The Brews Cruise

Brew guide · Pour-over · Updated 2026-09-13

The Perfect Chemex Ratio (2026 Guide)

Batch pour-over for two or three: dose, grind, filter prep and timing for the signature ultra-clean Chemex cup.

Ratio: 1:16 (42 g coffee → 700 ml water)

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Dose18 g
Water288 g
1:16 ratio · 6.25% strength
GrindFine

Salt-like · classic pour-over

00:00
Target ≈ 2:45
Grind size visual30% screen retention
FineCoarse

Step by step

  1. 1

    Rinse the bonded filter(0:00)

    Seat a Chemex bonded filter and rinse with a full kettle of hot water — these filters are twice as thick as V60 papers and taste papery unrinsed. Discard the rinse water and warm the carafe.

  2. 2

    Add coffee and bloom(0:00 - 0:45)

    Add 42 g of medium-coarse coffee (sea-salt texture, coarser than V60). Pour 90 g of water to saturate, then wait 45 seconds — the thick filter slows everything down, so give the bloom time.

  3. 3

    Slow main pour(0:45 - 2:30)

    Pour to 700 g total in slow spirals, keeping the slurry below the top third of the filter. Pour in two or three stages rather than one flood — the deep bed extracts best with pauses.

  4. 4

    Drawdown and serve(2:30 - 4:30)

    Let it drain fully. A sweet, tea-like 700 ml batch finishes around 4:00-4:30. Bitter? Grind coarser. Sour or thin? Grind finer or extend the bloom.

Barista tips

  • Chemex grind is coarser than V60 — V60-fine grounds stall the thick filter past 6 minutes.
  • Never skip the rinse: bonded filters add a cardboard note if unrinsed.
  • 42 g / 700 ml serves two big mugs or three small cups — scale at 1:16.
  • Our Chemex vs Hario V60 comparison covers when to pick which brewer.

Gear for this brew

Chemex 6-Cup

The museum-piece brewer that still makes stunningly clean, delicate coffee.

Hario V60-02

The pour-over benchmark. Cheap, beautiful and brutally honest about your technique.

Baratza Encore ESP

The best-value burr grinder we've tested — espresso-grade fine adjustments with the brand's legendary serviceability.

Fellow Stagg EKG

The gooseneck kettle every review compares everything to — precise, beautiful and worth every penny.

Acaia Lunar

The espresso scale that set the standard — 0.1g precision, real-time flow-rate, and the benchmark every cheaper scale is measured against.

Frequently asked questions

1:16 — 42 g coffee to 700 ml water for the 6-cup Chemex (two to three cups). Use 1:15 for a stronger batch, 1:17 for a lighter, tea-like cup.

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