Have you seen this in some of your coffee lovers’ homes but have no idea what it is?

No worries – you’re not alone! This gadget is actually one of my personal favorite tools in my coffee kitchen, and I’m excited to share with you how you can get your hands on one of these bad boys. The Chemex Pour Over is definitely a coffee tool that those of us who enjoy a really good cup of coffee geek out over.

Why? Because it truly changes the way in which your coffee feels when you’re drinking it. I love doing a test with people new to the Chemex or even to the French Press because the experience of drinking coffee from the Chemex pour over isso different from what most of us are used to drinking from with drip coffee.

For those who are new to the world of coffee, drip coffee is something you’d make from a traditional coffee pot or a Keurig, for example. These are fine tools and there are really good drip coffee pots, but there is a whole new experience in coffee when you choose to go for a Chemex pour over.

So, what is so different about the pour over?

There are 2 big differences between a pour over and other ways of preparing coffee:

1. The flavor and experience on your tongue is much CLEANER. It’s hard to explain until you try it out for yourself, but when you do, you’ll find that the Chemex’s experience creates a clean, light landing on your tongue. If you’ve got quality coffee to go into your Chemex, you’ll also find that you can taste the flavors of the coffee beans so much more clearly when you use your pour over.

2. The way in which you brew your cup of coffee is totally different as well. We’ll get into exactly how to do it in a few, but the short of it is that it is a process of “blooming” the beans and when you do this, you open up the flavors that you’ll taste when it lands on your tongue. This is definitely more of an experience, an opportunity to slow down and enjoy the moment and be present with the coffee, yourself and the people you may be with…and give yourself a treat with this almost meditative experience. Honestly, I still have my Keurig for those days when I just need a cup FAST. But when I want to enjoy the coffee experience and savor each sip, the Chemex is my go-to.

How Do You Make A Pour Over?

First thing is that you’ll need the tools:

Chemex Pour Over Glass Coffee Maker – there are others on the market, but this is the one I trust and love because it’s fully glass and keeps the heat well within the carafe.

Chemex Classic Coffee Filters – you can either do the Natural Ones or the Basic Classic – that’s totally your preference and either works well.

Coffee Grinder (optional but keeps your beans fresher!)
There are 2 types you can get – a Burr Grinder or a Blade Grinder. Always, always, always go for the Burr grinder because it grinds your beans much more evenly. Here’s the exact burr grinder from Cuisinart that I own.

Also, you need hot water.
I’ll be honest – I often use my “Mom Hack” and heat the water in my Keurig and then pour it over, BUT the coffee nerds in my life scoff at that because truthfully, the water doesn’t get as hot as it should get to fully let the coffee bloom. But I’m all about transparency, soo…

If you want to get the right temperature (and this does make a difference actually!) I’d suggest getting an electric kettle. I love this one. It’s a medium priced kettle, and I’m going more for look in my kitchen plus functionality (I like the temp gauge + the automatic turn off at boil point features), so you can go with this one too OR find another one that would work well for you. A lot of people like this one too.

Let’s make our first pour over:

1. Set your water to boil using my Mom Hack, boiling the water on the stove or in an electric kettle.

2. Take your Chemex Coffee Filter and turn it into a cone shape. Open it up to fit the funnel of the Chemex and place it inside the funnel. This is your filter which you’ll add your grinds to.

3. Choose which beans you’ll want to grind. I personally love making my pour overs with a lighter roast like Wakey Wakey because I can taste more of the flavors PLUS we pack in extra caffeine into this roast. Win-Win.

4. Grind your beans! You’ll want to grind them at a medium grind. On my Cuisinart Coffee Burr Grinder, I usually set it to a 3 or 4. If you buy our coffee already ground, that would work perfectly fine for the pour over as well.

5. Once your water hits boiling, let it sit for a minute to cool down slightly.

6. While the water is cooling, pour your grounds into the filter. I use 2 tablespoons of ground coffee per cup. If you’re making a full 8 cups of coffee, you’ll use 16 tablespoons. The more you try this, you’ll find what feels best for you and adjust to your taste.

7. Next, this is where it gets fun 🙂 You’re going to “bloom” the coffee, which means you are going to pour just enough of the water on top of the grounds to wet them with the hot water. Let it sit for about 30 seconds.

8. Then, in a figure 8 pattern, you are going to pour the water on top of the grounds. Make sure you are pouring enough water for however many cups you’re making. If you’re making 8 cups of coffee, you’ll need 16 tablespoons of coffee and 8 cups of water being poured in to your carafe.

That’s it! Take a sip and enjoy your drink. Tell me what you think.

How does it taste?

Once you get into making pour overs, you can always add extra goodies. I sprinkle cinnamon, pumpkin spice, or nutmeg often to change up the flavor naturally. Enjoy your next cup! Share a photo of yourself with your Perky Perky Pour Over on Instagram or Facebook and tag us and add the hashtag #PerkyPerky so we can see it! We may repost it and do a shoutout for you!

Do today powerfully,
Maruxa Murphy