# Chemex

Source: https://dailyextraction.com/methods/chemex/
Last updated: 2026-10-20

> Fold a Chemex filter so its three-layer side sits against the spout, rinse it, and add coffee ground medium-coarse. Counter Culture Coffee's recipe uses 45 g of coffee and 750 g of water at about 93°C: bloom with 100 g, then pour in stages every 30 seconds until you reach 750 g. The thick filter gives a very clean cup.

## At a glance

- Ratio: 1:17 (45 g coffee : 750 g water)
- Grind: Medium-coarse
- Water temperature: 93 °C
- Category: Pour-over & Drip (Percolation)
- Difficulty: Beginner
- Origin: United States, 1941
- Also known as: Chemex coffeemaker, Chemex pour-over, Chemex Classic, Chemex coffee

## Steps

1. **Fold the filter**: Open a Chemex filter into a cone with three layers on one side and one on the other. Seat it with the three-layer side against the pouring spout.
2. **Rinse and warm**: Rinse the filter with hot water to warm the glass and take away any papery taste, then pour that water out through the spout, leaving the filter in place.
3. **Add the coffee**: Add 45 g of coffee, ground medium-coarse, about like kosher salt, and shake it level.
4. **Bloom**: Start a timer and pour 100 g of water at about 93°C (200°F) to wet all the grounds.
5. **Pour to 200 g**: At 30 seconds, pour in a slow circle until the scale reads 200 g.
6. **Pour to 300 g**: At 1 minute, or once the level has dropped about a centimetre, pour to 300 g.
7. **Keep pouring to 750 g**: Keep pouring every 30 seconds, or each time the level drops about a centimetre, until you reach 750 g. Let it drain.
8. **Serve**: Lift the filter out, give the Chemex a swirl and pour, holding it by the wooden collar.

The **Chemex** is a pour-over coffeemaker made from **one piece of glass**, shaped like an hourglass, with a **wooden collar** tied on with a leather thong. You brew straight into it through a **thick paper filter**, which gives one of the cleanest, lightest cups of any brewer. It was invented by the chemist **Peter Schlumbohm in 1941**, and a 1941 Chemex sits in the Museum of Modern Art's collection. Here's how to brew a great pot, how to fold the filter and which size to get.

## The short version

- **Glass pour-over** that brews several cups straight into its own body.
- **Thick bonded paper filters** give a very clean, light cup.
- **Grind medium-coarse**, about like kosher salt.
- **A good recipe:** 45 g coffee, 750 g water at about 93°C, poured in stages (Counter Culture Coffee).
- **Three-layer side of the filter to the spout.**



## What makes the Chemex different?

Most pour-overs sit on top of a mug. The Chemex is **brewer and carafe in one**: the top half holds the filter, the bottom half collects the coffee, and the wooden collar is the handle.

![Diagram of a Chemex: a thick paper filter in the top cone with its three-layer side against the pouring spout, a wooden collar and leather tie around the waist, a glass button on the lower bowl marking half full, and a one-piece glass body](https://dailyextraction.com/diagrams/chemex-anatomy.svg "The parts of a Chemex. The thick filter is what makes the cup so clean.")

The big difference is the **filter**. Chemex's own bonded paper filters are **thicker than most pour-over filters**. They slow the water down and hold back more of the coffee's oils and fine particles, so the cup is very clean and light-bodied, with little sediment. If you like a heavier, richer coffee, a [French press](https://dailyextraction.com/methods/french-press/) is the opposite end of the scale.

## What do you need to brew with a Chemex?

- **A Chemex** and **Chemex filters**
- **Coffee** and a burr grinder
- **Scales**, so you can weigh coffee and water
- **A kettle**; a gooseneck makes slow, steady pouring easier

## How much coffee and water should I use?

This is **Counter Culture Coffee's Chemex recipe**, which makes two 12 oz cups:

| | Amount |
| --- | --- |
| Coffee | 45 g, ground medium-coarse |
| Water | 750 g, at about 93°C (200°F) |
| Ratio | 1:17 |
| Bloom | 100 g of water |

Many roasters use a slightly stronger **1:16**. Chemex's own instructions go by volume instead: **one rounded tablespoon of ground coffee for every 5 oz cup**, or more if you like it stronger.

## What grind size is best for a Chemex?

**Medium-coarse**, about like kosher salt. That's coarser than most [V60](https://dailyextraction.com/methods/v60/) recipes, because the thick filter already slows the water down. If your brew takes much longer than about 5 minutes, or tastes bitter, grind coarser. If it's quick, sour and thin, grind finer.

![Chart of coffee grind sizes from extra fine to extra coarse, with medium-coarse highlighted for the Chemex](https://dailyextraction.com/diagrams/grind-size.svg#medium-coarse "The Chemex sits at medium-coarse on the grind scale, like kosher salt.")

## How do you brew a Chemex, step by step?

1. **Fold the filter** into a cone with three layers on one side and one on the other. Seat it with the **three-layer side against the spout**.
2. **Rinse it** with hot water to warm the glass, then pour the water out through the spout, leaving the filter in place.
3. **Add 45 g of coffee**, ground medium-coarse, and shake it level.
4. **Bloom:** start a timer and pour 100 g of water at about 93°C to wet all the grounds.
5. **At 30 seconds**, pour in a slow circle to 200 g.
6. **At 1 minute**, or once the level has dropped about a centimetre, pour to 300 g.
7. **Keep going** every 30 seconds, or each time it drops about a centimetre, until you reach **750 g**. Let it drain.
8. **Lift out the filter**, swirl and pour, holding the Chemex by its collar.

Brew mode on this page times each pour for you.

## Which way does the Chemex filter go?

Chemex filters fold into a cone with **three layers on one side** and **one on the other**. The **three-layer side goes against the pouring spout**, as Chemex and most brew guides say.

Chemex makes its bonded filters as **pre-folded squares** and **circles**, in **white** and **natural**. Squares don't fit the smallest 3-cup models, so check the box for your size.

## Which size Chemex should I buy?

Chemex counts in **5 oz "cups"**, so its sizes are smaller than they sound. The Classic Series comes in:

| Size | Holds |
| --- | --- |
| 3-cup | 15 oz |
| 6-cup | 30 oz |
| 8-cup | 40 oz |
| 10-cup | 50 oz |

Chemex calls the little glass button on the body the **"bellybutton"**: it marks **half full** on the 5- to 10-cup sizes, and **full** on the 3-cup. For one or two people I'd go for the 6-cup: the 750 g recipe above fits in it.

## Chemex vs other brewing methods

| | Chemex | [V60](https://dailyextraction.com/methods/v60/) | [French press](https://dailyextraction.com/methods/french-press/) |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Type | Pour-over | Pour-over | Immersion |
| Filter | Thick bonded paper | Thinner paper | Metal mesh |
| Grind | Medium-coarse | Medium-fine | Coarse |
| Cup | Very clean, light | Clean, bright | Heavy, full |
| Brews into | Its own glass body | A mug or server | Its own jug |

## How do you clean a Chemex?

Lift the filter and grounds out and throw them away. To wash the glass, **take the wooden collar off first** by untying the leather tie. Wipe the collar with a damp cloth rather than soaking it. Then wash the glass as the care instructions for your model say.

*General guidance only. The Chemex is glass, so handle it with care when hot and let it cool before washing. Always follow the instructions that come with yours.*

## A short history of the Chemex

- **1941:** Peter Schlumbohm, a German-born chemist working in New York, designs and patents the Chemex. He borrowed from laboratory glassware, with a glass funnel and flask in one piece.
- **1958:** designers at the **Illinois Institute of Technology** select the Chemex as "one of the best-designed products of modern times", Wikipedia records. **The Museum of Modern Art in New York** holds a 1941 Chemex in its collection, and Chemex says Schlumbohm took inspiration from the Bauhaus and from laboratory glassware. Over his career, Chemex says, he developed more than 300 patents.
- **Today:** the Chemex Corporation makes it in **Chicopee, Massachusetts**.

You'll often read that Macy's launched the Chemex after Schlumbohm handed a buyer a sample. It may be true, but I haven't found a primary source for it, so take it as a good story rather than settled fact.

## Chemex models and variations

The Classic Series is the Chemex this page covers. Chemex also makes:

- **[Glass Handle](https://dailyextraction.com/methods/chemex-glass-handle/):** a glass handle instead of the wooden collar.
- **[Handblown](https://dailyextraction.com/methods/chemex-handblown/):** blown by hand in small batches, in 3, 5, 8 and 13-cup sizes.
- **[ChemAer](https://dailyextraction.com/methods/chemaer/):** an 8-cup Chemex with paddles inside that aerate the coffee as you swirl.
- **[Funnex](https://dailyextraction.com/methods/chemex-funnex/):** a single-cup dripper that sits on your mug.
- **[Ottomatic](https://dailyextraction.com/methods/chemex-ottomatic/):** an electric brewer that pours over a Chemex for you.

## Chemex vs other brewers

- **[V60](https://dailyextraction.com/methods/v60/):** a single-cup pour-over with a finer grind and a brighter cup.
- **[Japanese iced coffee](https://dailyextraction.com/methods/japanese-iced-coffee/):** pour-over brewed onto ice; the Chemex works well for it.
- **[French press](https://dailyextraction.com/methods/french-press/):** the full-bodied opposite of a Chemex.
- **[Kalita Wave](https://dailyextraction.com/methods/kalita-wave/)** and **[Melitta](https://dailyextraction.com/methods/melitta/):** other classic pour-over brewers.

Explore every pour-over in the [pour-over chapter](https://dailyextraction.com/methods/pour-over/).

## Words used in this guide

- [Pour-over](https://dailyextraction.com/glossary/pour-over/): Pour-over is a way of making filter coffee by hand: you pour hot water over ground coffee in a filter cone and let it drip through into a cup or jug.
- [Body](https://dailyextraction.com/glossary/body/): Body is how heavy and textured coffee feels in your mouth, from light and tea-like to thick and syrupy.
- [Fines](https://dailyextraction.com/glossary/fines/): Fines are the very small, dust-like particles that every grinder produces alongside the main grind.
- [Burr grinder](https://dailyextraction.com/glossary/burr-grinder/): A burr grinder crushes coffee between two hard, ridged surfaces called burrs, set a fixed distance apart, so particles come out a consistent size.
- [Bloom](https://dailyextraction.com/glossary/bloom/): The bloom is the first small pour of water in a brew, usually 2–3 times the weight of the coffee, followed by a 30–45 second pause.
- [Immersion vs percolation](https://dailyextraction.com/glossary/immersion-vs-percolation/): Immersion brewing steeps all the coffee in all the water at once, as a French press does.
- [Metal filter](https://dailyextraction.com/glossary/metal-filter/): A metal filter is a fine stainless-steel mesh that holds back coffee grounds, as used in a French press plunger and some reusable pour-over filters.

## FAQs

### How do you use a Chemex?

Fold the filter with its three-layer side against the spout, rinse it, add medium-coarse coffee, then pour hot water in stages. Counter Culture Coffee's recipe uses 45 g of coffee and 750 g of water at about 93°C, with a 100 g bloom.

### What's the best coffee to water ratio for a Chemex?

Counter Culture uses 1:17, 45 g of coffee to 750 g of water. Many roasters use 1:16. Chemex's own instructions go by volume: one rounded tablespoon of ground coffee for every 5 oz cup, or more if you like it stronger.

### What grind size is best for a Chemex?

Medium-coarse, about like kosher salt. That's coarser than most V60 recipes, because Chemex filters are thick and drain more slowly.

### Which way does the Chemex filter go?

The side with three layers goes against the pouring spout. The single-layer side faces the flat wall of the glass.

### Can I use other filters in a Chemex?

Chemex's own bonded paper filters are made for it, and they're thicker than most pour-over filters, which is a big part of the Chemex's very clean cup. They come as squares and circles, in white and natural.

### How many cups does a Chemex make?

Chemex counts in 5 oz cups. The Classic Series comes in 3-cup (15 oz), 6-cup (30 oz), 8-cup (40 oz) and 10-cup (50 oz) sizes. Chemex says the glass button on the body marks half full on the 5- to 10-cup sizes, and full on the 3-cup.

### Who invented the Chemex?

Peter Schlumbohm, a German-born chemist, invented the Chemex in 1941. A 1941 Chemex is in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York.

### Chemex vs V60, what's the difference?

Both are pour-overs. The Chemex uses thick bonded filters and a medium-coarse grind, brews several cups straight into its own glass body, and gives a very clean, light cup. The V60 uses thinner filters and a finer grind, and is usually brewed one cup at a time onto a mug.

## Sources

- [About CHEMEX](https://chemexcoffeemaker.com/pages/about-us)
- [CHEMEX Classic 6-cup pour-over coffeemaker (brewing instructions)](https://chemexcoffeemaker.com/products/six-cup-classic-chemex)
- [Classic Series info and support](https://chemexcoffeemaker.com/pages/classic-series-product-support)
- [Getting started](https://chemexcoffeemaker.com/pages/getting-started)
- [Quick + easy Chemex](https://counterculturecoffee.com/pages/quick-easy-chemex)
- [Chemex Coffeemaker](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chemex_Coffeemaker)
- [Peter Schlumbohm](https://www.moma.org/collection/artists/5225)