Chemex brewing issues with burr grinder

telix

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Apr 11, 2009
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I have been using a Chemex for a few years now, but after acquiring a burr grinder things have started acting up. The main issue is that the "cone" is no longer forming along the side of the filter, but instead a coffee "plug" of grounds is forming the majority of the time. I have tried coarser and finer grinds and have not really noticed much of a difference. I have not tried a VERY coarse grind yet, however.

My method of brewing is this:
- Use Hario hand grinder to grind enough beans to get me 6tbsp worth of grounds, put into chemex filter
- Boil filtered water in kettle
- When water is boiling, pour into Pyrex measuring cup (24 oz for 6tbsp of grounds) and let sit for a bit to cool off from the boil
- Pour over grounds to bloom them
- After bloom, pour directly in the center of grounds until it reaches the top of the chemex
- After enough has filtered through, add rest of water

What happens is that a thick paste of grounds ends up at the bottom of the chemex, rather than a clean cone as I got almost all the time with my cheap blade grinder. This makes the brew take quite a long time and is what I understand to be not "right".

Any advice would be helpful in terms of Chemex grind.
 

peterking

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Jun 6, 2009
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My vote goes to Chemex. For me that is the best and simplest way to brew a great cup of coffee. You have full control over the brewing temperature and the only material and the coffee comes into contact only with glass - no metal or plastic. The Chemex filters are also quite special - they let through much more flavor than other paper filters (I use the unbleached filters). As for a grinder, I have an old Zassenhaus. This combination works great for me.
 
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