Howdy y'all.

I've been trying to perfect my Chemex brew as of late, and I keep running into problems. I'm trying to get my brew (45 seconds of bloom, 3:15 of brew time) to be consistently at four minutes. I typically brew 16 - 24 oz. But recently I've really struggled.

My grinder is a hario hand grinder (Upgrading to a Baratza Preciso in a few weeks, but I'm not confident that's going to entirely do the trick). I typically keep a journal when trying new things to get rid of the fines. Here are three things I've tried:

1) Running the grounds through a damp cloth bag.
Honestly, this has helped a lot. The fines will stick to the damp cloth of the bag. I use this almost every day now. This was a vast improvement, but it's still not there yet. The coffee comes out much less bitter, but the filter is still getting clogged by fines. When I look at the filter after I brew, you can clearly see all of the fines that make my cup more bitter than it should be.

2) The Microwave Trick
Typically I'll run the microwave .8 seconds per gram of coffee beans. This trick was a bit underwhelming for me. It helped a bit on the fines, but i feel like it messes with the taste (I roast my own beans, so I'm very particular about how heat messes with the flavors). That may just be me making it up in my mind, but I definitely feel like it changes it.

3) Double Grind
I'm not sure this an actual thing, but I've sure tried it. I'll break up the beans with more of a French Press grind, then run them back through for the Chemex grind. Does this do anything? Honestly I don't know. But it makes me feel like I'm making a super good cup.

Anyway, that was all to say I'm just not getting it. I plan to open a coffee shop in a few years (currently in college, but have a very strong sense of direction with my life), and I plan to upgrade to a BunnZilla eventually, where I see this problem becoming negligible. But until then, how can a home brewer get rid of the fines?

If any of y'all have any tips or tricks for brewing Chemex, I'm all ears

Sounds like you've experimented a bunch with your grind, but what about the pour? Avoiding the edges or pulsing/dumping?
Have you considered stirring?

I was much happier with my chemex after putting the paper inside the Kone (v3) to let the water drain better...

You could use a sieve to shake out the fines.

+1

And double grinding will almost double your fines production, just chasing after grind uniformity. Your best bet is a sieve and/or a better grinder.

A cold water rinse through a sieve also helps, but maybe too much!

Okay so what I'm getting is that I definitely need to try a sieve. I'll drop by my lovely HEB tomorrow and see about picking one up. I'll get back to y'all on how well it works!

aecletec wrote:Sounds like you've experimented a bunch with your grind, but what about the pour? Avoiding the edges or pulsing/dumping?
Have you considered stirring?

I was much happier with my chemex after putting the paper inside the Kone (v3) to let the water drain better...

Any suggestions on what pour method I should be doing? I've tried avoiding edges, going in circular motions around the edges, and a few other things, but I've never really tested as I didn't see how it would make a huge difference.

The Preciso should make a huge difference, IMHO.

WilliamB wrote:Any suggestions on what pour method I should be doing? I've tried avoiding edges, going in circular motions around the edges, and a few other things, but I've never really tested as I didn't see how it would make a huge difference.

Well I have limited pourover experience but my impression is that side pouring can clog a filter if it pushes grinds towards the bottom and that stirring can increase the speed of draining and maybe increase extraction by taste.

Check out George Howell's Chemex recipe:

http://www.georgehowellcoffee.com/brew- ... p-for-two/

He foregoes a bloom stage altogether in favor of three equal pours. To my mind, it's like incorporating a bypass brewing component into your Chemex routine. Since you can't by pass the filter late in the brewing cycle, like you might with a Kalita Wave, you are just doing it early in the cycle.

While this recipe doesn't address any grind deficiencies you may have, the approach may solve some problems for you. It results in a sweet cup.