You went to a fussy coffee shop last week and diverged from your usual pourover order for something a little fancier—the Chemex coffee maker. Those extra two dollars didn’t go to waste, though. As soon as you smelled the freshly brewed cup of coffee, you were hooked.
And since you know the ROI of homebrewing coffee is undeniable, you’d rather save yourself the upcharge and invest in your very own Chemex for your at-home coffee kit. But before you type in your credit card details to make the purchase online, here’s what you need to know about the lady of the hour: Chemex drip coffee and maker.
What is a Chemex coffee maker?
The TL;DR is that a Chemex coffee maker is a glass pour-over brewer with an hourglass shape and extra-thick paper filters that produce a super clean, bright cup of coffee. Its heavier filters remove more oils and sediment, which gives the coffee a lighter body and more pronounced flavor clarity.
How does a Chemex coffee maker work?
It’s pretty much a fancy pourover.
You might think that the Chemex is in a class of its own, but it’s actually the same basic brewing system as a pourover such as the Kalita Wave, Hario V60, or other common market alternatives.
We’ve heard rumors that, when brewing Chemex, “you pour from outside-in, as opposed to the pourover, which is poured inside-out.” But we haven’t confirmed that this, in fact, has a noticeable effect on quality of the final product.
Chemex sizes
The original Chemex as made by by a chemist named Peter Schlumbohm in 1941 as a six cup coffee maker. Now, the Chemex comes in three, six, eight, and 10 cup sizes.
The Chemex coffee dripper dimensions range significantly across the size options. Surprisingly, the height only ranges from 8.25 inches to 9.25 inches across the smallest and largest volume. The width ranges from 4.5 inches to 6.25 and the depth from 2.75 to 5.75 inches. It assumes one cup = five fluid ounces (so you can use your 10 cup to brew roughly 50 ounces).
It’s made of glass
A Chemex Coffee maker is built with glass.
We love glass coffee brewing systems because they avoid absorbing odors and chemical residues. One major downside, though, is that it can break pretty easily (I knocked our first one over, unfortunately).
The glass material of the Chemex coffee maker has a positive effect on its heat retention, too—the carafe transfers heat at a slower rate than, say, metal. Since coffee tastes best hot (sorry, cold brew lovers!), this is a great perk. Keeping Chemex coffee hot is a breeze.
Coffee Chemex brewing can help make your coffee taste really, really good
We say “help” because simply using a Chemex coffee dripper isn’t a surefire way to make a delicious cup of coffee. What matters most, of course, is your bean quality—how fresh they are, when the beans were ground, the level of roast, the way it was processed, if it’s a blend or single origin, etc. What matters next is how careful the brewer is: do you just dump all of your water in sit around for it to finish doing it’s thing? Were you particular about the water temp and grind size?
But then, yes—if you follow best practices for home brewing coffee and have great beans on hand, the Chemex will give you an awesome cup of coffee. It’s thicker paper filters remove unnecessary oils and extra body of the coffee, leaving you with a ridiculously delicious, clean, and flavor-forward cup of joe.
How much does a Chemex cost in 2026?
Here’s how the prices of the Chemex Classic Series coffeemaker break down, according to different Chemex sizes:
The Chemex single cup coffee maker doesn’t really exist (unless you’re good with 15 ounces of coffee to start your day!).
The hourglass shape comes in multiple designs—classic, with a wooden collar around its neck, or one with a handle. We bought the less pretty one with the handle (because David always chooses practicality over beauty). :)
We bought the 10 cup Chemex coffee dripper because we use it as a system for share delicious coffee with friends over brunch or breakfast. It’s not actually a practical solution for when it’s just David and me and our regular morning brews (he always makes a Kalita Wave pourover, I generally stick to AeroPress).
Chemex coffee filters are needed, too
The Chemex uses one of the heaviest paper filters on the market to counteract the size of the hole in its neck (up to 30% thicker than normal filters!).
According to Clarion Cafe, “The Chemex filters are much more densely woven than traditional coffee filters. They help to regulate the flow of coffee while removing much of the body and coffee oils. The filter slows down the flow of water passed through it, resulting in a better developed flavor.” The filter works hard to eliminate sediment, oils and fatty acids, leaving you with much ‘cleaner’ coffee flavor.
You can find Chemex lab-grade filters at most retailers that sell the Chemex pourover system, or even online on Amazon for around $10. Go for unbleached Chemex filters if possible—they don’t necessarily brew a better cup of coffee, but they are more environmentally friendly.
Looking for a reusable alternative to the paper filters? There are a few great options online, the best being Able Brewing’s Chemex Kone Coffee Filter. It’s made of stainless steel so it’s durability is unmatched.
Chemex grind size
When brewing with a Chemex, grind size is a crucial factor in achieving a balanced and flavorful cup of coffee.
The general consensus is that a medium-coarse grind is ideal for Chemex brewing, as the brewer’s thick paper filters and longer brew time require a coarser grind to prevent over-extraction.
The ideal grind for your Chemex recipe will depend a lot on your grinder. We have a Baratza Encore (our in-depth review here) in our household, and we use the 20 grind size for Chemex brewing. Generally speaking, 18-20 is recommended for Chemex.
Research recommended settings per the manufacturer of your at-home grinder if you don’t have a Baratza Encore.
If you haven’t quite dialed in your perfect cup of Chemex coffee yet, here are some practical considerations:
- If your coffee tastes bitter, your grind might be too fine.
- If your coffee tastes weak or sour, your grind might be too coarse.
- It is always best to use a burr grinder for the most consistent grind.
Chemex coffee ratio
Here’s a quick brew Chemex coffee ratio table of some bean-and-water-volumes. All of these match our go-to 16:1 water-to-coffee ratio.
| Grams of coffee | Grams (or mL) of water |
| 10 | 160 |
| 12 | 192 |
| 14 | 224 |
| 16 | 256 |
| 18 | 288 |
| 20 | 320 |
How to use a Chemex coffee maker
Alright, time to get to the heart of our Chemex brew guide. We’ve kept you waiting long enough, and delicious coffee awaits. Here’s our go-to recipe for how to make Chemex coffee:
- Grind 18 grams of coffee beans to a 20 size on your Baratza Encore. (As noted above, see your manufacturer recommendations if you’re using a different coffee grinder.)
- Bring a kettle of water to 205F (96C). For 18 grams, you’ll want to have heated about a half-liter. (I prefer too much to too little). We recommend the Fellow Stagg Electric Kettle.
- Prepare your brew-stack. For me, with a Chemex, that’s almost always a scale, topped with the Chemex carafe, and then my filter.
- Pour a little bonus water through your brew-stack. You’re doing this to wet the filter, and wash away any paper-y taste it has.
- Throw out your water, and add the ground coffee to the filter. I always double-check my ground-coffee-weight here by taring the scale before this step, and after, but that’s a little excessive.
- Zero-out (tare) the scale, and bloom your coffee. This means pouring a little water (50-90g) over the coffee, and stirring with a spoon (or in my case, a AeroPress stir stick). Again, stirring isn’t required, but most people who I’ve consulted on this matter think it’s good but fussy. Now wait a bit to make sure all the ground are saturated.
- Now, pour the rest of your water volume. If your tare before adding any water, you’ll target 288 grams. (That’s 18g of coffee multiplied by our brew-ratio of 16, for those keeping track at home.) Pour methods can be complex, but in general: Don’t pour in a single place, don’t pour all at once, and don’t pour too close to the edge. Fancy spirals vs letters vs whatever debates are explored a bit more below.
That’s the end of our Chemex brewing instructions.
Where to buy Chemex
We’ve had great success finding them at third wave coffee shops across the country—anywhere that roasts their own beans or uses artisan beans in their cups should have a Chemex available for purchase.
Not wanting to support the little guys? You can find a Chemex at big box retailers like Cost Plus World Market, Bed, Bath, and Beyond, or Wal Mart consistently.
Or, instead of chasing it here, there, and everywhere—get the size you want, at the price you want, delivered direct to your doorstep. Thanks, Amazon!
Where to buy Chemex filters
These are also easily purchased online or at similar locations where the Chemex coffee pots or sold. Easy-peasy!
Join us on the Chemex coffee train!
Now that you know what makes a Chemex coffee maker great, it’s high-time you purchase one of your own.
Then you can start pimping it out with caddies and specialized filter storage to your heart’s desire. No judgment here!
First used a Chemex in the late 1960s. Tried electric drip coffee makers in the 90s. Back to zchemex fir the last 25 years. Simplicity and delicious coffee every time.