresh ground beans were considered. A few taps of some beeping buttons and one comes back when the alert sounds. Though there are no known drawbacks of a drip machine (the amount of plastic has always been questioned), the delivery system is convenient while sacrificing a little flavor. 

Now imagine the excitement when a Chemex entered the coffee bar. The forty-ounce carafe is made of glass and comes with a wooden handle secured with a leather thong and two beads. The glass has a pour channel perfect for those dramatic pours. The vessel also has a curious little nub toward the bottom. This is the half-way indicator, alerting the brewer that twenty ounces has been poured out (or consumed).

Chemex coffeemakers require special filters for the extraction process. Here is where Chemex shines above the French press. Once the ground beans (set to 24 on our burr grinder) are sprinkled into the filter, the boiling water is poured over to create a bloom. Almost immediately the filtered coffee drips to the bottom of the glass, no doubt full of flavor. In order to do this process, one needs Chemex specific filters. No worry, Chemex sells boxes of 100 filters for long-time service. Further, per Chemex, it is permissible to keep coffee warm by setting it atop a gas stove at low setting, certainly a nod to the chemistry background of its history.

Sure there are coffee makers in the same price range as a hand-blown forty-ounce Chemex coffeemaker, but it should be mentioned we have gone through at least three drip coffee machines at the creakybottombracket.com office. They add up with how much abuse they receive. Meanwhile the simple Chemex remains unchanged for eighty years, and, if treated correctly, could be used for eighty years in our office. The Chemex slips in neatly somewhere between a drip coffee machine’s convenience and a French press’s abundance of flavor. It’s healthier and full of flavor, which is why the Chemex might just be the perfect coffee system for its price.