This is going to be controversial... (perhaps) When it comes to kinds of filters used for drip coffee, it seems that people assume materials and configurations that allow more coffee components to pass through result in richer cups. Thus, french press and SwissGold are said to produce rich cups compared to paper filters. Chemex filter claims opposite. Because the thick paper blocks out undesirable or excessive components, the cup is said to be clean and rich. It may sound paradoxical, but given finer ground coffee is used with Chemex, it is reasonable. That is, more sugars, acids (except unstable ones) and minerals will be present in Chemex cups, since extraction of these very soluble substances will be more complete with finer grinding and these substances are, unlike oils and solid particles, not blocked by the heap of wet fine ground coffee or fine mesh of the paper fiber. On the other hand, more oily components are present in french pressed coffee. One possible reason why drip machines suck may have to do with the filter. Most paper filters, and all paper basket filters I found so far are made of thin stiff fibers with bigger pores, and are usually flimsy. It seems a perfect combination of disadvantages of drip coffee and pressed coffee... -- Ryuji Suzuki "I can't believe I'm here. People always say that I'm a long way from normal." (Bob Dylan, Normal, Illinois, 13 February 1999) homeroast mailing listhttp://lists.sweetmarias.com/mailman/listinfo/homeroast |
Ryuji;
I tend to agree from the taste standpoint it makes sense. We do about
every kind of brew in our house -Chemex, Cona, French Press, Solis, La
Pavoni etc. But we just don't make drip anymore because it doesn't taste as
good. I do a super fine grind for the Chemex and am very pleased with the
results. I could never get the shots right with the LP and parked it when
the Solis turned out so well. I guess I really prefer unfiltered coffee,
but had never considered it until your post.
John - 73's |
You use a 'super fine' grind for Chemex? Wow. When I do that, it just clogs the filter and makes for an extremely long drain time. I have found that a grind similar to a regular drip grind works best for me. Maybe even a bit more coarse than regular drip. If the filter clogs, the coffee becomes bitter and nasty. A coarser grind allows a faster drip. Hmmmm... Regards, Ed Needham ed |
Yeah, its a lot stronger that way - I think I started doing that before I got the Pavoni and it tasted more like espresso. My wife uses the same grind for the Chemex as for the Cona. I don't do anything but Crema lately. |
My Chemex grinding is finer than cloth drip filter or non-Chemex paper drip. With cloth filter, I grind finest possible without getting any hint of nasty bitterness. Then I regulate the pace of pouring in the hot water to adjust flavor. I usually take 3 to 4 min to make 2 to 3 cups. With Chemex, I can go finer without getting any hint of bitterness, though the water flow is slower than cloth. (but nowhere close to "super fine") I think it takes a minute longer with Chemex to make same amount of coffee. One problem with Chemex is that without washing paper filter, the coffee contains the smell of the paper. The glass of Chemex is bigger and thicker than my Hario drip pot, so I give generous amount of boiling water to rinse the filter and warm up the pot. I still have to use water around 95C to brew because the glass sinks the heat. The paper filter is in contact with the glass wall, whereas in Hario drip pot the cloth filter is hang in the air inside the glass without touching, so I use 85C to 90C water. In comparison, cloth filter gives heavier body and increased complexity, but Chemex gives me sweeter, well balanced cup with more intense flavor. It seems that Chemex gives me longer and more pleasant aftertaste. I like Hario drip pot for Mandheling-Harar kind of blends, and Chemex for Brazil-Centrals blends and straight Central Americans. I also cut 1/4 of bleached square Chemex filter, pressed against the bottom of a wine bottle to make a basket for my drip machine. It's a bit small, but works fine for up to 4 cups, which is all I want anyway. Although I didn't pre-rinse the filter, it made better coffee than the best basket filter I found (which is nothing special - just too many crap papers) but I guess I have to go through a bit more tweaking of the grinding size. -- Ryuji Suzuki "I can't believe I'm here. People always say that I'm a long way from normal." (Bob Dylan, Normal, Illinois, 13 February 1999) homeroast mailing listhttp://lists.sweetmarias.com/mailman/listinfo/homeroast |
Does anyone here use the Chemex CM-1 (15 oz., 3 cup hand blown) brewer? Comments anyone? Seem like a good size for brewing at my office desk, but rather pricy on the web. I've looked at a few places around town, but have yet to see this item in a shop. I've added a Chemex CM-6A (30 oz., 2-6 cup machine blown) to my brewing line up at home, but haven't had much time to experiment with it yet. Dave roasting with WBPII, HWG, HWP, FR, 'wb', alp <Snip> homeroast mailing listhttp://lists.sweetmarias.com/mailman/listinfo/homeroast |
From: Dave Huddle Subject: Re: +drip filter mesh/pore size Date: Fri, 8 Mar 2002 09:27:04 -0500 (EST) <Snip> Not Chemex but Hario drip pot (cloth filter, about $30) is about that size. The height is about the same as CM-6A but skinnier. Makes clean yet complex cups with no paper smell though not as convenient as Chemex's pickup and throwaway cleanup procedure. -- Ryuji Suzuki "I can't believe I'm here. People always say that I'm a long way from normal." (Bob Dylan, Normal, Illinois, 13 February 1999) homeroast mailing listhttp://lists.sweetmarias.com/mailman/listinfo/homeroast |
I think the little CM-2 might be a better fit for work. Surely you may want to share some of your brew at times. It is easier to use since it uses the regular Chemex filters instead of the special ones that have to be folded three ways to Sunday. Chemex on Ebay is in a lull right now. Keep looking, you'll get a deal. Avoid the ones with the weird looking glass. They are the cheaper, thinner ones that are machine made rather than the handblown ones. I think Tom sells them on the SM web site. Regards, Ed Needham ed |