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The ChemexZachary Newton / Wikimedia Commons (CC0)
Chemex
An hourglass flask with an extra-thick filter for a very clean, bright cup.
Where it comes from
Designed by chemist Peter Schlumbohm in 1941 and still made in Massachusetts. It's in the collection of New York's Museum of Modern Art.
Its bonded filters are thicker than normal and remove most of the oils, which is why the cup tastes so clean.
How to make it at home
- Put the thick side of the filter toward the spout. Rinse it with hot water and pour that water away.
- Add the coffee and bloom with about twice its weight in water for 30–45 seconds.
- Pour in slow spirals, in stages, up to the total.
- Let it drain, lift out the filter and serve.
Coffees to try with it
Roasters commonly recommend light, washed coffees like Ethiopian Yirgacheffe.
More ways to brew
Turkish coffeeTürkiye: Coffee and water boiled together in a tiny pot, served with its foam and grounds settled in the cup.Vietnamese phinVietnam: A slow, strong drip over sweetened condensed milk and ice: cà phê sữa đá.Café de ollaMexico: Coffee steeped with cinnamon and piloncillo in a clay pot.Ethiopian coffee ceremonyEthiopia: Green beans roasted, ground and boiled in a clay jebena, shared over three rounds.