I have been thinking a lot on brew methods... what is my favorite, why is it my favorite?
#1 - I love the Chem-ex, it is by far my favorite brewing method. I bought my first Chem-ex a little over a year ago at Madcap in Grand Rapids, Michigan not more than a week after they opened their doors for business. I had Chem-exed coffee before my visit to, Madcap but they way Laura had made it with a heavy dose and careful brewing procedures. At the time, it was one of the best coffees I had ever had... I just remember being so floored that I had to buy a Chem-ex on the spot and try and reproduce the results. So, what is it about the Chem-ex that I like and why does it make such a good cup of coffee? (I don't know who wrote this but I'll put it in quotes to avoid problems--->) "History: The Chem-ex was designed by chemist and inventor Peter J. Schlumbohm, with the idea of using his knowledge of lab techniques and filtration to produce the best cup of coffee. In his quest to manufacture the Chem-ex, he managed to create one of the best ways to produce a clean cup of coffee, as well as one of the most visually appealing." To start, the key for me is that it is a very beautifully designed clear glass carafe that functions as a brewing instrument. The beauty of it brewing aesthetically is amazing: seeing the bloom, the water being added and seeing the extraction fully occur. All together just a very beautiful object and tool. The filter I believe adds to its function and look. Right from the Chem-ex website "Chem-ex® filters are 20-30% heavier than competitive brands. They remove even the finest sediment particles as well as the undesirable oils and fats. The formulation of the filter permits the proper infusion time by regulating the filtration rate - not too slow, not too fast." I don't know about all that on a scientific level, but what I have found is that Chem-ex brews give me one of the cleanest cups out of any filtration process. I never have had a muddy cup like in a French-press via the Chem-ex method. I am not dissing the French-press (just yet) but just get far to distracted by the full-immersion, non-filtered methods which continually give me over-extracted, or just mediocre cups.
#2 (+3) - In a tie for a very close second as of this writing is the Hario cone and the Aero-press. The Hario cone is similar to the Chem-ex in that it is in an actual cone shape and that aids in even extraction (=good cup of coffee) but am just so thrown off by the fastness of the brew time, sometimes using the same coffee, grind size, water and volumes I can get strikingly different results, but on average I get amazing cups of delicious enjoyment. The Aero-press at first just made me mad with its instructions of low brewing temperature, and dilution of the solution (oh me!), but upon messing around with my boy BBW at Roast and their method of brewing, my mind changed. Now, having one at Anodyne to play with and seeing a bunch of methods on the nets I have found that it, via the inverted method at 14 grams, produces one of the best cups around.
I highly recommend any of these methods for home brewing... and I think in the future I will write my three least liked brewing methods, but that is for another post.
Check out brewmethods.com for many different and awesome methods of brewing your cup of joe at home and enjoying the crap out of it!
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