Coffee Talk - Better Coffee Through Chemistry; Chemex

THE CHEMEX......

Lets face it, it's more of an Icon than a coffee pot.  It's part of the permanent collections of museums such as the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Smithsonian, the Philadelphia Museum and the Corning Museum.  Mary Tyler Moore used one on her show (the Mary Tyler Moore Show) and Mia Farrow used one in Rosemary's Baby.  Ever the vehicle for "Brand Placement", even James Bond likes his morning coffee brewed in one (From Russia, with Love, 1963).  And you can't possibly have missed the one sitting on the counter in Monica's apartment on Friends.

(Photo Courtesy of Austin Baker; Friends episode circa 1998)

Invented in 1941 and patented in 1943, the Chemex was the brain child of Chemist Peter Schlumbohm. He combined a modified laboratory funnel with an erlenmeyer flask to create this ingenious 1 piece brewer that has become a classic in Mid-century Modern design.  Originally hand blown into a mold by skilled Corning workers in NY, these Boro-Silicate glass (Pyrex) coffee receptacles' are still being produced today.  Sadly, most of the ones available on the market now, are machine molded in Taiwan, though human "mold blown" ones are still available for a much higher price.

The timing for the premier of this modern marvel could not have been more perfect.  Most metal fabrication had shifted to armament production as America's forced entry into WWII loomed ever closer.  This all glass brewer did not stress wartime resources and thus was a big hit.  On a side note, most of the vacuum pot makers, such as Cory, switched to a ground glass seal design to relieve the need for a rubber gasket during wartime.

Though a Chemex, for all intensive purposes, is nothing more than a manual drip brewer, there are a few differences.  Chemex uses a proprietary filter paper that is about 25% thicker than your standard auto-drip filters.  Originally this filter paper came flat packed and needed to be folded into quarters.  Luckily, they come pre-folded now.  This is a godsend to persons like myself who are incapable of even the simplest of tasks in a non-caffienated state.

This special filter paper performs 2 important functions. First and foremost, it slows the brewing time.  This gives the water more time to mingle with the grounds, allowing them to "bloom" properly, thus improving extraction. This is where I bash the Keurig and Nespresso, because this is true of ANY proper coffee brewing method.  It takes TIME.  I admit the pod brewers are convenient, but they brew so incredibly fast that there is no time for the full flavor of the coffee to be extracted.  You can rush a cup of coffee, but you can't rush a great cup of coffee..... I'm just sayin'.

The second purpose of these thicker filters is to capture the less desirable volatile oils as well as the fine sediments that can make your coffee bitter and muddy.  This leaves you with the richest and smoothest cup of "Joe" you ever sipped.  It's like liquid jazz in your cup.  Seriously, I kid you not.
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I have heard complaints from "purists" that you can taste the paper.  That may be, though I don't so much notice it myself.  As a result, several companies have come out with stainless steel micro filter cones.  Before anyone spends $100.00 on a stainless steel micro filter for your Chemex, it should be noted that those filters will only trap the fine particles, so the "undesirable compounds" from the grounds will still make it into your coffee... It should also be noted that if one wets the filter with hot water first, before adding the coffee, it tends to lessen the "paper flavor".

Chemex is one of the most "hands on" ways to brew your coffee, even more so than a French Press, which is really more of an infusion than a brew.  With Chemex, it's all in the ritual of P and P (Prep and Pour), that is Preparing your Chemex for infusion and the Pouring of the water.

First, THIS is my Chemex. 

According to the Patent number stamped on the bottom (2,411,310), it was manufactured in 1946 by Pyrex in Corning, NY.  The way I understand it, the patent number changed in 1947 to 2,414,901.

Because of it's age, I know that it was mold blown; meaning that it is borosilicate glass that was blown into a mold (as opposed to the mechanical mold pressed ones made today).  I bought it used, obviously, since it is 23 years older than I am.  It seems to have been much loved by the previous owner(s).  It was brewed hard and put away wet, as it were.  The finish on the wooden collar is almost completely worn away and there appears to be some overheating scars as well (where the wood has blackened) no doubt from being kept warm on the stove burner (yikes!).  I usually keep my resulting coffee warm in a thermal carafe, for it is true that the Chemex will cool fairly quickly after brewing.  But this is also true of the French Press and Vacuum, so I am use to using thermal storage devices for unconsumed coffee.

Eventually, I plan on replacing the collar, bead and tie; but it's not really a high priority and would take away from it's vintage "aged" look.  The glass is in perfect working order and the collar is still secure so there is really nothing wrong with it at all.  A perfectly serviceable piece of vintage coffee brewing equipment to make 40 oz (that's eight 5oz cups) of rich, dark and sultry elixir.

OK, Lab Glass?  Check!

Chemex filters can be ordered online, but the cost of shipping doubles the price.  I found that Cost Plus/World Market carries the filters (prefolded and unbleached) in boxes of 100 for $7.59.   They also carry the newer mold pressed version of the Chemex, made in Taiwan.  (I love World Market)

Filters? Check!

OK, start heating a kettle with the appropriate amount of water. (in my case, 40oz)

Grab  filter and separate 3 layers from the 4th layer to form a cone.

Insert the "cone" into the top of the Chemex infuser with the 3 layers towards the pouring channel. (This will prevent the filter from blocking the pouring channel, which acts as an air vent during the extraction process)

OK, now is the time to add coffee...  The directions usually state 1 rounded Tablespoon per 5 oz cup...

Personally, with this particular brewing method, I think it needs to be toned down a little to a level tablespoon per cup.  So I am using 8 Tablespoons of Peet's Major Dickinson's Blend that has been ground for an auto drip machine. (Basically, "standard" grind)

"Preparation" is complete.....

By now, your water should be pretty close to a boil.  When it does boil, remove from the heat and allow the water to set for a minute. (this will bring it down to about 205F degrees)

Now it's all about the "Pour".

Drizzle just enough water from the kettle to moisten the grounds.  Then stop. (This allows the grounds to absorb some of the water and bloom)

After 20-30 seconds, you may pour in a little more water, just until the grounds look saturated. (They may even begin to bubble up from underneath... This is a good thing)

Now, slowly continue pouring the water over the grounds, keeping them wet, leaving at least 1 inch of space below the top of the carafe. (it should take you about 4 minutes to pour 40 oz of water through the grounds) 

The ground should be saturated at all times throughout the process.  The key to a great "POUR" is to ensure the grounds never have a chance to get "dry".

Once the water has drained through the filter, you will notice that the remaining grounds look NOTHING like they would if you used an auto-drip machine.  They have almost become a gelatinous mass due to this "blooming" and infusing method of brewing coffee.

Take the points of each of the corners and lift to remove the spent grounds and the filter. (Dispose of them in the trash or in your compost bucket)

There you go.  Coffee via chemistry.

Now pour yourself a cup, move the rest to a thermal carafe, and kick back while listening to some Jazz... The perfect accompaniment to a perfect cup of coffee.

Cin Cin!!
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Coffee Talk - Cory Vacuum Pot (The Vac-u-lator)

I was riffling through the "Coffee Talk" posts of the past the other day and I realized, with some distress I might add, that I have never ever divulged my absolute most favorite way to make coffee.

The "Vaculator", or what is more commonly referred to as Vacuum pot or Siphon pot.

To me, this is the epitome of home coffee brewing.  Sure, the Moka pot makes a nice cup of near espresso, and the French Press makes a deliciously rich cup of "joe" to accompany your dessert.  I can even say, with no small amount of conviction, that "pour over drip" (though Chemex brewing takes some degree of finesse to perfect) is quite delicious.  In fact, there are several brewing methods that produce delicious coffee, but I think vacuum brewing beats them all.

I think the reason I have never mentioned it before, is that I have taken it for granted over the years.  You see, I have a Bodum Electric Santos (Sold under the Starbucks Utopia label back in 1999) that was gifted to me by a friend when I helped him move.  I had never seen a vacuum pot before, but once I brewed coffee in it, the auto drip I had been using quickly went bye-bye, for it brewed a vastly superior cup of coffee.  One that truly lived up to the label on the pot.  For that first cup was "Utopia".

It's 13 years later and I still use this pot every single day.  I absolutely LOVE it.  Though that love has been strained twice in the last decade... The nylon filter eventually "wears out" or tears and needs to be replaced.  They only cost $4.50, so it's not a monetary issue so much as it is the fact that the Bodum site always lists them as being "on back order".  I have had to wait up to 3 months to get a replacement filter...  Luckily I have a French Press and a Corningware Drip-O-Lator waiting in the wings to pick up the slack.  Lesson learned. NOW I am prepared for any unforeseen tearing or clip breakage by having 2 extra filters hiding in my pantry.

There is only 1 coffee pot that I can think of that brews a better cup of coffee....  and that would be this art deco era beauty right here.

A vintage 1930's Cory Glass Vacuum Pot with a glass filter rod.   So classic in style, and so inspired in functionality.  No plastic, no cloth, no paper, no metal.... Absolutely nothing to interfere with the volatile oils of the extracted coffee.  Just water, coffee grounds and inert glass.   It is truly a beautiful thing.

Sadly, the Cory company went defunct decades ago. (though Silex made these as well) The reason was two fold...  First there was the rise of the Auto Drip coffee maker.  Let's face it, automatic brewing machines are a lot easier to use than a manual stove top coffee maker.  I don't know about you, but personally; there is NO WAY that I am capable of manually making coffee in the morning...  It's like Dawn of the Dead around here until the first cup of coffee has been consumed.

While I have no doubt that auto-brewing was at least partially responsible, I believe the main reason for the demise of the vacuum brewer was that it's greatest attribute was also it's greatest weakness.....It's made of glass;  completely from glass.  Even though it's made of Pyrex's borosilicate heat resistant glass which is virtually impervious to thermal shock, it's not resistant to shocks in the kitchen.  One false move with the siphon tube while cleaning the upper bowl and you have a lovely pile of coffee ground covered shards in your sink.  But for me, the superior quality of the finished brew far outweighs the extra care that is needed during clean up.

My vacuum pot is significantly older than I am....  Actually, it's significantly older than my parents too.  As a result of it's advanced age the rubber seal on the upper bowl has become hard as a rock.  It softens to a more pliable state once it has been warmed, but it still doesn't form a good seal anymore...It IS 75-80 years old after all.  There is an online source (DaySeal) where you can order new gaskets for $25, but I figured out a temporary fix.  So, if you happen to have one of these pots and the gasket is hard (not cracked) then I am going to show you a little trick to make your pot work almost like new.  After all, it is a sad thing to leave one of these beauties boxed away and unable to fulfill it's coffee brewing destiny.

All you need are 3 Rubber bands from Asparagus you bought this last spring.  (you save your produce rubber bands, right?)

Oh, you don't like asparagus?  What a shame that is.  Oh well, I guess that means there is more for me.  ;) OK, grab 3 thick produce type rubber bands (I know they use them on leek bundles too)

Slide one of them over the gasket and move it up towards the point where the upper part of the gasket touches the bottom of the bowl.  (It is important not to twist the rubber band in any way)

Gently guide it over the edge of the gasket and down in between the bowl and the top of the gasket.... This will form your upper seal.... (this is also why it is important not to let the rubber band get twisted... It needs to be nice and flat to form a seal)

Now take the other two rubber bands and place them around the ridges on the lower part of the gasket. (Again, do not twist the rubber bands)

There!  You have just reconditioned your gasket for use.  I guarantee you can now use that old vacuum pot (at least for a little while) without shelling our $25 for a new gasket. Just watch....

Fill the bottom pot with water, no higher than the DRL printed on the bottom pot... In my case, this is the 8 cup mark.

Place this over medium flame (no higher) and allow to come to a simmer.  (If you have an electric coil stove you should have a wire star to prevent actual contact with the coil, though I have seen people use these directly on the coil before)

Once the water in the lower pot comes to a simmer, run the filter rod under cold water and place it in the upper bowl.  (the pebbly texture prevents the grounds from entering the lower bowl during the final siphoning)

Place the ground coffee in the upper bowl.  1 TB per cup and an extra one for the pot for a total of 9 TB. (Your grind should be coarser than Auto-Drip grind, but not as coarse as French Press grind)

Place the upper bowl on top of the lower bowl, then press gently and twist to the right to form a seal.

Now it's a waiting game... as the water below begins to turn to vapor, the pressure will begin forcing the hot water up the tube and into the upper bowl.  (it's all based on atmospheric pressure and water displacement, but am going to refrain from completely "geeking out")

Eventually, the water in the lower pot will drop lower than the end of the siphon tube... THIS is what you have been waiting for...  The steam in the lower pot now has the ability to escape up the tube. As this steam bubbles up through the water and grounds in the upper bowl, it churns everything around, creating greater contact between the coffee and the water and as an added bonus, it keeps the water in the upper bowl at the correct brewing temperature of 195-200 degrees. How brilliant is that?

Let it churn for 60 to 90 seconds.

Then simply remove the pot from the flame and allow it to cool... This is where the magic begins.

As the lower pot cools, the steam that is left will begin to cool and condense, thus there is now less pressure in the lower bowl.  The lower pressure below begins pulling the coffee infused liquid, in the upper pot, down into the lower pot in an effort to equalize.

Now, since some steam escaped during the "churning", the pressure in the lower pot is actually "less" than what it displaced before. (I hope that made sense) As a result, there is more "suction" than there is water in the upper bowl, this leads to the gasping sound at the end as the lower pot sucks air in through the grounds as well.  This little burst of drawn air at the end is powerful enough to "suck" the coffee grounds almost completely dry.

Remove the upper bowl and lay it CAREFULLY in the sink...

And there you have it..... Delicious coffee just like they made it back in the 30's... or as I like to call it "Coffee AND a show"

Now, pour your self a nice cup of super rich and super smooth vacuum brew!

Cin Cin!!
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Cool Beans! - Empowering The People

To everyone out there in the Blog-verse, this is a really long one.... But your patience with my meandering mind will be rewarded......

I know it will come as a surprise to you all, that I tend to be just a little...

Wait for it...

Wait for it...

Wait for it...

opinionated about food & wine. (This is where you raise the back of your hand to your mouth and gasp in utter shock and dismay) ;)

But, (you can drop your hand now) what should not come as a surprise is that I absolutely adore coffee in all it's shapes & forms... In fact, I have 3 more posts, regarding various brewing methods, waiting in the wings, but they are all in various states of incompleteness. LOL

However, one that I have finally completed, as you may have guessed, has to do with my slightly cryptic Something Wicked-Awesome, This way Comes post.

A long time ago (10 months) in a galaxy far far away (San Diego).... I was wandering through the concrete jungle (Gaslamp Quarter) when I chanced across my favorite watering hole (Pannikin). The beauty of Pannikin is that they roast their own coffee (in the back), but on THIS day, they happened to have a small 1 lb roaster sitting out front of the shop. It was happily tumbling some green beans around a glass chamber, using hot air to roast the coffee. That was when the gigantic light bulb went off above my head. (blinding all innocent unsuspecting pedestrians within a 3 block radius)

If spinning hot air is a common method of roasting coffee, then why could you not use a Hot air popcorn popper?

Being somewhat familiar with popcorn mechanics, I assumed that the element would provide enough heat. I mean it's hot enough to transform the water in the popcorn into steam thus producing that satisfying "POP" sound and providing light and fluffy kernels that are much more palatable than their un-popped counterparts. But would the fan be strong enough to move the coffee beans around the chamber properly to provide an even roast? Or worse than uneven roasting, would the beans sit there and burn? Yikes! These were all questions that I took to the Oracle? (The Internet) So I began to read and read and read.... And then a bunch of life altering stuff happened and experimentation was halted.

So now it is 10 months later, and I have a functioning Hot air popper of the proper design and here we go!!!!!

The Coffee - I ordered from 2 places... Mr. Green Beans and U-Roast-Em. Armed with 1 lb each of Mexican Chiapas and Yemen Mocha Harazi

as well as Gualamalan Huehuetenango and Tanzanian (not peaberry - Highly overrated and inconsistent)

I chose to start with my favorite - Guatamalan Huehuetenango (from further north than Antigua) The Chiapas and Huehuetenango are similar coffees as they are geographically close, however the Huehuetenango (way-way-teh-nawn-go) has a little more body than the Chiapas - A peppery aroma; almost smoky that blends well with the savory spiciness. Very mild in acidity. Hinting at Chocolate and Caramel. THIS is my cup of standard "Joe"; Sadly, most pre-roasted Huehuetenango is on the lighter side... Just like Antigua... But I like mine just shy of "Full city" (medium dark).

I hear a questions forming.... "Do you have to roast all 4 lbs of that coffee?" and "How are you gonna drink that much coffee before it becomes stale?"
Well as to the first one.... Nope, unlike roasted coffee, green coffee will store, without issue, at room temperature for a year; where as roasted coffee goes stale in about 1 week. Pretty wicked awesome huh?

As for the second question.... heh heh... I drink A LOT of coffee... ;)

OK, so we have Green Coffee and a Hot Air Popper - Speaking of which... I recommend that it be at least 1250 watts, although the holy grail of air poppers seems to be West Bend's "The Poppery" 1500 watt model. The most important thing is the design. The Proctor-Silex and West Bend models have vents in the sides and blow around the bottom of the chamber creating a vortex, thus mixing the beans for a more even roast...

Where as the Presto models have a screen in the bottom and they blow up. This can dislodge your beans from the chamber, blowing them out of the popper or worse, possibly catching the resulting chaff on fire. (this may be an urban legend, but I am not taking any chances)

You are going to need 4 more things to produce your own home roasted coffee. Though the last one is optional (dependent on weather) You need a large stainless bowl to catch the chaff, a wooden spoon, for stirring at the beginning, and a colander of some type, preferably mesh, to shake your beans while they cool. Now IF the weather outside is cold and wet, you will need a box that is big enough to hold the bowl and the popper; this will protect the popper from the outside chill.

Which brings us to the only issue I have found with roasting your own coffee. You will WANT to be outside. By some strange twist of quantum mechanics the chaff resulting from the roasting process smells like toasted dirty socks. I am sure that all eaters of Microwave Popcorn out there are snickering up their sleeves right now... LOL

Your clothes will inevitably smell like the chaff after your done. Yeah, it's a somewhat smelly job, but your persistence will be rewarded beyond your wildest dreams.

Plan ahead, cause your coffee, as good as it will smell, once it's away from the toasted chaff, it will have to "Gas-Off" for 24 - 48 hours. I don't like this term, so I will now refer to it as "ripening".

So, let us begin.

Go ahead and set up your popper and chaff bowl in the box, making sure that your wooden spoon is handy.

Oh, and in the interest of perpetual caffeination, make sure your travel mug is filled with some sort of brewed deliciousness. LOL

Measure out 85 grams of coffee......

As luck would have it, this is about 1/2 cup...

or the same amount that just happens to fit in the butter warmer. (Serendipitous, huh?)

Turn the popper on, and wait about 30 - 45 seconds for it to warm up before pouring your green coffee into the cylinder.

Let them kind of hang out for about 30 seconds, just kind of spinnin' round and round.

I periodically stir mine with the handle of the wooden spoon, with the "lid" off......

Until it turns yellow...

(it will already be blowing chaff at you, to watch your eyes)

Then place the hood on and listen. (don't keep removing the butter melter like I did, I was just trying to get pictures. You want to keep the heat IN the popper)

After about 3-5 minutes you will hear a popping sound, though to me it sounds more like a "tink" (kind of like the sound little tiny pebbles make against the glass of a second story window, being thrown by a love sick teenage boy in his parachute pants at 1:30 am) eh, hem... Never mind.

This sound is called "First Crack" and is about where "City Roast" occurs, being a medium roast.

For Huehuetenango, this is where most roasters stop, I took mine on to the next level and continued roasting for an additional 2 -3 minutes...

Until I thought the beans were dark enough for me....

You can take them further to the "Second Crack" stage, which is a much deeper sound than the First Crack "tink"..... This is called "Full City" roast, being a dark roast, and the beans begin to release more of their oils to the surface making the beans slightly shiny. (this is where most espresso blends are taken to)

Photo courtesy of my brother Chris -- Full City Roasted Mocha Java and green Mocha Java

If you let them go beyond "Second Crack", you start moving into the French Roast; but at this point not only are most of oils on the surface of the bean, but they being to carbonize. (a little too dark for me)

Photo courtesy of my brother Chris -- his French Roast

When you have achieved your favorite roasting stage (OK, I tried timing it, but I did 5 batches of coffee and all the times were very different.... So sadly, all I can do is explain the process as best I can) Turn off the popper and quickly dump the beans into your mesh colander.

Begin shaking them back and forth....

In an effort to cool them down as quickly as possible..... This will minimize the further roasting that occurs from the heat "Carry Over".

You will notice that the beans appear larger.... They expand quite a bit as they roast. (but still not as fluffy as popcorn)

Photos courtesy of my brother Chris, again

Once cooled, you will need to let your roast "Ripen" by allowing the beans to sit and throw off CO2 for about 48 hours. I used the handy 1 way valve bags,

but you can also store them in a glass canning jar with a few holes punched in the lid...

Yes my friends, breathe new life into that old Hot Air Popper, never purchase stale coffee beans from the store or your local coffee shop, again! POWER TO THE PEOPLE!

Cool Beans, huh?
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For more information on roasting your own coffee beans in an Air Popper, check out Sweet Maria's.
I have already made 1 modification thanks to my brother's experiments... (we were both having a blast trying this out) I have covered the inside of the lid with aluminum foil to reflect heat back into the popper.

There are a few modifications I will be making to my popper in the near future... by installing a thermometer so I can judge a little easier by watching the temperature of the beans.

Sah-WEET!