Chemex coffee maker

[countryguy]

I didn't want to hijack another thread when there was mention made of the Chemex and using it with a Philips coffee maker....what is so special about a Chemex? It looks like any other drip coffee maker that uses cone shaped filters. I looked on their website and the automatic chemex is $350??? Really? for a coffee maker? What am I missing here?

Gary

 

[jetaction]

Chemex

I wasn't aware that Chemed had designed a new automatic brewing system. The vintage ones on Ebay usually go for around $300 as they are highly sought after. Their filters are far superior to anything as they are really thick and help to create a pure, smooth cup of joe. I have been using a Chemed for about 3 years now as my morning coffee when I am home alone, perked on the weekends when Mark can enjoy sleeping in instead of getting up and out the door. The difference with how the water is distributed is that it is sprayed over the grounds with multiple jets rather than a single stream and it is intermittent, allowing the water to saturate and extract the flavor from the grounds. With my manual pour over there is a sequence that is used to replicate this which I do subscribe to. Not sure it is worth $350 but I will be honest, I am tempted with this new automatic Chemex brewer!!!

 

[kevin313]

A few years ago I was at an estate sale and picked up a still new in the box 8 cup Chemex pot for $5. More than anything, I just loved the beauty and design of it. Is it worth the price? Seems like many people think so, they really haven't changed in 50 years and they are still selling them. I've heard it is the filters that are what make them so good, but I don't think I could ever pay $300 for any coffeemaker! I have a Melita that I bought brand new for $12 that works great!

 

[foraloysius]

What puzzles me are the paper filters. I thought paper filters were a no go area for a flavourful cup of coffee. I like my Bodum French press. Pure coffee!!

 

[rp2813]

Chemex Automated in the '70s and now . . .

the Chemex Otto.

 

I've mentioned the old Chemex Automated machines in the past.  They're based on the Norelco Automatic Drip (later Dial-A-Brew) machines, but have certain features the Norelco machines don't, such as a sort of showerhead that broadcasts the water over the ground coffee instead of a single stream, a pause function that allows the wet grounds to bloom, and they have an on/off switch and a temperature control for the hot plate.

 

I'm always on the hunt for these old Chemex Automateds because my sister has owned one since they first came on the market and I've made repairs to it twice (a clamp on a section of water tubing a few years ago and just recently a broken wire -- due to rust from the leak that the clamp fixed).  I think the fact that it's used daily and is pushing 40 years old is a testament to Norelco's build quality.  She swears by her Chemex.

 

Currently there's a Chemex Automated NOS/NIB on ebay with a BIN of $600! 

 

Some people are billing vintage Norelcos as an alternative to the impossible to find Chemex Automated.  I think this is a plausible concept IF the lid from a first-generation, non-Dial-A-Brew Norelco basket is used to distribute the water by setting it inside the Chemex carafe above the ground coffee.  This could be a reasonable alternative to $600 for the real deal.

 

Apparently due to devotee demand, Chemex recently launched their new "Otto" machine, which looks nothing like the average automatic drip machine.  It might be considered an art piece but IMO, at $300 a vintage Norelco rigged to mimic a Chemex would be worth a try first.

 

 

 

 

[jetaction]

The Lid...

That is a great idea Ralph as part of the Chemex magic is the distribution which the lid would help to do. Otherwise you just have a solid stream over the center of the grounds and except for the filter is like any other drip coffee. The filter is the largest contributor to the smooth cup no doubt but I am sure the saturation/blooming witchcraft counts for something too!

 

[hooverwheelaway]

Yay Chemex!!!!

The Chemex really does deliver a smooth and strong cup of coffee. Jon Charles turned me on to them; I too, love their simple elegant design.

My understanding is that the Chemex is technically supposed to be a pour-over brew. Measure your water to ground coffee, using the raitio that Chemex provides; bring water almost to a boil, then pour a little over the coffee - let the grounds "bloom", then pour some more, let it drain, pour some more, let it drain until your water is gone and the coffee has brewed. I tried that a few times, and it just took too long. (There are some cool Chemex videos on YouTube, if you're interested in watching coffee brew). Jon had gotten a Dial A Brew to use with his Chemex, and after seeing the success he was having with it, I got one as well. In the meantime, I believe Greg also got this same setup.

Granted, the Dial A Brew doesn't allow the grounds to "bloom", but I have not noticed that it doesn't brew the way it's supposed to, regardless of not "blooming" or having the "showerhead" type nozzle on the Dial A Brew.

As I stated in the Frigidaire Range thread; The Dial A Brew works very well, only up to about 8 cups though (we have a 10-cup Chemex). When I fill it to do a full 10, the Norelco pumps a bit too much water too fast for the filter and coffee to handle, and it backs up/overflows a bit. I just have to keep an eye on it when doing a full pot, unplugging it once or twice if it gets too close to going over. I suppose having the Chemex version of the Norelco brewer would come in handy in this regard. The temperature control for the warming plate would also be nice, if you let it sit too long, the coffee "cooks" a bit too much.

The actual Chemex carafes come in a range of sizes: 3, 6, 8, 10 cup I'm pretty sure. They range from about $40-$60, depending on the size you prefer. The filters come in boxes of 100 for maybe $10 or so. I got our 10-cup at Sur la Table. I've seen Chemex at Whole Foods, Williams Sonoma, and another one of the specialty kitchen shops here in Minneapolis; not sure that they all stock all of the different sizes.

 

[rp2813]

Here's the view I should have posted above, which shows the shower head and controls.

 

Fred, it's interesting about the Norelco putting out too much water.  I'm only familiar with the pre-Dial-A-Brew models, but the basket lid on those has a hole in the middle to divert overflow directly into the carafe. 

 

I remember that if the basket was too full of grounds, clear water would pour into the pot as the machine was pumping out more than the contents of the basket could handle.  It all worked out as I recall, as if the people at Phillips felt that if the basket was filled enough to cause an overflow, the brew would likely be too strong anyway, and in my experience 12-cup batches tasted as good as smaller ones.

 

Per the verbiage on the Chemex Automated packaging it brews 8 cups, so as you described, it's only when you exceed that amount that you encounter problems.  This is likely to be the case regardless of whether you're brewing with a Chemex machine or a Norelco.

 

Your need to unplug the machine can make the real Chemex brewer with on/off switch look like pure genius, but when auto drip machines were first hitting the market, the percolator was king and few if any had switches.  Being stationary machines, it soon became clear that an on/off switch made sense on auto-drip brewers.  Or at least that's how I assume it went in Norelco's case.

 

 

 

 

 

[hooverwheelaway]

Interestingly the Dial A Brew that Greg got has a switch on it just like the one in the above picture. I've been watching eBay for another like his, and have yet to see one. None of them have switches. Perhaps they added the switch for just a short time? Seems silly that they wouldn't have thought to put a switch on them; your thought process around percolators not having switches makes sense, though.

I also don't use the basket lid - it's just the Chemex sitting directly under the nozzle. It's not that it puts out too much water, I think there's just a sweet spot for amount of grounds/amount of water and empty space to accomodate for the heated water in the upper chamber of the Chemex. I seemed to have found it; I just can't make a full ten cups, per the Chemex instructions.

 

[countryguy]

My mom had a Dial a brew with the on/off switch. It was rare to find them new at that time - 35+ years ago - most did not have the switch.

 

[jkbff]

Ok not that I know anything about coffee... (I use a Miele CM5100, I push buttons, empty when it tells me to and clean when it tells me to...)

But.... Wouldn't a Bunn Velocity brew accomplish what is being sought after?

I mean.. Use the Chemex carafe, but Bunn has the multi-jet spray head. With the Internal water heater, couldn't you pour a small amount of water in the top so the hot water wets (pre-brews) the coffee then pour the remaining water you want dispensed?

You wouldn't really have temperature fluctuations because the tank keeps the water pre-heated. Plus, you wouldn't have to turn the warming plate on if you didn't want it on.

Just my $.02?

 

[gansky1]

That's an interesting idea using the Bunn with the Chemex, Josh. My parents have one and I'll measure it when we're out there on Sunday to see if the Chemex pot will fit (without the basket) and as you said, you could pour in just enough water to get the blooming effect and minute or so later, pour in the rest of the water. I'll bet it will work!

I don't use the Chemex every day, mostly on the weekends. It does make a very good cup of coffee and it seems like the filter/top of the pot fills with enough water to get the blooming witchcraft ;-) effect. Since it one of my favorite coffees, I should chuck all the others and just use it.

Most mornings, I use a Presto "Scandinavian Design" with a second heating element in the top above the grounds basket to ensure the proper temperature. It makes good coffee, but not quite as smooth as the Chemex in the Norelco makes.

 

[lordkenmore]

>Since it one of my favorite coffees, I should chuck all the others and just use it.

There is something to be said for this. But I also think there is something to be said for variety. I have historically liked using different coffee makers and different coffees. It gets tiresome having the same exact thing all the time, and I think I appreciate favorites more if they aren't an everyday thing.