Chemex Coffee Maker 8 Cup Classic

Using a Chemex requires water to be heated in a tea kettle prior to brewing, and it requires a finer ground than what auto-drip machines ask for. After the water is brought to a boil, it''s important to wait for it to cool just slightly (about 30 seconds) and then you need to wet the grounds in the filter, wait for them to drain, and then fill the pot with water. Want more than a single cup of coffee? You wait for your first pour to brew, and then fill the filter again.

Some advantages over other forms of coffee brewing:

1. Taste: I don''t know how it does it, but the filter does keep your coffee from being bitter.

2. Cleanability: Users can keep all necessary components clean (anyone who''s brewed water and vinegar through their coffee maker to kill off a bitter taste that wasn''t there when you bought it understands this plight). Oftentimes, the most aggressive criticism of the Chemex is its ponderousness to clean because it''s not possible to get your hand into the reservoir. Some people prefer to add hot water and soap and give it a good rinse, which is fine if you clean the moment you empty the pot, but if you''re like me and you let the remaining sip or two sit until a nice coffee stain is on the glass, then you need some good ''ol fashion friction to get it clean. The best thing I''ve found: a baby bottle cleaner. It''s narrow enough to get into the reservoir and the angle can be adjusted to scrap the walls, too. Brilliant!

3. Electricity Free: As long as you can boil water, you can have coffee.

4. Mud/Sludge: French press and stove-top espresso-style brewing always leaves a thick slime at the bottom of an otherwise rich cup of coffee. Don''t get me wrong: I think that''s good (I use a French Press when I''m in the mood), but the cone on a Chemex doesn''t allow that at all.

5. Style/Size: the Chemex coffee pot is a relic (designed in the 40s) and the wood cuff with rawhide tie screams simplicity and elegance and it''s a wonderful, minimalist sight on any kitchen counter (and unlike electric coffee makers, easy to move if you need the space).

Some drawbacks any purchaser should consider:

1. Time: it does take 5 10 minutes of labor to get the morning cup of coffee.

2. Cones: you can''t run over to Wal-Mart when you use the last filter; you need to find a specialty store or go online, which means you need to plan ahead.

3. Cold Coffee: no electric hot plate (thank god) means coffee not poured and consumed immediately gets cold quickly. You can buy a wire guard and a glass lid so your Chemex can be warmed on the stovetop. I think that''s more labor added to an already laborious endeavor. Just have a warmed thermos ready and use that to store any unused coffee.

4. Learning Curve: It does take some time to get the grind right, the amount right and the water level right to find a cup which caters to your tongue.

5. Cleanability: I know this is in the advantages column, as well, but it''s worth mentioning that a lot of people hate cleaning these things. To submerge it does mean pulling off the wood cuff (which is a small pain) else it will get nasty over time.

Sometime between my apartment in college and the first move to my first real pad, my 4-cup Krups automatic drip gave out. I didn''t drink enough coffee to buy a replacement. Every so often when the caffeine urge strikes, I would microwave some water in a Pyrex measuring cup, insert a paper filter in the plastic basket that sits atop the carafe, add the ground, and pour in the boiling water all at once. Call it the poor man''s coffee maker but it made the best coffee bar none. There is no auto-drip that can extract as much strength and flavor as a quick 3-minute submersion in boiling water. Which, incidentally, is what a French press does, but leaves a bottom layer of silt.

I continue to make coffee this way, and never bought a replacement auto-drip, partly because I was lazy, didn''t have a lot of space, and it worked. Alas, the carafe went to Krups heaven as well, and I cast about to buy an auto-drip. It seems time.

I did a lot of consumer research for machines from budget-friendly $35 models to $150 multi-function behemoth that would roast, grind and brew AND bring you coffee in bed. All roads lead to Rome and all coffee pilgrims eventually come to Chemex. This is the way to get great coffee, and it doesn''t involved a plug.

I bought it because it''s simple, has no moving or electrical part, is not prone to breakage unless I drop it, does not take up a lot of space, and oh, the MOMA considers it an objet d''art, if the art geek in you needs persuation. The design is quite clever, BTW. You insert the filter, which is flushed with the side of the opening; this creates a suction vacuum, of sorts. Water drips down, and the flow is regulated by the displacement of air from below, up the pour spout, which is not flushed with the filter. To clean, you just rinse and pour out. The wooden and leather "belt" can be removed if you want to wash your carafe in the dish washer.

I use a normal #2 coffee filter, it is a bit small but I''m told the #3 filter (harder to find) fits it perfectly. You don''t need to buy the Chemex filter, but I''ve read that it is thicker, allowing for a longer saturation time therefore extracting more flavor. The carafe is heat-resistant pyrex glass, you cannot put this directly on heating elements. It will not keep your coffee warm. I make my coffee and immediately pour into my thermos. This is (still) the best way to make a cup of coffee.

And now for the reason why I have to subtract one star from such a fine product which I use, and like: THIS IS NOT AN 8-CUP CARAFE!

When it arrived I looked at the size of the box and thought the shipper made a mistake. But there it was, printed on the side of the carton: 8-cup capacity. I''m thinking "cup" as in "measuring cup", the normal kitchen unit for volume measurement. You may read "based on 5oz. cups" elsewhere, but what is that? I have trouble envisioning 5 oz. but I can estimate a cup. Incidentally my coffee cup holds a little less than one standard measuring cup.

I measured the capacity of the carafe. It will only hold barely 8 cups if you fill it to the rim, an impossibility as you need the top to situate your filter and ground. At the midpoint of the carafe, it holds a little more than 4 standard measuring cups. Even this is pushing it, as you need room for the drip. For practical purpose, this is a 4-cup carafe.

Chemex makes a 10-cup carafe, but I suspect it may be just 5-cup, practically speaking. The capacity labeling is inaccurate and just silly.

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Simple. Elegant. and produces (almost) the best cup of coffee (second only to a Hario Syphon). The labor is negligible if you consider the benefits.

Since the filter is cone shaped, it eliminates sludge and provides a consistent filtration. I have used a Chemex since 1989 yes, I have cracked a few, but some vendors have the hand-blown version which is a sturdier glass.

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Using a Chemex requires water to be heated in a tea kettle prior to brewing, and it requires a finer ground than what auto-drip machines ask for. After the water is brought to a boil, it''s important to wait for it to cool just slightly (about 30 seconds) and then you need to wet the grounds in the filter, wait for them to drain, and then fill the pot with water. Want more than a single cup of coffee? You wait for your first pour to brew, and then fill the filter again.

Some advantages over other forms of coffee brewing:

1. Taste: I don''t know how it does it, but the filter does keep your coffee from being bitter.

2. Cleanability: Users can keep all necessary components clean (anyone who''s brewed water and vinegar through their coffee maker to kill off a bitter taste that wasn''t there when you bought it understands this plight). Oftentimes, the most aggressive criticism of the Chemex is its ponderousness to clean because it''s not possible to get your hand into the reservoir. Some people prefer to add hot water and soap and give it a good rinse, which is fine if you clean the moment you empty the pot, but if you''re like me and you let the remaining sip or two sit until a nice coffee stain is on the glass, then you need some good ''ol fashion friction to get it clean. The best thing I''ve found: a baby bottle cleaner. It''s narrow enough to get into the reservoir and the angle can be adjusted to scrap the walls, too. Brilliant!

3. Electricity Free: As long as you can boil water, you can have coffee.

4. Mud/Sludge: French press and stove-top espresso-style brewing always leaves a thick slime at the bottom of an otherwise rich cup of coffee. Don''t get me wrong: I think that''s good (I use a French Press when I''m in the mood), but the cone on a Chemex doesn''t allow that at all.

5. Style/Size: the Chemex coffee pot is a relic (designed in the 40s) and the wood cuff with rawhide tie screams simplicity and elegance and it''s a wonderful, minimalist sight on any kitchen counter (and unlike electric coffee makers, easy to move if you need the space).

Some drawbacks any purchaser should consider:

1. Time: it does take 5 10 minutes of labor to get the morning cup of coffee.

2. Cones: you can''t run over to Wal-Mart when you use the last filter; you need to find a specialty store or go online, which means you need to plan ahead.

3. Cold Coffee: no electric hot plate (thank god) means coffee not poured and consumed immediately gets cold quickly. You can buy a wire guard and a glass lid so your Chemex can be warmed on the stovetop. I think that''s more labor added to an already laborious endeavor. Just have a warmed thermos ready and use that to store any unused coffee.

4. Learning Curve: It does take some time to get the grind right, the amount right and the water level right to find a cup which caters to your tongue.

5. Cleanability: I know this is in the advantages column, as well, but it''s worth mentioning that a lot of people hate cleaning these things. To submerge it does mean pulling off the wood cuff (which is a small pain) else it will get nasty over time.

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I have used many types of coffee makers over the years, and I keep coming back to Chemex type coffee makers. Some call it work, I call it the extra bit of user involvement that results in a higher quality end product. If you take coffee seriously--I assume you do if you reading this--the small amount of involvement required by this type of coffee brewer is simply the cost of prefection. I recommend that anyone using this type of coffee maker also invest in a one liter vacuum flask to pour your brewed coffee into so that it will stay warm and fresh. You doubtless realize that it is a bad practice to attempt to keep brewed coffee warm by adding heat as on a stove top. The result of adding heat is bitterness and ruined coffee. So, get one of these simple, well made devices, keep it clean, learn how to use it well, and enjoy really first rate coffee for years, never again having to throw away a junky plastic coffee maker. You will be glad you did.

Joe Stephenson