roastin', ridin', slidin,' bustin' knuckles waking up with a smile on my face...

Thursday, January 7, 2010

Chemex coffee brewer

So I've been tired and frustrated with conventional coffee brewers. The drip method always seems, though convenient, lackluster. It doesn't really wet the grinds properly so coffee is actually wasted, heaven forbid. So over the years I've accumulated various coffee brewers, modern and vintage . So when I came across this glass vase thing I was intrigued. Developed by a chemist in the 40's, this brewer works like a drip maker should. The process is simple. You boil some water on the side, let it cool down for about 30 seconds and pour the water slowly and carefully over the coffee grounds that are nestled into a specially designed cone filter. The coffee then gently seeps through all the grounds trapping every ounce of flavor and zero aftertaste. The beauty of this process is you can control how much or how little extraction you want. Plus it's all glass so it can completely clean. The process reminds me a bit of decanting wine with cheesecloth. Anyway the coffee is amazing. Currently I'm enjoying dawn patrol blend.