Chemex vs Hario V60... go.
September 17, 2014 12:28 PM Subscribe
Having been thoroughly won over to the pour-over brewing method after experiencing excellent cups of coffee at local cafes, I am now trying to decide which pour-over method/equipment to start using at home.
I have zeroed in on Chemex and Hario V60 as two of the seemingly most popular and well liked methods of brewing. So, specifically to people with experience of both methods, my questions are:
What are the differences in flavor, aroma, body, complexity, acidity, etc. given by both methods?
Are the strength of the brews the same (i.e. is the coffee more or less watery or concentrated)?
Which do you prefer?
Any other thoughts you would like to share would be appreciated as well.
Thanks in advance.
I have zeroed in on Chemex and Hario V60 as two of the seemingly most popular and well liked methods of brewing. So, specifically to people with experience of both methods, my questions are:
What are the differences in flavor, aroma, body, complexity, acidity, etc. given by both methods?
Are the strength of the brews the same (i.e. is the coffee more or less watery or concentrated)?
Which do you prefer?
Any other thoughts you would like to share would be appreciated as well.
Thanks in advance.
What are the differences in flavor, aroma, body, complexity, acidity, etc. given by both methods?
I've used both, and suspect pretty much any detectable difference is going to come from the coffee, the way you grind it, the filter you choose, and your brewing technique. I'm completely certain that I couldn't distinguish between them if the other variables were constant.
I think the 8 and 10 cup Chemexes are bigger than than the large Hario dripper, which may also make a difference, but if you're going for the 3 or 6 cup size this is probably irrelevant. I also find the Chemex square filter paper irritating, but there are other options.
posted by pullayup at 1:07 PM on September 17, 2014
I've used both, and suspect pretty much any detectable difference is going to come from the coffee, the way you grind it, the filter you choose, and your brewing technique. I'm completely certain that I couldn't distinguish between them if the other variables were constant.
I think the 8 and 10 cup Chemexes are bigger than than the large Hario dripper, which may also make a difference, but if you're going for the 3 or 6 cup size this is probably irrelevant. I also find the Chemex square filter paper irritating, but there are other options.
posted by pullayup at 1:07 PM on September 17, 2014
Best answer: What are the differences in flavor, aroma, body, complexity, acidity, etc. given by both methods?
A chemex uses a bit coarser ground, and the coffee stays in contact with it longer, so some people say it brews up a slightly bigger bodied cup than a v60. The filters on a chemex are also mega thick, and restrict more oils from the brew than most other filter methods, this is said to produce a smoother cup overall. I use the Able Brewing Kone, and my cup usually turns out somewhere between a chemex and a french press; not alot of sediment, but full oil content. It's my preferred method. The caveat there is that you need an awesome burr grinder, otherwise you'll clog the metal filter.
v60 filters are the thinnest on the market, and allow more of the oils through, but not nearly as much as a metal filter. The filters also have a tendency to 'choke' less than a chemex, because of the ridges on the side of the brewer.
Are the strength of the brews the same (i.e. is the coffee more or less watery or concentrated)?
In both methods, you control the amount of coffee and water manually, so this is entirely up to you. Strength and extraction are fully at the users' discretion on a manual pour-over.
Which do you prefer?
I'm a coffee roaster, and I use both at work. I tend to use the Chemex a bit more at home. The chemex is more forgiving, and your biggest variable to use is your grind size, all other things considered. This lets you focus on one or two things at a time. The v60 is like a sports car; you're always going to be tweaking with it. I personally like that, but not for my weekday morning cup. They're very, very finicky. Reproducing results on a v60 is something that really good baristas do poorly. If you're looking to experiment and play around? v60 all the way. If you want something a bit more bulletproof? Totally go for the Chemex.
And, neither one will perform well without a good burr grinder. Save your pennies for a Baratza entry level model, or if you want arms of steel, get yrself a nice little hand crank grinder.
posted by furnace.heart at 1:33 PM on September 17, 2014 [3 favorites]
A chemex uses a bit coarser ground, and the coffee stays in contact with it longer, so some people say it brews up a slightly bigger bodied cup than a v60. The filters on a chemex are also mega thick, and restrict more oils from the brew than most other filter methods, this is said to produce a smoother cup overall. I use the Able Brewing Kone, and my cup usually turns out somewhere between a chemex and a french press; not alot of sediment, but full oil content. It's my preferred method. The caveat there is that you need an awesome burr grinder, otherwise you'll clog the metal filter.
v60 filters are the thinnest on the market, and allow more of the oils through, but not nearly as much as a metal filter. The filters also have a tendency to 'choke' less than a chemex, because of the ridges on the side of the brewer.
Are the strength of the brews the same (i.e. is the coffee more or less watery or concentrated)?
In both methods, you control the amount of coffee and water manually, so this is entirely up to you. Strength and extraction are fully at the users' discretion on a manual pour-over.
Which do you prefer?
I'm a coffee roaster, and I use both at work. I tend to use the Chemex a bit more at home. The chemex is more forgiving, and your biggest variable to use is your grind size, all other things considered. This lets you focus on one or two things at a time. The v60 is like a sports car; you're always going to be tweaking with it. I personally like that, but not for my weekday morning cup. They're very, very finicky. Reproducing results on a v60 is something that really good baristas do poorly. If you're looking to experiment and play around? v60 all the way. If you want something a bit more bulletproof? Totally go for the Chemex.
And, neither one will perform well without a good burr grinder. Save your pennies for a Baratza entry level model, or if you want arms of steel, get yrself a nice little hand crank grinder.
posted by furnace.heart at 1:33 PM on September 17, 2014 [3 favorites]
At the risk of potentially confounding your decision, I recommend the Clever. I used both Chemex and V60s in my former life as a barista, but I like the Clever for home use— it takes standard #4 cone filters, but the best feature is the dump valve, so you control brew time independently of the grind unlike the Chemex and Hario. That is, you can vary the coffee:water ratio as well as the grind size without worrying that your brew will be far too fast/slow for proper extraction time.
Nth furnace.heart that you want a Baratza, which often you can get (a refurb Encore) for $85 that will dramatically change your consistency. Spend the $25 you saved on the refurb grinder and buy this electric kettle if you don't already have one.
posted by a halcyon day at 2:00 PM on September 17, 2014
Nth furnace.heart that you want a Baratza, which often you can get (a refurb Encore) for $85 that will dramatically change your consistency. Spend the $25 you saved on the refurb grinder and buy this electric kettle if you don't already have one.
posted by a halcyon day at 2:00 PM on September 17, 2014
I've used both, but I haven't done side by side comparisons or blind tastings or anything. Some general observations, though:
Chemex. The Chemex seems to produce a clearer brew, with stronger body because of the special filters. But the special filters posed their own problem, as I don't have a convenient local source for them, and I hated the cloth filter I tried. I did like my Chemex brewer, but when I groggily miscalculated some complicated spacial stuff and smashed it on the cupboard, I decided to try something else.
Hario. The Hario was simple as simple can be. It still produced a good cup of coffee and let me control the brew, but I could use standard grocery store filters. (I didn't buy the Hario filters.)
Ultimately, I needed a larger brewer than that because I have to share my coffee with other people, so I currently mostly use a larger sized Hario knockoff (a ceramic Melitta) and brew directly into an insulated carafe, which hits right at my ideal intersection of quality vs. convenience.
So for me, the Hario solution (if not the actual Hario) was the right choice. Maybe if I were younger and prettier and better coordinated in the mornings, I'd prefer the Chemex, because I do feel like the brew is probably a little cleaner, and it is definitely cooler looking and that matters a little.
posted by ernielundquist at 2:00 PM on September 17, 2014
Chemex. The Chemex seems to produce a clearer brew, with stronger body because of the special filters. But the special filters posed their own problem, as I don't have a convenient local source for them, and I hated the cloth filter I tried. I did like my Chemex brewer, but when I groggily miscalculated some complicated spacial stuff and smashed it on the cupboard, I decided to try something else.
Hario. The Hario was simple as simple can be. It still produced a good cup of coffee and let me control the brew, but I could use standard grocery store filters. (I didn't buy the Hario filters.)
Ultimately, I needed a larger brewer than that because I have to share my coffee with other people, so I currently mostly use a larger sized Hario knockoff (a ceramic Melitta) and brew directly into an insulated carafe, which hits right at my ideal intersection of quality vs. convenience.
So for me, the Hario solution (if not the actual Hario) was the right choice. Maybe if I were younger and prettier and better coordinated in the mornings, I'd prefer the Chemex, because I do feel like the brew is probably a little cleaner, and it is definitely cooler looking and that matters a little.
posted by ernielundquist at 2:00 PM on September 17, 2014
There is a roastery in my city that also operates a couple of coffee shops. About once a month they do this great "coffee 101" class. Part of the class is making coffee using all of the techniques you can imagine using the same beans (and maybe same grind too?), so you can taste the difference between the brewing techniques. I remember they did a Hario, Chemex, Clever Dripper, French Press, some crazy expensive drip coffee maker that heats the water to boiling, Aeropress, maybe one or two others I'm forgetting. The main takeaway for me was that even as a coffee novice, I could taste the difference. It wasn't necessarily something I could force rank as better/worse, all of the people in the class had different favorites, which I guess was the whole point. I had been making my coffee in a French press and this exercise convinced me to switch to a Clever Dripper. I have no idea how common this kind of "coffee 101" is in other cities, but it was a really helpful exercise for me. The other thing I learned is that whatever pour-over technique you use, it is probably more important to have a repeatable process for making it. Others have mentioned the Baratza burr grinder -- I also ended up buying one of those. Someone mentioned a kettle; I ended up getting a Bonavita. Finally, two things I didn't see mentioned are a digital scale and filtered water. The digital scale turned out to be the biggest single factor for me in making a consistently great cup of coffee: measuring the coffee and the water by weight.
posted by kovacs at 7:21 PM on September 17, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by kovacs at 7:21 PM on September 17, 2014 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: Thank you all for your suggestions! They have been a big help; especially the numerous recommendations to take a look at the Baratza Encore.
Thanks again,
incolor
posted by incolorinred at 9:43 PM on September 18, 2014
Thanks again,
incolor
posted by incolorinred at 9:43 PM on September 18, 2014
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