The Chemex coffeemaker consists of an hourglass-shaped glass flask with a conical funnel-like neck and proprietary filters, made of bonded paper, that are thicker than the standard paper filters used for a drip coffeemaker. The thicker paper of the Chemex filters removes most of the coffee oils and makes coffee that is much "cleaner" than coffee brewed in other coffee-making systems. The "cleaner" cup extracts caffeine and flavor while removing bitter notes. The thicker filters may also assist in removing more cafestol, a cholesterol-elevating compound found in coffee. The most visually distinctive feature of the Chemex is the heatproof wooden collar around the neck, which allows it to be easily handled and poured when full of hot coffee. The collar is turned and then split in two to allow it to fit around the glass neck. The two pieces are held loosely in place by a tied leather thong. For a design piece that became popular post-war at a time of Modernism and precision manufacture, this juxtaposition of natural wood and the organic nature of a hand-tied knot with the laboratory nature of glassware was a distinctive feature of its appearance.
Brewing coffee
Coffee is brewed by first folding the paper filter into shape by using the folded side with a printed number 3, where the pour spout is located and placing it into the neck of the flask. The Chemex filter should be rinsed with hot water to remove any paper taste. After dumping the water, ground coffee is added to the rinsed paper filter. The coarse grind will resemble kosher salt for the best flavor. Hot water is then poured through the coffee and filter, depositing brewed coffee into the flask. There is a spout located on the top half of the brewer. This allows for easily pouring out coffee post brew and ensures airflow while brewing.
In popular culture
In the 1954 romance movie Sabrina, a Chemex Coffeemaker can be seen in the corner of "Linus"'s bar in his office. In spy literature, film, and television, the Chemex coffeemaker has appeared in the novelFrom Russia, with Love, by Ian Fleming, who describes "James Bond", when in London, brewing his breakfast coffee with a Chemex, using coffee bought from the De Bry's shop in New Oxford Street. Chemex Coffeemakers can be seen in the respective kitchens of "Rosemary" and "Guy Woodshouse", in the 1968 Roman Polanski film, Rosemary's Baby, and "Michael", in the 1970 filmThe Boys in the Band. In the television programmeThe Mary Tyler Moore Show, the "Mary Richards" character has such a coffeemaker in the kitchen of her apartment. A Chemex can be spotted on the stove top in the pilot and several subsequent episodes of Friends. A Chemex can be seen in "Don Draper"'s kitchen in the AMC show Mad Men. In Christopher Nolan's film Interstellar a Chemex is used as a water pitcher. In the 1959 film "Pillow Talk" starring Doris Day and Rock Hudson, Jan Morrow is in her kitchen pouring coffee from a Chemex Coffeemaker, which sits prominently on her stovetop.
