The Chemex coffee brewer is absolutely beautiful in it’s simplicity and in it’s ability to make outstanding coffee. It was invented in 1941 by German inventor Dr. Peter Schlumbohm and has been on permanent display at MOMA NY and the Corning Museum of Glass and was also selected by the Illinois Institue of Technology as one of the 100 best designed products of modern times.
The Chemex has been seen in popular culture for years. Most notably (for me, anyway…) we discover in Ian Fleming’s From Russia, with Love James Bond uses an American Chemex with coffee from De Bry’s in New Oxford Street for his breakfast coffee when stationed in London. If it’s good enough for Mr. “Shaken – Not Stirred” it’s good enough for me.
Using a Chemex couldn’t be simpler. Here’s the quick run-down of how to make coffee in a Chemex: