Ever feel dissatisfied with your coffee maker? Almost three-quarters of a century ago, inventor Dr. Peter Schlumbohm was frustrated with the conventional coffee makers of his time because they were unable to produce the right flavor or temperature that he preferred, so he took matters into his own hands. Schlumbohm aimed to develop a coffee maker that not only brewed delicious cups of coffee, but also was easy on the eye. He used his chemistry background to look at the science behind making a great cup of coffee, meticulously testing out water temperature, flow time, coffee grinds and chemical reactions of the beans. What he came up with was the Chemex and the signature double-bonded Chemex filter papers that go with it.
Although the Chemex looks like a work of art — New York’s Museum of Modern Art even has one in their permanent collection — it is extremely easy to use. Even though it was created in 1941, the Chemex was made with the qualities that people still want in a coffee maker today. The hand-blown glass container is accented with a wood collar and leather tie. The sleek vessel is made of borisicillicate, non-porous glass, and the filters are free of chemicals, thus no unwanted flavors appear in the brew. Best of all, you control every aspect of the coffee, from the water temperature to the speed of the pour. “The conical shape of the filter fits into the center of the carafe, where the glass curves in, and the stream flows directly from the tip of it,” says Chemex spokesperson Eliza Grassey. “All of the extracted coffee flows from this point, creating an incredibly clean, strong, cup of coffee.”
That’s our kind of coffee maker — simple, efficient and great to look at. Best of all, the power is all our my hands.
For more information, visit chemexcoffeemaker.com.
