For my 2 cents having used the chemex daily about 2 years, I don't have any issues with stalling and I've only had the spout clog a handful of times. I grind just barely coarser than a v60, but also make a larger 30:500 batch (in ~5min). You can totally avoid those issues just by using the filter the normal way, and I love how clean the cup is. Totally excited to try these hacks, love the stir stick and the cut filter hack! I just think the chemex deserves more love!
I don’t have clogs either. If it does happen, it just takes a quick shift of the paper to correct. If it does happen to my brews, it is a simple correction.
@@LanceHedrick I think the reason for all those complaints is because most coffee connoisseurs (or snobs, lol) like to experiment and do their own thing. I have Baratza and Chemex and I do what the instructions say: 18-20 grind setting depending on how light the roast is. I’ve never had an issue with clogging. I do a very gentle pour and a couple of swirls. Love my v60, moka, aeropress, but in the morning for the whole family 60/1000gr is perfect. Cheers!
I've been using a Chemex for years and I can't believe how much better my cup was today after watching your video! I only bought mine after my Dad passed for nostalgic reasons because he always used one. Now that I have learned to use it I've gained a new avenue of respect for a dad that I had huge respect for already. Thank you sir for that!
Ever since taking that home barista course held by a local SCA judge I was immediately hooked to the Chemex and bought it right after the course. And mind you I got the large one…. I didn’t know what I was getting myself into… more than 5 years later and I still use it daily and it is still my preferred method of brewing. I love the clean cup, the sweetness I get.. I feel so passionate about it I defend it left and right xD I am really excited to try your hacks immediately and I am happy I found your channel. I enjoy your clear instructions and tone of voice. Thank your doing this!
This is freaking awesome Lance. You have a way of explaining the theory while showing a practical method that is really something to enjoy. I learned so much from watching your channel! Keep up the stellar work king!
Have had my Chemex for countless years. I solved the vent problem long ago with a simple fix. I have a supply of plastic drinking straws, the ones with a flex joint on one end. I fold the straw down at the flex point to 180 degrees and put a small piece of clear tape right at the bend to hold it in that position. I then place the long portion of teh straw down inside the vent channel and hook it on the pouring lip. It stays, no problem and provides the intended airflow for the pour to go without bubbling or stopping. Reuse many times, wash, rinse, repeat or get a new one.
My g, lance! I have to say this. I dont even know you in real life but! I can notice and feel u r A humble person in first sight, apart from coffee contents i can see your patience, modest behavior and respect towards ppl, such a good energy vibrating out of you! you inspired me in so much way plus, splendid coffee skills, u surprise me each new videos! U r a hope and light in this dark world haha! Ive been complaining on all shit but now time to calm maself down and testing yal chemex guide :) ive learn from you so darn much!! Thx ☺️
dang following this recipe and tips really improved my morning brew. I never thought changing up my default method from the past 4 years would have such an impact! Thanks for the video!
The little pink silicone thingy is what my Dad uses to keep his coffee cup from cooling off too fast. He sits it on top of the cup between sips and it creates enough suction to seal and keep the hot coffee hot longer.
i hate to disagree with you. i usually love your videos. i've been using a chemex since 1980. water can not bypass the filter on the single fold side, there is glass there. it doesn't get any better than that. as for bypass on the 3 fold side, because of the small pour spout. i have watched for this, and i have barely seen any of this; there are 3 layers of thick paper there. if there is bypass, it is much less than a v60 would have with groves all the way around. in the last 5-10 years, i have noticed the filters appear to have changed. i have never had a filter, 3 plies into the pour spout, plug the spout and cause a jam. but like i said, in the last 5-10 years things changed. i now fold back a portion of the 3 ply side's "ear" down into the spout. this little trick totally solved the issue and i have never had it again.
Lance, I’ve come to learn about you via other coffee channels, so I decided to finally stop by. As someone who brews a Chemex, as their daily driver, this is perhaps one of the best, (if at least more insightful) videos about this brewer for those of us who use it, love it, and want to get more out of it. I’ve never had a brew stall and part of my routine is to pull the edges of the filter by the spout taught after my post bloom/initial pour draws down. Curious to see how much the 2 sided filter changes the taste in the cup. Excited to try this and some of the other hacks! That double pour was mind blowing and pure Gangsta! SUBSCRIBED!
Just found a Chemex at the local Goodwill for $5, this will certainly come in handy to learn how to brew well with it! Thanks for the great content Lance!
For 2 years I used a Chemex and then switched to espresso or use a technivorm for large batches, Thanks to you I am just now learning that the Chemex can do so much better than I thought. Enjoying your series sooooooo much (and my coffee thanks you for it.) Cant wait to try my chemex again this weekend. After I dust it off :)
Been using the Chemex for years and not once has it clogged on me. Just fold and press your filter properly then hold it with your fingers against the glass until you’ve wet a full circle. It’s not going anywhere after that. The chute *is* designed to prevent the paper from clogging it, that’s why (unlike a V60 server for example) the groove goes all the way down into the reservoir.
The Chemex was my first pour over brewer that I got, and I quickly switched to the V60 after having trouble with smaller brews and wasting large amounts of coffee on brews that didn’t turn out right. Just made a batch brew following this technique and it’s hands down one of the BEST pour overs I’ve ever made!! Loving your videos Lance, feels like I’m taking college courses for coffee and I’m loving every second of it! Keep the recipes coming, your channel is awesome
I've never subscribed to a station before, but this guys just warrants a like and subscription. Couldn't find Silicon pad around the house so that's on its way, but all of the other steps just gave my morning chemex a boost that I'm proud of. Thanks for sharing Lance
I am a fairly lazy person when I'm not at work (just ask my wife!), so I doubt I'll do that filter hack more than once to try it, but it's a super interesting method that I wouldn't have known about without you bringing it to our attention. I've never really been a big fan of the Chemex after wasting a TON of coffee trying to get a cup I like. I may have to try this recipe now, if I can dig up my silicone jar opener! Thanks!
Haha! The recipe works well without that hack, so no worries. And for the filters, I understand. I would recommend it, though! It will incredibly increase your extraction and consistency. Just make them like once weekly. Knock out a few. Quite easy once you have made a couple
Love the seminar on using Chemex brewer. Another coffee friend suggested I use stainless steel microperforated filters. I also got some glass laboratory stir rods BUT I didn't know about placing them in the filter FIRST then pouring in freshly ground coffee and using the glass rod to make a funnel in the ground coffee to enhance extraction. THANK YOU!
Yes! This video was perfect! The only problem is I end up pulling some shots of espresso for my wife and myself instead of grabbing the Chemex. This weekend, I'm on it as well as signing up for your Patreon. Thanks for all the knowledge and good vibes.
Never thought making a coffee could be so difficult silicon and scissors 😂 i am 1962 model and my father used to make coffee the old way. It was quick and easy.
The Chemex was one of my first brewers on my coffee/pour over journey. Sadly I broke my first Chemex but bought the bigger version with the handle. They fixed the air flow issue with a bigger lip. I haven't had clogs with the new version but the filter hack and the stir stick hacks were very useful. Madcap coffee has a recipe that's nice as well and pretty close to yours.
Awesome video as always! There is just one huge issue tough, after convincing my S.O. that I need a V60, 2 moka pots, Aeropress, vietnamese coffee dripper, Ibrik, kalita wave, hario switch and then lastly(i promised) a Breville Barista Express, how the hell am I supposed to convince my wife that I need a Chemex now??
Nice video as always and since we have a guest at home I was brewing 650ml in the mornings using Chemex so it's going to be a perfect opportunity to try out the recipe (it's going to suck to count to 60 with Red Clix though). I liked the filters hack but I have to admit that in my ~5 years of using Chemex daily I got one stalled brew with Ethiopian coffee. Never thought it's a flawed brewer. However, I prefer V60 these days mostly for clarity in the cup and fruity and floral notes.
I've been wanting to try a chemex for a long while. I usually just use my espresso machine, but it becomes a pain if we have guest over and we are just making coffee. I stopped by an estate sale this morning and picked up an almost new 8 cup chemex with 100 bleached chemex filters for $6. Pulled up your video and gave it a try. Wow! works great, tastes great. I used a silicon straw to place in the channel to keep an air flow going. thanks for sharing this video. It made my first attempt with the chemex a success!
Wow just tried this and it produced some amazing coffee! I didn’t have a single piece of soft silicone in my house at all so I used a wooden spoon and put in the he spout, but I want to try to find something what you used. And that pour method 🤯 so cool!
Suprisingly the handblown version fixes all the spout problems. The brewcone is actually shaped the same as the filter and spout is more pronounced. No issues with collapsing filters, even tried the one layer on the spoutside.
Absolutely! I'll put that in the queue. After next week, I might pivot back to espresso for a bit, but I'll certainly work towards a french press video!
I always feel weird that I've heard so much about chemex and stalls and used one for my daily brew for years and never had a particular problem with it. I just do the 3 fold side on the side with the spout and do the divot thing with the bed in this video and it's always worked great.
Nice! Well, I promise your extraction will be more even with these hacks, even if you haven't experienced stalls. Stopping the bypass with that silicon hack and, even more importantly, the filter folding trick, will both help increase extraction and I believe your whole experience
Hey Lance, great video and I love the paper trick and the trick with the stick to spread the grounds. Question about the paper trick, Ive noticed while majority of the paper is still 2 and 2, the very bottom of the filter is actually not 2 and 2 due to the 45 degree cut. It's actually 1 and 3 still. Any ideas on how to fix this?
I'm not Lance, but I can answer: there's no way to fix it. It's that little bit you leave un-cut that prevents grounds from falling through the filter.
Due to the shortage of Chemex filters these days, I haven’t brewed chemex in a while, since I’m out of filters. I really enjoy brewing with it, I enjoy the clean cup. Great video! I’ve been loving the content!
@@LanceHedrick Yeah, chemex filters were on back order because they couldn’t keep up with demand. I’ll check out the onyx website to make an order. Thanks Lance!
Man I'm just watching this. I've been brewing with a Chemex for years. I can make pretty decent cups with it. You totally blew my mind with those hacks! I normally use a chopstick to help the airflow. Also the glass stick thing is interesting. I'm going to try this when I get my next batch of beans!
Hey Lance, in your other videos you make a point of not adjusting your grind size until you’ve exhausted all other variables. For Chemex, would you keep the same grind size as you did for your V60 recipe? This was great. Thanks!
Never had an issue with bypass using any of the Chemexes, or even a V60. With proper pouring technique it simply doesn't occur; there's even a video with James Hoffman pouring directly on the filter, and still the water travels down (not out) the side of the paper and into the coffee (actually giving more, but a worse tasting extraction). Secondly I've never had an uneven extraction due to the 3 ply on one side. Water doesn't leave through the side of the filter so it's irrelevant; with the Chemex filters it leaves only through the tip of the cone, after filtering through the coffee bed. Extraction is more even generally than with say a V60.
Thanks for another great lesson, Lance! Instead of the silicone, you could try sitting a metal straw or glass pipette right into the spout: it would provide a wall for the paper filter and breathing hole for the container, and do away with plastics... Talk about metal, any word on stainless steel filters?
You could but it would solve the bypass that happens there! And I don't enjoy metal filters. They allow too many insolubles through to the final cup. I prefer clean cups where the acidity isn't overrun by the cell wall fragments, oils, etc, that make it through. But, everyone is different!
Followed your directions to the letter, used my brand new grinder (Christmas present from the wife) and I don't know if I should be scared or happy becuase I'm drinking it black and darn, if it don't taste good. Thanks for the video! Cheers!
Interesting method of preparing the paper filter... I just buy "cone" filter papers...but I liked the use of the silicon, and stirring stick placement.
For sure. You can use cone, but the chemex filter is actually quite good. Thick and sturdy. I like using them for big brews much more than thin cone filters
I've had a Chemex for over 30 years, never had a problem with the spout, but I use the unbleached filters, maybe they're thicker. You could just fold it over a little, might help. I never weigh the coffee but I have a programmable burr grinder that I can adjust to my preference. I'm not that pedantic.
I've never had a problem with the filter blocking the chute - I just jigger it a bit after the rinse, if necessary. I always figured that the three layer side of the filter in conjunction with the chute, would ensure that the water passed through the three layers rather than going out elsewhere. Hmmm .... Maybe if the chute is taken out of play entirely like this with the silicone then water can ONLY exit into the carafe at the bottom tip of the filter, after it has also passed through the coffee.
mine broke a year or so ago and I've stuck with the v60 since. making me want to get a new one. first of all to try the hacks, and secondly, so I can pour two cups and drink em both
Not sure if the three-layer filter side filters are any different than the one-layer filter. Because the filter is not filtering much pass-thru down its sides, we hope. It filters only through the bottom one-inch or so diameter bottleneck hole, so the filtration difference from three sides versus one side is only after the bottleneck hole. There is a difference, which you can check by tilting your Chemex one way or the other and you will see flow rate change. Once the filter is wet against the smooth glass cone above the bottleneck, no brew gets through until it reaches down into the bottleneck. Right? Now consider if I am wrong about that. Then the Chemex engineers would have made the triple-fold side filter 1/3 the amount of the single-fold side and the single-fold side filter three times the amount of the three-fold side with neither side's flow-through being optimal. That's not impossible; they would have made the filter's pass-through holes to allow an optimal average with a 3 to 1 ratio. Saying it differently, the thick side would filter three times slower than optimal and the thin side would filter three times faster than optimal. Together they would add up to Optimal. A tapered chopstick (Japanese style) is excellent to hold the funnel open, if necessary. A red one works best. That pink thing destroys the Chemex, I doubt you'd find that in the Museum of Modern Art.
WAIT WHAT!!!!!! Get outa town. I came here to learn how to use a Chemex and finished as a chemist 🤣🤣🤣 No really, I am just now looking in to getting my first Chemex pour over and had loads of questions. I didn't know of all the steps you go through to make a pot. I bet it tastes fabulous. I see that you must have patience when using a Chemex. Question, how do you keep your coffee hot? Can you put it on the stove?
Hey Lance I think u r one of the best people to learn about Coffee. Lance the Chemex, Aeropress, V60 and other filter methods, what do they each represent, do each have that uniques about them?
For sure! In short, Chemex tends to have a very low body and high acidity/clarity, though uneven extraction. Aeropress tends to have a huge body, low clarity, and medium acidity. V60 tends to have high clarity, average extraction, and medium sweetness. of course, these are over simplifications but they all brew the coffee extremely differently.
so if I need these several hacks, why is this device so loved? Also, why not just use a Melita style cone and filter on top of the Chemix? No stalls. Great video and sound quality and coffee knowledge. ty
It's really not that bad, especially if you're someone worried about bypass. If so, you're probably already taking a bit to situate filters perfectly to optimize extraction. Also, can easily do quite a few in one sitting to set yourself up
@@LanceHedrick makes sense…also, probably if you’re watching this video you’re already in the upper tier of those that care about your brews and willing to do that!
This is a great video Lance. I have been enjoying the Chemex for about a year now and this video has definitely upped my game. I have explored the Chemex, French press, and deeply into the world of espresso. I am wondering what I should get next. V60, Aeropress, or something else you suggest?
Definitely gonna take some pointers from this and apply it to the v60 technique you showed, esp regarding spin and agitation - I would try this on my 3 cup chemex but I'm just too lazy to calculate appropriate origami for the half moon papers!
Hi Lance, I have a full pour over bar and manually brew every morning. However, I have a bonavita coffee brewer for those mornings I want to check out and be lazy. Thinking of upgrade on bonavita and in 2023 Wilfa Precision has been redesigned for US market through Lardera. Then I think of the Moccamaster and the Chemex ottomatic. In short, I wonder what you might recommend? The Chemex Ottomatic to me has special appeal because you get a Chemex 6 cup and so it gives me another pour over device manually. I have had Chemex 3 and 8 cup for years and had to keep replacing as young children broke the glass. This would allow me to get Chemex in my game again.
I'm really digging your latest videos. A lot of RU-vid videos have hand-wavy statements so I appreciate your thoughtful explanations. Curious which cone dripper you'd choose for a 500g batch (30g coffee) v60 or chemex or???
What ever you do Lance, there is ALWAYS something I learn. Can’t wait to try your filter hack and perhaps the pouring technique... always amazes me! Few questions: 1- is the only reciepe you do or do you have one with less coffee? 2- when you refer to a grinder, it would help (me at least) to know the full range of the grinder (i.e. 24 clicks on a range of 100 or 25?). It would help to set on my grinder 3- i had seen the chopstick in the funnel hack, have you tried it and how does it compare to your silicone hack? Thanks again!
1- you can scale this down no problem! If doing less than 32ish grams, I'd recommend going down to a V60 anyway. But just scale everything down no problem! 2- I say 24 clicks because it refers to microns. Every click on a c40 is 30 microns. So, about a 12 on an encore grinder. You can also get a kruve ruler that does microns and you can put it beside the grounds. 3- yeah I have. It does an OK job, but I prefer the silicon because it decreases the localized bypass even more
@@LanceHedrick yeah, I went the chemex way as I wanted the “less oily” taste vs V60... but as I most of the time end up drinking 300-400ml, perhaps I should have gone v60 way... learning at all ages.
The amount of oils in a V60 should be extremely minimal. Especially if using hario untabbed filters. Would love for you to give my v60 approach a try! I'm thinking you may end up preferring it. Plastic v60 is cheap
@@LanceHedrick I know, I know... price is not the issue, kitchen realestate for “coffee stuff” is negociated in my house 😂😂😂. Another reason for Chemex is that I’ve seen v60 filter holders that fit into a chemex... you may have convinced me... or perhaps will drink just continue drink more coffee on my chemex 😂😂
