Chemex Vs Drip Coffee Maker: Read This First!

In the great Chemex Vs Drip coffee maker debate, which one will come out on top? The answer depends on what you want from your perfect cup of coffee.

I’m a big fan of my drip coffee maker, but some of my friends have been telling me to get a Chemex. They say that the flavor is better, the coffee is fresher, and the cook has more control over the brewing process.

Of course, I’m not one to buy a product without researching it first. That’s why I decided to look up the Chemex and see what all of the fuss is about.

How do you compare a Chemex to a drip coffee maker? A Chemex produces clarified coffee using a pour-over brewing method. A drip coffee maker like this brews coffee by using pressurized water.

The Chemex requires more skill but gets higher-quality results. Drip coffee makers are a good choice for a simple cup of joe.

These two coffee-making processes are very different. Keep reading to find out why Chemex coffee has such a unique taste.

What is A Chemex?

Chemex is a manual pour-over style glass coffeemaker. It consists of an hourglass-shaped flask with a conical funnel-like neck, and special filters that are made of bonded paper, which are much thicker than the filters used in a conventional drip coffeemaker.

The Chemex was invented in 1941 by German chemist Peter J. Schlumbohm. The air of the chemist’s lab is quite obvious in the composition and shape of the coffeemaker. Dr. Schlumbohm put together his creation by fusing a glass funnel and an Erlenmeyer flask.

What is A Drip Coffee Maker?

An auto drip coffee maker is a brewing device that uses the filter-drip method to make coffee. You place the water into the machine, heat it, and then drain it into a bed of roasted or ground coffee. The water goes through the coffee grounds, soaking up their flavor.

The coffee beans then pass through a paper filter into a coffee pot.

This dripping of the coffee into the pot produces an aroma that is well-known to coffee lovers. There is nothing like the fragrance of a fresh batch of your favorite coffee beans. An auto-drip machine allows this scent to permeate through whatever space it happens to be in.

For some people, it is the only thing that can get them going in the morning. To complicate things, you can also use a manual drip coffee maker, which looks similar to a Chemex. Check out our guide on the best coffee for drip coffee makers.

Comparing A Chemex To A Normal Drip Coffee Maker

If you’re thinking of replacing your coffee maker with a Chemex, you probably want to know how the new product measures up. Here is a quick comparison of these two surprisingly different coffee brewing methods:

	Drip Coffee Maker	Chemex
Brewing Method	Electric drip	Pour-over
Water	Pressurized by machine	Boiled in kettle
Electricity Needed	Yes	No
Temperature	Determined by the coffee machine	Boiled to perfection
Water Distribution	Random	Based on skill
Filter	Any coffee filter	Chemex-brand filters
Caffeine	Usually less	Depends
Flavor	Mild and aromatic	Deep and concentrated
Brewing Time	10-30 minutes	5-10 minutes
Attention Required	Set and forget	Involved brewing process

As you might be able to tell, it’s difficult to compare Chemex coffee to drip coffee because the brewing methods are so different. One isn’t necessarily better than the other; it all depends on what you’re looking for.

In general, drip brewing (coffee maker) is a hands-off solution that will let you make fresh coffee while you’re attending to other things. A Chemex requires an involved brewing process, but the results can taste absolutely delicious.

It’s also worth noting that flavor and caffeine content will vary greatly based on how much coffee you scoop into the filter. Using more beans will always result in richer coffee. The taste can also be impacted by the way that those beans are ground.

One unique feature that drip coffee makers have is the ability to keep the coffee hot on the warmer plate. When you’re using a Chemex, you’re relying on heat-resistant glass. Since there’s no heat going in, the coffee cools down over time.

On the other hand, you also can’t burn your leftover coffee in the Chemex carafe.

So if you’re looking for a relaxed coffee maker, the Chemex probably isn’t for you. But if you love the taste of fresh coffee and want to up your game, the Chemex is a good way to enhance the flavor of your favorite beans.

Chemex: High-End Pour-Over Coffee

The Chemex design is incredibly high quality, but the product isn’t the only one of its kind. That’s because Chemex is using a classic brewing style known as pour-over coffee.

Pour-over coffee is made by pouring water through a filter and into a carafe. This is similar to how a drip coffee works; the main difference is that you’re the one pouring the coffee.

The benefit of pour-over coffee is that you get complete control. Because you’re pouring the coffee by hand, you can guarantee an even pour that completely soaks all of the grounds. When you use a drip coffee maker, the machine will pour the water unevenly through the filter basket.

It might be pour-over coffee, but the Chemex still has a few features that make it unique. The most important feature is the hourglass shape of all Chemex products.

The Chemex is made from a single piece of heat-resistant glass. Whereas most pour-over coffee makers require an additional filter basket, the Chemex’s unique shape lets you ditch this piece of equipment. Instead, just place a special Chemex filter in the top part of the hourglass.

Chemex filters are stronger than normal coffee makers and significantly larger. The company sells both circular and square filters, but there isn’t a real difference between the two. It’s all about which filter you think is easier to pull out of the Chemex before you serve.

Because there’s no filter basket, the hot water passes through the grounds more quickly. This means that you’re less likely to burn or over-brew your coffee, and it guarantees that your fresh drink will be piping hot.

The extra-thick Chemex filters catch almost everything that’s in the coffee. All of the tiny coffee particles that would normally end up in your cup get stuck to the filter instead.

This produces an extremely distilled form of coffee. When you use a Chemex filter, you’re getting almost nothing but caffeine and aromatic oils. Some people love this method of extraction, but others think that it’s missing that classic “coffee” taste.

As a final benefit, the one-container design of the Chemex means that you don’t have to do any extra dishes when you’re done brewing. I’m a big fan of this feature in particular; all of my previous pour-over coffee makers were a bit of a hassle to clean.

Why Pour-Over Coffee Has More Caffeine

Chemex coffee is known for having a higher caffeine content than coffee made with other tools. But what makes it so different from drip coffee? The answer is in the method of extraction.

Extraction is the process of getting the caffeine and flavor out of the beans and into the pot. These ingredients exist as oils trapped within the bean. When hot water hits those oils, they’re pulled out of the bean and into the carafe below.

Making coffee is actually a lot like making tea. The longer that you let the coffee beans sit in the water, the more coffee oils will come out. This can be either a good thing or a bad thing.

If you let the coffee steep too long, the result will taste bitter, and the hot water might even burn the beans.

Pour-over coffee uses a slow pour with boiling hot water. This gives the beans plenty of time to absorb the water and drip it back out. Coffee made this way is richer, and the caffeine content is usually higher.

In comparison, a drip coffee maker pushes hot water very quickly through the beans. There isn’t a lot of time for the water to immerse the beans, so the flavor is often weaker and there is less caffeine per cup. You can fix this to some extent by blooming the beans before you start the machine.

Whether or not your Chemex coffee actually has more caffeine depends on which beans you used, how you ground them, and how quickly you poured the water. But in general, you can expect pour-over coffee to be stronger than coffee made in a normal pot.

How To Use Your Chemex

You won’t get any of the benefits of making coffee with your Chemex unless you know how to use it. These simple steps are the same ones found on the Chemex website.

1. Boil your water. The Chemex website recommends grinding your coffee before you even start the water. But from my experience, fresh beans are always better. Get the water started while you prep everything else that you need.
2. Place the filter in your Chemex. Make sure that the filter is aligned properly, or it might fall down while you’re pouring.
3. Grind your beans. The way you grind your beans is up to personal preference. Chemex recommends using a burred coffee grinder and going for a medium-coarse grind.
4. Scoop coffee into the filter. You should probably scoop with a spoon; if you just dump the grounds in, you might disturb the filter. Use about 1 tablespoon for every 5 ounces of water.
5. Bloom the grounds. By now, your electric kettle should be coming to a full boil. Gently pour just enough water over the grounds to make them slightly damp. Let them sit for thirty seconds. Put the water back on so that it stays hot.
6. Pour the water. Use a slow circular motion to make sure that you cover the grounds evenly. This is the part of using a Chemex that requires a bit of skill, so take your time while you’re still learning.
7. Let it brew. Your coffee is done when all of the water has dripped through the filter and into the carafe. This should only take about 5 minutes at the most.
8. Remove the filter. Pull it out carefully; if you drop it in your Chemex, your coffee will be full of grounds.

Once you’ve mastered the process, you’ll find that making coffee with a Chemex is as fast or even faster than using a normal coffee machine. On the other hand, if you’re the type of person who is clumsy in the morning, the Chemex might require too much attention and work.

The Pros And Cons Of Drip Coffee Makers

The most obvious reason to own a drip coffee maker is that they’re incredibly easy to use. Pour water into the chamber, put your grounds in the basket, and wait 10 minutes for a delicious cup of coffee.

Drip coffee makers use electrically generated heat to pressurize the water in the chamber. When the water finally does make it to the filter basket, it’s usually moving pretty fast. This can create a quick-brewed taste that’s similar to espresso, especially if you use enough beans.

However, if you don’t heat up your water in advance, this pressurization process might work against the quality of your coffee. As the water heats, it will pass through the coffee maker at an uneven rate. You might see the machine pour out some coffee, pause for a moment, and then drip out a little more.

When you have a high-quality drip coffee maker, the flavor is usually rich and consistent. If you use a cheaper model, you might get a different cup of coffee every time you brew a pot.

I really love my drip coffee maker, but I’m also used to the taste. There’s no denying that pour-over coffee has a certain unique charm that drip coffee simply can’t match.

Mimicking The Chemex Flavor With A Drip Coffee Maker

Let’s say that you had Chemex coffee at a friend’s house, and you’re dying to taste that flavor again. But without a Chemex, you’ll have to make do with your good old drip coffee machine.

Luckily, it’s not that hard to get a similar taste at home. It won’t be exactly the same, but you can mimic the best parts of the pour-over extraction process.

• Buy thicker filters. Chemex filters are extra thick and filter out every tiny coffee ground. If you can’t find extra-thick filters at the store, try using Chemex filters in your drip coffee machine.
• Use more coffee. The standard amount of beans for a drip coffee maker is 1 tablespoon for every 8 ounces of water. You can get a richer taste by doubling the amount of coffee that you use.
• Preheat your water. The main advantage of using a Chemex is knowing that the water is boiling hot. But there’s nothing stopping you from boiling your water before you pour it into the chamber of your coffee machine. You can also preheat your coffee maker for a similar effect.
• Bloom the grounds. In order to bloom coffee grounds, place them in the filter and pour enough hot water to make them damp. Let the grounds rest for thirty seconds so that they can start to release aromas and flavors. This is an important part of the Chemex process, but you can bloom grounds in any coffee maker.

These tips won’t give you clarified Chemex coffee, but they’ll definitely increase the strength and purity of your brew. Play around with blooming times, coffee amounts, and water heater until you’re satisfied with your delicious cup of joe.

Who Should Get a Chemex and Why?

The Chemex is for anyone who has a highly developed palate for coffee, and who can tell a good brew from a mediocre or bad one. The ease with which Chemex coffee makers can be maintained and cleaned is useful for individuals with a busy schedule.

Who Should Get an Auto Drip and Why?

An auto drip coffee maker is for people who are busy and constantly on the move. Whether you are looking to buy a machine for your home or your office, or for an office that is in your home, you should be realistic about the time you will have to brew your beans.

Buying an auto drip coffee maker need not mean a sacrifice in quality. The more high-end machines provide a rich and tasty brew. It is up to you to find one that meets this standard.

Chemex Vs Drip Coffee Maker: Related Questions

Chemex Comparisons

Chemex Vs V60

Chemex Vs Stagg

Chemex Vs Kalita

Chemex Vs Melitta

Chemex Vs Auto Drip

Chemex Vs Moccamaster

Chemex Vs Siphon

Chemex Ottomatic Vs Ratio Eight

Chemex Handblown Vs Classic

Chemex Square Vs Circle Filters

Chemex Vs Bodum Pour Over