How to Brew Chemex Coffee Step by Step (the Version That Works for Beginners)
If you just bought a Chemex and you're staring at the thick glass brewer wondering where to start — this is the version we use at home every weekend. No special vocabulary. No equipment you'll never use again. Just a clean cup that tastes like the coffee actually came through.
Chemex looks intimidating because it's made of glass and it pours slow. The brewer itself is forgiving once you know the four things that matter: grind size, water temperature, pour pattern, and contact time. Get those right and the rest takes care of itself. Get them wrong and you'll either get a thin sour cup or a bitter over-extracted one — usually both in the same pot.
We walked through this recipe with our Costa Rica Single Origin — the bright citrus gives you quick feedback while you learn the pour.
This walkthrough is for someone who has the brewer, has a bag of good coffee, and has access to a kettle and a kitchen scale. We'll cover the recipe first, then the technique, then the five mistakes we see beginners make most often.
The recipe (start here)
For a 6-cup Chemex (the most common size — about 30 ounces brewed coffee):
- Coffee: 50 grams (just under 4 tablespoons of whole beans, ground medium-coarse)
- Water: 750 grams (filtered, heated to 200–205°F)
- Brew time: 4:00–4:30 from the first pour to the last drop
- Grind size: medium-coarse, like coarse sand. If it looks like table salt, it's too fine.
For a 3-cup Chemex:
- Coffee: 25 grams
- Water: 375 grams
- Same temperature, same brew time, same grind size.
The 1:15 ratio (1 part coffee to 15 parts water by weight) is what we use for all our Chemex pours. You can go as low as 1:12 for a stronger cup or up to 1:17 for a lighter one, but 1:15 is the middle ground that works for most people on their first few tries.
A kitchen scale matters more than you think. Volume measurements (tablespoons, scoops) vary too much between bean sizes. A $15 scale from any kitchen store will make your first Chemex cup taste better than 90% of what you'll get from a scoop-and-pray approach.
What you need
- Chemex brewer (3-cup or 6-cup)
- Chemex bonded filter (the thick paper ones — not the thin natural filters, which let more sediment through and brew faster)
- Gooseneck kettle (a regular kettle works, but the spout control helps a lot on your first few pours)
- Kitchen scale (1-gram resolution)
- Burr grinder (blade grinder is fine for your first cup — we'll address the upgrade below)
- Timer (your phone works)
You don't need a special thermometer. Most kettles boil at 212°F, which is 7–12°F too hot. After the boil clicks off, wait 30–45 seconds. The water will be in the right range.
Step-by-step (the 4-minute version)
1. Boil and rest
Fill the kettle. Hit the boil switch. When it clicks off, set a timer for 30 seconds. By the time you finish the next step, the water will be at 200–205°F.
2. Rinse the filter
Place the filter in the Chemex with the thicker (3-fold) side against the spout. Pour hot water through the filter, fully wetting it, then dump the rinse water out of the bottom.
The rinse does three things: it removes the papery taste from the filter, it pre-heats the Chemex glass (so it doesn't suck heat out of your brew), and it seals the filter to the glass so it doesn't let grounds slip down the side.
Don't skip this. The difference between a rinsed filter and an unrinsed filter is real.
3. Grind the coffee
Grind 50 grams (for 6-cup) to a medium-coarse texture. The grind should look like rough sand or coarse kosher salt. If your grinder has numbered settings, start at the middle and adjust based on the next step.
4. Add grounds and level
Pour the ground coffee into the rinsed filter. Gently shake the Chemex side to side to level the bed. Don't tamp. Don't press. Just level.
5. Bloom (30 seconds)
Start the timer. Pour just enough water (about 80–100 grams) to wet all the grounds evenly. The grounds will bubble up and release CO2 — this is the bloom. Stir gently with a chopstick or spoon to make sure all the grounds are wet.
Let it bloom for 30 seconds. The bloom is what gives you a clean, sweet cup. If the bloom doesn't happen (no bubbling), your coffee is too stale — use a fresher bag.
6. First main pour (until 1:30)
At the 30-second mark, begin pouring water in slow, steady circles starting from the center and spiraling outward. Don't pour on the filter walls. Keep the water level consistent — pour until the slurry reaches about 1 inch below the top of the brewer, then pause.
Aim to have about 400 grams of water in by the 1:30 mark.
7. Second main pour (until 3:00)
When the water level drops about halfway, pour the remaining 350 grams in the same spiral pattern. This pour takes about 90 seconds. Keep the kettle spout close to the slurry (about 2 inches above) — high pours cool the water and disturb the bed.
8. Final drawdown (until 4:00–4:30)
Let the water drain through. The bed should slowly settle to a flat layer with no dry spots and no channels. The total brew time from first pour to last drop should be 4:00–4:30 for a 6-cup Chemex.
If it finishes in under 3:30, your grind is too coarse. If it takes longer than 5:00, your grind is too fine. Adjust on the next batch — not this one.
9. Serve
Remove the filter. Swirl the Chemex gently to mix the brew (the coffee stratifies as it pours). Pour into mugs and drink within 20 minutes for the best flavor.
The 5 beginner mistakes (and how to fix them)
Mistake 1: Skipping the bloom
If you pour all the water at once, you get uneven extraction. The bloom lets the CO2 escape so the water can actually contact the coffee. 30 seconds of patience makes a real difference.
Mistake 2: Pouring on the walls
Water that hits the paper filter bypasses the coffee bed. It dilutes your brew without extracting anything. Always pour in a circle from the center out, keeping the stream on the grounds.
Mistake 3: Using water that's too hot
Boiling water (212°F) over-extracts the coffee and pulls bitterness. Let it cool for 30–45 seconds after the boil clicks off. The 200–205°F range is the sweet spot for Chemex.
Mistake 4: Buying pre-ground coffee
Pre-ground coffee loses most of its aromatic compounds within 15 minutes of grinding. The Chemex amplifies whatever's in the cup — good or bad. If you only buy pre-ground, you'll never taste what Chemex can do.
A blade grinder (the cheap whirring kind) works for your first Chemex cup. A burr grinder (the kind with two textured surfaces that crush the beans evenly) is the upgrade that makes Chemex really shine. We use a Baratza Encore at home. The Breville Smart Grinder Pro is another good option. Don't spend more than $150 on your first grinder.
Mistake 5: Not adjusting for grind size
If your cup tastes sour or thin, the grind is too coarse — water ran through too fast. If it tastes bitter or harsh, the grind is too fine — water sat too long.
Adjust in small steps. One notch finer or coarser is enough to move the cup a long way. Keep notes. After 5 or 6 brews, you'll find the grind size that works for your specific beans and your specific grinder.
Which coffee to use
Chemex rewards light-to-medium roasts with bright, clean flavors. Heavy dark roasts can taste flat or muddy in a Chemex because the thick paper filter traps some of the oils that give dark roasts their body.
If you're new to Chemex, start with a washed single-origin — Costa Rica, Colombia, or Kenya. The flavors are distinct and clean, which makes it easier to tell what your technique is doing. After you've got the technique down, you can move into naturals, blends, and darker roasts.
We rotate between Costa Rica Tarrazú (clean and bright, almost tea-like) and Colombia Antioquia (slightly fruitier, fuller body) for our weekend Chemex pours. Both are forgiving for beginners.
How to clean the Chemex
After the brewer cools, dump the grounds (compost them — they're great for gardens). Rinse with hot water. For stuck oils, use a soft brush and a tiny amount of dish soap.
Once a month, deep-clean with a Chemex filter swap: put a filter in, fill with warm water and a tablespoon of baking soda, let it sit for 30 minutes, then rinse thoroughly. This pulls out coffee oils that build up in the glass and start affecting flavor.
Don't put the Chemex in the dishwasher. The heat warps the wooden collar, and the wood will loosen over time. Hand-wash only.
The takeaway
Chemex looks fancy and tastes fancy, but it's actually one of the simplest brewers to learn. The recipe is forgiving. The equipment is durable. The cups are clean and bright in a way that no automatic brewer can match.
Start with the recipe above. Adjust grind size if the cup doesn't taste right. Don't skip the rinse, don't skip the bloom, and don't buy pre-ground.
The first cup might not be perfect. The fifth cup will be close. By the tenth cup, you'll have it.
Brew slow. A good Chemex cup is a slow Saturday morning, not a Tuesday rush.