How to use Chemex coffee maker - 36-600 recipe

I try to keep all of my recipes as simple as possible. And this one for brewing coffee in Chemex is no exception.

The goal in any coffee brewing is to have a balanced taste. It’s done by extracting enough of each flavor (acidic, bitter notes) so that we have an easy to drink beverage.

Contents

• The recipe 36-600
• Water temperature
• Grind size
• Brewing stages
• Total brewing time
• Adjusting the flavor
• Chemex Flavor profile
• The paper filter
• Extraction
• Chemex recipe - video

The recipe 36-600

This recipe is mostly fixed. We will have a special brewing technique to ensure the stability. And the pouring itself is not fixed to seconds, but done organically, when coffee is ready for the next portion of water - we add it.

Water temperature

Because filters are slow - we need to compensate using a relatively high water temperature. Otherwise your cup of coffee could be “dull” and boring. And lower temperature will stretch out the brewing time.

I recommend always starting from 95°C / 203°F. Rarely, for some coffee, if the aftertaste is not pleasant - you can decrease it to 92°C / 197°F.

Grind size

We use medium grind size, slightly bigger than for regular pour over. Meaning, slightly bigger than sugar to the touch. And that’s mostly the only parameter you will change to adjust the flavor.

Reference for the grind size:

• Kinu m47 - 3.3-3.7 setting
• Baratza Encore - 17-18 clicks
• Comandante C40 - 24-27 clicks

Brewing stages

We’re going to use 3 pours of water, 200 g each.

• 1 pour - 200 g (Circle in the center)
• 2 pour - to 400 g (Full Spiral to wash out the coffee from the filter)
• 3 pour - to 600 g (Circle in the center, don’t pour near the filter)

Second and third pours are made when the coffee is drained. Usually it’s around 1:30 and 3:00. Meaning of “drained” - coffee starts to switch to drops instead of having constant flow. And coffee particles at the top will have an obvious “funnel” shape.

We are doing this because of stability. Because we have a concentrated coffee after the first pour and when pouring a fresh water inside - it will not dilute the present liquid, but will extract the fresh soluble material from the coffee particles more effectively.

Total brewing time

Expect it to be within 4-8 minutes. It will depend on the coffee itself and the particle size distribution of your grinder (meaning, the amount of small particles which will slow down the flow). Let it drain for a minute or two after the flow switched to drops. This liquid will add a great flavor.

Adjusting the flavor

Coffee in Chemex becomes way better and balanced when it cools down. Be sure to wait, because otherwise it may be “aggressive” in taste.

If coffee is watery - make the grind size smaller next time. If it’s too intense - make it bigger.

Alternatively, you can use slightly more coffee (not 36, but 40 g or even 48 g).

Chemex Flavor profile

It’s different from other brewing methods. So the brewer itself is not only about aesthetics (which I personally like a lot). You can expect tons of clarity but with the pleasant lingering aftertaste and enough mouthfeel (body). It will not be “watery”, but not intense.

I assume we get such results because of the slow flow rate through the thick paper filter. Which makes the contact time with coffee longer than in regular pour over. Thus increasing an “immersion” phase. Which usually leads to “umami” flavor in higher amounts.

The paper filter

I prefer to use square filters because of the look and ease of taking it out after brewing. But it’s not about the shape, all of them have 3 layers on one side and 1 on another. Which sparks the debate about whether the extraction is even or not.

Because water balances the concentration inside - it doesn’t matter that much. And we have a “no-bypass” construction. Meaning, water can’t go between the filter and the brewer wall.

Oh, and you probably think about getting a coffee filter holder for Chemex filters. I've designed "Samurai" model to do exactly that. But "Mr. Heavy" can store them too.

Extraction

In case you’re going to use a coffee refractometer to adjust your Chemex recipe - don’t expect high extraction. And it’s better not to push it. Even 1.2% TDS will be enjoyable. I will not go higher than 1.45%.