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.
.
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!!
~~

Old English in the Modern Age - Corning Your Own Beef

I figured since St. Patty's day was fairly close, being Saturday, that I would share my recipe for, what has become, the quintessential food of all American St. Patrick's Day celebrations.... Corned Beef.

So WHY is it called "corned" beef when it contains no corn?  Well it seems that, back in the day, salt didn't exist in the refined form we know today as "Table salt".  It was much more of a rough product back in the days of yore. The particular unrefined salt used for brining (corning) came in chunks about the size of a corn.  I don't mean the size of Corn corn, I am referring to the size of a "Barley Corn".  Is this confusing yet?  :)  You see, the old English word for any type of hard particle or grain seed was "Corn" in much the same way we use the blanket term "Grain" now days.  Think of grains of wheat and grains of sand as being wheat corns, corns of sand or, in this case, corns of salt.

Maize from America was originally named "Indian Corn" but this was eventually shortened to "Corn" as Old English became Modern English, and terms like Barley corn, Wheat corn and Rye corn sort of fell to the wayside.  Unless you are singing about John Barleycorn while consuming large quantities of beer.  But that is another post.

We don't purchase our salt "chunky style" these days, but good old Kosher Salt will work just fine. It's OK, you can still refer to the process as "Corning beef" and the end product as "Corned Beef".  I don't think the Old English police will arrest you for using the wrong salt.

The secret to good home corning of beef is to make sure that 1) your brine is really cold, and 2) making sure you "Swiss" the brisket really well with a meat fork or one of those tenderizer gadgets with the rows of little blades or pins so the brisket has more surface area to make contact with the brine.

With those two things in mind, Corning Beef is really very simple.  True, the ingredient list is fairly long, due to the spices, but the process of making the brine is very easy.  The hardest part is waiting 5-10 days before steaming/boiling it up and consuming it.  I prefer to wait the full 10 days, but I am getting a late start this year... So I am only going to get 6 days in before it must be cooked. Once you have corned your beef (at 10 days), you can continue to store it in the refrigerator in the zipper bag for up to 1 week, but no longer than that.

The reason for this is that this particular recipe lacks Potassium Nitrate (Niter, Salt Peter, Pink Salt).  I do not feel comfortable adding potentially cancer causing chemicals to my food, so it will not keep as long as one you buy from the store.  I am OK with that, since I plan on eating it immediately (and I usually do) after the curing is completed.  If you want your corned beef to last longer, go ahead and add about 1 1/2 - 2 TB Pink Salt (Potassium Nitrate) to the brine.  Your brisket will be "pinker" than mine and will last a little longer in the brine.

Corned Beef

2 quarts (1.9 liters) Water
1 cup (170g)(6 oz) Kosher Salt
1/2 cup (115g)(4.1oz) Dark Brown Sugar
1 TB Black Peppercorns (See, we still call them "corns")
2 tsp Mustard Seed
2 tsp Coriander Seed
1 tsp Red Pepper Flake
1 Cinnamon Stick, broken
10 All-Spice Berries
8 Juniper Berries
8 Clove Buds
2 -3 Bay leaves (I used three cause mine were pretty small)
1/2 tsp ground Ginger
3 cloves Garlic
2 lbs (910g) Ice (1 quart of water, frozen into ice cubes)
1 sprig of Thyme
5 lbs of Beef Brisket (I chose a point cut instead of the flat end)
1-2 gallon zipper bag
 A large stainless bowl, to prevent leaks in the refrigerator

Combine Water, Salt and Sugar in a large saucepan.

Bring to a simmer and add Peppercorns, Mustard seed, Coriander seed, Pepper Flake, Cinnamon, All-Spice, Juniper, Clove, Bay and Ginger.

Bring back to a simmer, then add the Garlic cloves.

Simmer for an additional 5 minutes.

While the brine is simmering, fill a large pot with the Ice.

When the brine has finished simmering, move from the stove top and pour the brine over the ice.

Stir until the ice melts and cools the brine to about room temperature.

Place in the refrigerator or freezer for at least 1 hour. (You need the Brine to be at 40 F (4 C) degrees)
When the brine is completely chilled, remove the Brisket from the refrigerator and stab it all over with a meat fork to allow the brine to penetrate.

Place the slab o' meat in a 2 gallon zipper bag.

Place the Zipper bag in a stainless steel bowl.

Pour the cold brine over the meat and add the sprig of Thyme.

Close the bag, removing as much air as possible, and move the whole kit and kaboodle to the refrigerator and let it hang out for at least 5 days, preferably 10.

Agitate the meat and the brine at least once every day to ensure the brine doesn't separate and that the spices don't set on 1 section of the meat through the entire corning process.

And there you have it....  15 minutes of work combined with lots and lots of waiting.....

See, I told you it was pretty easy.

Mangia!! (in 5-10 days)
~~