When it comes to making the best pour-over coffee at home, we’ve got you. As you know by now, coffee is our passion, and we believe nobody deserves a badly brewed cup, especially in the early morning! The pour over coffee experience is great for a number of reasons, you are in full control, you choose the amount of water, the grind size and the overall temperature, leaving you lots of room to experiment and develop your own, unique technique.
So when it comes to the in-home, pour-over process we investigated the two best options on the market, so you can sit back, enjoy the slow, steady ritual and taste the delightful brew, knowing that whichever option you go for, you’ve made the right choice for you. We’re here to help guide you between the Chemex and the V60, both great options that will help you make a truly superb, manual drip cup of coffee without a problem. First up let us explain just what exactly the apparatus does, why it was designed and how it can benefit your taste and your chosen coffee beans.
What is a Chemex?
This plastic free option is crafted from heat-resistant glass, this hour glass vessel has a heat proof wooden ‘waist’ for easy handling, some also come with an additional leather tie, for extra grip. Created in an American chemistry lab in 1941, hence it’s glass lab-like design, the Chemex was invented by Dr Peter Schlumbohm who set out to create a simple, beautiful and timeless vessel for pour over coffee. The design and process was instantly embraced by many, fun fact, you can find a Chemex in the permanent collection at the MOMA, New York, as its design was, and still is widely celebrated. There have also been claims that the Chemex filter removes the cafestol, which is often associated with higher levels of cholesterol. Offering a smooth cup of coffee, with very low acidity, allowing the flavours of your selected beans to come through.
What is a V60?
A strong Japanese option, the Hario V60 gets its name from the perfect 60-degree angle of its cone and the word Hario literally means ‘king of glass’. It is that strong. The V60 can also withhold extreme amounts of heat, which is very useful with the coffee making process. When this is then combined with the perfectly placed ribs on the inside surface, allowing for ground coffee to expand and extract whilst ensuring that the water naturally flows. It’s compact design makes it more portable than the all-glass Chemex, an ideal option for travelling coffee pros. The coffee brewed with the Hario V60 is renowned for its smooth taste and low acidity levels, when compared with french press coffee. The taste is slightly stronger than that of coffee brewed in a Chemex.
How many cups of coffee can I make with each?
Available in an assortment of sizes the V60’s is now made from glass, plastic, ceramic and metal. Worldwide the ceramic option is the best-selling, most popular option. With three sizes to choose from, the smallest makes one to two cups, the medium option brews a maximum of four cups and the largest design can brew up to six cups in total. The largest Chemex however makes up to twelve cups and the smallest brews three, so it depends on the size of your household, or usual coffee craving!
What is the pour-over process?
Add your filter and selected ground beans. When making your cup, many coffee enthusiasts recommend using a gooseneck kettle, as this allows for a greater control than, say, using a regular kettle to pour. Whether you are using either a V60 or a Chemex, add a little hot water at the beginning to allow the grounds to expand and release any trapped carbon dioxide. Then, after a few minutes, slowly pour the rest of the hot water over your coffee grounds for a slow, clear, crisp coffee. For more in-depth instructions on making pour over coffee with these coffee makers, check out our brew guides:
A focus on filters
With both of these coffee makers, what filter you use is as important and the grind and technique when it comes to making the perfect brew. The Chemex uses a thicker filter than the V60, which doesn’t allow any sediment to pass, creating the clearest coffee we have ever seen. The V60 filters, however, also create a clear brew, and are easier to find with your general day-to-day shopping.
We hope that has helped you make a decision between the two, in general we would recommend both the V60 and the Chemex as both make an exceptional, smooth brew, it’s all down to personal choice in the end. We’re intrigued on which you end up with, let us know what you’ve opted for, and any brewing tips below you have for a great cup of coffee...