Brewing with a Chemex is a ritual that celebrates clarity and purity in coffee. This iconic pour-over method, with its thick paper filters and elegant design, produces an exceptionally clean and nuanced cup. But to truly unlock its potential, you need the right coffee. The grind size, roast profile, and bean quality all play a crucial role in creating that perfect, sediment-free brew that the Chemex is famous for.
Whether you prefer a bright and fruity light roast or a deep and chocolaty dark roast, the coffee you choose is the star of the show. A medium grind is typically ideal for preventing a slow drawdown or a bitter over-extraction. From single-origin beans that tell a story to expertly crafted blends designed for balance, the following selections represent some of the best coffees to use with your Chemex brewer.
Our Top Coffee Picks for Your Chemex
- Caribou Coffee, Light Roast Ground Coffee – Daybreak Morning Blend
- BROOKLYN COFFEE Whole Bean, Italian Dark Roast (5lb)
- Delta Ground Roasted Coffee from BRAZIL for Espresso
- Don Pablo Colombian Decaf – Swiss Water Process Decaffeinated
- Trung Nguyen — Premium Blend — Roasted Ground Coffee
- Sulawesi Coffee, Celebes Kalossi, Whole Bean, Fresh Roasted
- Intelligentsia Coffee, Medium Roast Whole Bean Coffee
- Stumptown Coffee Roasters Hair Bender Whole Bean Coffee
- Counter Culture Coffee Hologram Whole Bean Coffee
Caribou Coffee, Light Roast Ground Coffee – Daybreak Morning Blend
For a bright and cheerful start to your day, Caribou Coffee’s Daybreak Morning Blend is an excellent choice. This light roast is specifically ground, making it convenient for Chemex users who want a no-fuss brewing experience. Its flavor profile, featuring fruity and caramel sweetness with a nutty finish, shines through the clean filter of the Chemex, resulting in a crisp and vibrant cup.
This coffee is Rainforest Alliance Certified and made from 100% Arabica beans, ensuring a quality and ethically sourced product. The light roast level allows the inherent characteristics of the beans to take center stage, which is precisely what the Chemex brewing method is designed to highlight.
BROOKLYN COFFEE Whole Bean, Italian Dark Roast
If your preference leans toward a powerful and intense cup, this Italian Dark Roast from BROOKLYN COFFEE delivers. The whole beans allow you to grind them to the perfect medium-coarse consistency ideal for a Chemex, giving you full control over the extraction. The result is a bold, robust brew with a smooth finish that cuts through the clarity of the Chemex for a rich and satisfying experience.
Roasted weekly in NYC, this coffee promises freshness. The dark roasting process brings out deep, charismatic flavors that are strong without being overly bitter, making it a great option for those who enjoy a classic, full-bodied coffee from their Chemex.
Delta Ground Roasted Coffee from BRAZIL
This Brazilian coffee from Delta offers a straightforward and authentic single-origin option. Sourced from one of the world’s most famous coffee-growing regions, it typically presents a profile with low acidity and notes of nuts and chocolate, which translates to a very smooth and easy-drinking cup in the Chemex.
While it comes pre-ground, which is convenient, ensure the grind size is suitable for a pour-over method to avoid a slow brew time. Brazilian coffees are known for their heavy body and sweet, clean finish, characteristics that are complemented well by the Chemex’s filtering system.
Don Pablo Colombian Decaf – Swiss Water Process Decaffeinated
For a superb decaffeinated option that doesn’t compromise on flavor, Don Pablo’s Colombian Decaf is a standout. It uses the Swiss Water Process, a natural method that removes caffeine without chemicals, preserving the bean’s original character. The medium-dark roast yields a smooth, rich cup with hints of citrus and a finish of chocolate and walnut.
The Chemex is perfect for highlighting the nuanced flavors of a quality decaf like this one. Its low acidity and full, smooth profile make it an excellent choice for an evening brew or for anyone sensitive to caffeine who still wants a complex and satisfying coffee experience.
Trung Nguyen — Premium Blend — Roasted Ground Coffee
Experience a unique and bold flavor profile with Trung Nguyen’s Premium Blend. This Vietnamese coffee combines Arabica and Robusta beans, creating a strong and fragrant brew with distinct chocolate notes. The pre-ground format is ready to use, offering a convenient way to try a traditional-style coffee in your Chemex.
The blend’s strength and bold character produce a cup with significant body and a lasting aroma. It’s an intriguing choice for coffee drinkers looking to venture beyond typical Latin American or African profiles and sample something uniquely robust and flavorful.
Sulawesi Coffee, Celebes Kalossi, Whole Bean, Fresh Roasted
For the single-origin enthusiast, this Sulawesi Celebes Kalossi coffee offers a distinguished and complex cup. Known for its heavy body and creamy texture, it provides a luxurious mouthfeel that is beautifully highlighted in a Chemex brew. Its flavor is often described as a lighter, less pungent version of a Sumatra, with a unique earthy complexity.
A significant benefit of this coffee is its commitment to safety and quality. It undergoes rigorous testing for mold and mycotoxins, and is freshly roasted, ensuring a pure and clean-tasting coffee that allows you to fully appreciate its unique regional characteristics.
Intelligentsia Coffee, Medium Roast Whole Bean Coffee – Frequency Blend
Intelligentsia’s Frequency Blend is a masterclass in balance, making it an incredibly versatile and reliable choice for the Chemex. As a medium roast whole bean coffee, it grinds perfectly for a pour-over, yielding a smooth body with inviting hints of golden raisin and raw sugar.
This blend is a product of Intelligentsia’s Direct Trade commitment, which ensures not only high quality and sweetness in the cup but also ethical sourcing practices. It’s an easy-to-enjoy daily drinker that consistently produces a sweet and comforting brew.
Stumptown Coffee Roasters Hair Bender Whole Bean Coffee
Stumptown’s Hair Bender is a legendary blend that has become a staple for many specialty coffee lovers. This blend is designed to work well across any brew method, and it truly excels in a Chemex. The complex mix of beans from Latin America and East Africa results in a vibrant cup with notes of citrus, dark chocolate, and caramel.
Using the whole beans allows you to capture the full freshness and nuance of this expertly roasted blend. The Chemex’s clean filtration ensures each of the complex flavor notes is distinct and balanced, providing a sophisticated and multi-layered coffee experience.
Counter Culture Coffee Hologram Whole Bean Coffee
Counter Culture’s Hologram is a dynamic and fruit-forward blend that is perfectly suited for showcasing the clarity of a Chemex brew. This whole bean coffee consistently offers a juicy and sweet profile with tasting notes that often include berry, caramel, and fragrant aromatics.
As a leader in the specialty coffee industry, Counter Culture focuses on sustainable sourcing and precise roasting. The Hologram blend is an excellent example of their craft, producing an exciting and complex cup that is both approachable and intriguing, making your Chemex brewing session something special.
Buying Guide: What to Look For in Chemex Coffee
When I first got my Chemex, I thought any coffee would work. I quickly learned that this beautiful brewer is a bit particular, and choosing the right coffee makes all the difference between a good cup and a spectacular one. The Chemex, with its thick paper filters and unique shape, produces an exceptionally clean and bright cup. To get the most out of it, you need a coffee that can shine under that spotlight.
The most important factor for me is the roast profile. I almost always go for a light to medium roast. Dark roasts tend to have oils that the thick Chemex filters are designed to trap, which can lead to a muddy or overly bitter cup. Light and medium roasts preserve the bean’s origin characteristics—think fruity, floral, or tea-like notes—which the Chemex highlights beautifully. It’s like the brewer was made for these complex, acidic coffees.
Next, I pay close attention to the origin. Single-origin beans from regions like Ethiopia, Kenya, or Costa Rica are my usual go-tos. Ethiopian coffees, especially Yirgacheffes, often have incredible floral and citrus notes that taste amazing through the Chemex. Central American coffees frequently offer a balanced, nutty, or chocolatey profile that still has enough brightness to be interesting. While I prefer single-origins for their unique stories, a well-crafted blend designed for pour-over can also be a fantastic and consistent choice.
Finally, the grind is non-negotiable. You need a consistent, medium-coarse grind. If it’s too fine, your brew will stall and become bitter. If it’s too coarse, the water will rush through, and your coffee will taste weak and sour. I can’t stress this enough: invest in a good burr grinder. It gives you the control you need to dial in the perfect extraction for your Chemex brewer. Freshness is the last piece of the puzzle. I always look for a roast date on the bag and try to use the beans within a month of that date for the best flavor.
FAQ
Can I use pre-ground coffee in my Chemex?
You can, but I don’t recommend it for the best experience. Pre-ground coffee is usually ground for automatic drip machines, which is a bit too fine for an optimal Chemex brew. This can lead to a slower draw-down time and a bitter, over-extracted cup. For the clean, bright taste the Chemex is known for, grinding your beans right before brewing is the way to go. If you must use pre-ground, try to find a brand that offers a “pour-over” or “Chemex” grind setting.
Why does my Chemex coffee sometimes taste sour?
A sour taste usually means your coffee is under-extracted. This happens when the water doesn’t spend enough time in contact with the coffee grounds to pull out all the yummy flavors. The most common fix is to make your grind a bit finer. This increases the surface area of the coffee, slowing down the water and allowing for more extraction. Also, ensure your water temperature is hot enough (around 200°F / 93°C) and that you’re using the right coffee-to-water ratio.
Are dark roast beans completely off-limits for a Chemex?
Not completely off-limits, but they’re not the ideal match. The thick Chemex filter is fantastic at removing oils and sediment, which are key components of a dark roast’s body and mouthfeel. Using a dark roast can result in a cup that tastes thin and one-dimensionally smoky or bitter, missing the richness you might expect. If you really want to use a dark roast, try a slightly finer grind than you would for a light roast to boost extraction, but be prepared for a different experience than you’d get from a French press.
How much coffee should I use for a full Chemex?
My standard starting ratio is 1 gram of coffee for every 16 grams of water. For a standard 6-cup Chemex, which holds about 900 grams (30 oz) of water, I use roughly 56 grams of coffee. This is a great baseline. From there, you can adjust to your personal taste. If the coffee is too weak, use a slightly higher ratio next time (like 1:15). If it’s too strong or bitter, use a bit less coffee (like 1:17). A good kitchen scale is your best friend for this.
What is the best coffee for a Chemex brewer if I’m new to pour-over?
If you’re just starting out, I’d suggest getting a medium-roast coffee from a region like Guatemala or Honduras. These coffees often have a balanced profile with notes of chocolate, caramel, and nuts, and maybe a hint of citrus. They are very forgiving and easier to dial in than a super delicate light roast. This allows you to focus on mastering your pouring technique and brew times without the coffee being overly sensitive to small mistakes. Once you’re comfortable, you can branch out to more complex African coffees.