I had a traditional coffee maker, one that allows the grinds to sit in a cupcake filter inside a plastic container while near boiling water filters through. Hot water --> plastic --> consumption is probably not good. That coffee maker now resides in the break room of an office building.
I also have a french press, which makes pretty decent non-plastic coffee, but I don''t like the grittiness of my frequent "cowboy" cups. So I reserved the french press for my tea, and started looking at other coffee brewing systems. The Aerobie Aeropress is hailed to make the perfect cup of coffee, but I ran into the heated plastic issue again. So that was out.
Chemex just makes sense. It''s a simple design that comes in different sizes. You must use the Chemex filters, which are easy to fold into the required conical shape. Directions give a 5oz. water to 1 T. coffee ratio (I like my coffee a bit stronger, though). I have instant hot water (they recommend 200F), and find this temp works perfectly, so I don''t have to heat my water in a kettle first. Chemex really highlights the blooming process in making coffee, and this is such an important step for flavor extraction.
It really makes a smooth, rich cup of coffee (granted, the quality of coffee depends on the quality of beans you use--and grind immediately before brewing!). I bought the glass lid, and please know that it DOES NOT FIT THIS SMALL MODEL. Cleanup is super easy--just rinse and invert to air dry.Summary: 5 stars for the coffee. 2 stars for this carafe and the troublesome wooden collar. Steer clear and buy the other 3 cup Chemex with the glass handle!
Detail: The coffee you''ll get from a Chemex system is all that''s promised! I bought the 3-cup carafes with wood collar based on the glowing reviews. Also invested in four boxes of filters to stock up for the year; all-in that''s a lot of money for "morning joe", but I prescribe to the old notion that life is too short for bad coffee.
Yep, the coffee is great. But the clean-up process is extremely annoying in that you must untie the leather thong and remove the wooden collar sections to fully do the job. You can just rinse the interior after each use but then exterior stays a little greasy. Chemex advises that the wood should not get wet. Still the yield from the system was good enough to warrant the extra bother.
Then, after three weeks use, I noticed a growing fissure/crack in the glass right in the notched channel in the pouring spout. I''ve returned the item for credit and replaced it with the Chemex 3 cup carafe with the *glass* handle.
I like that one much better already, both for cleaning ease and because the glass handle does not heat up. The wooden collar insulated the carafe okay, but still got pretty hot to the touch.
I''m following the Chemex''s instructions to the letter so I''m assuming the glass cracking was just one of those things. Should this new one crack within the first few months for any reason other than mishandling I may abandon the system. I hope not because it makes fine coffee and I''m a tough judge.
Buy Chemex Classic Series Glass Coffeemaker Now
When combined with the Chemex filter paper, this little coffee maker makes superb drip coffee. I heat 16 oz of water in the microwave in a measuring cup and pour the water into the coffee in the filter paper about 5-6 ozs at a time. The filter paper really does a great job removing bitterness from the coffee.Read Best Reviews of Chemex Classic Series Glass Coffeemaker Here
Years ago a friend of mine showed me how to make the best tasting coffee. He took a plain piece of paper towel from a kitchen roll and laid it on the top of a regular coffee mug. He put a couple of spoonfuls of ordinary ground coffee in the towel and slowly poured hot water over the coffee until the mug was full. It was a delicate and somewhat messy operation, but it was the best coffee I ever tasted. The Chemex coffee maker achieves the same results in a more organized fashion with far superior paper filters that were specifically designed for drip brewed coffee. This is the easiest and best way to make coffe by far. The Costa Ricans use a similar method and that speaks for itself.This is a wonderful coffee maker, absolutely the best cup of home-brewed coffee I''ve ever had and I would have given it five stars; HOWEVER, the three-cup model is made of thin glass and isn''t very wide, so it tips over easily. I have so far had three of this model and all have broken within a year in the sink. I am ordering the six-cup model with the hope that the larger diameter of the base will prevent such easy breakage. Otherwise, this is an ideal way to make great coffee for just yourself.
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