# Chemex recipe and dial-in guide

> An hourglass carafe with thick bonded paper filters that drain slowly and strip out oils, for a very clean, tea-like cup.

Source: https://cuplift.app/brewers/chemex · Updated 18 October 2026

## A starting Chemex recipe

This is where Cuplift starts a new Chemex brewer before it knows anything about the coffee. Once you add a bean, the recipe adjusts for roast, process and altitude, then learns from what you taste.

| Size | Coffee | Water | Ratio | Grind | Temp | Target drawdown |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 3-cup | 15g | 225ml | 1:15 | 780µm (Coarse) | 93°C | ~3:30 |
| 6-cup | 25g | 375ml | 1:15 | 840µm (Coarse) | 93°C | ~4:30 |
| 8-cup | 33g | 500ml | 1:15 | 900µm (Coarse) | 93°C | ~5:30 |
| 10-cup | 42g | 625ml | 1:15 | 960µm (Coarse) | 93°C | ~6:30 |

Grind is in microns because a click means something different on every grinder. 780µm is about 26 clicks on a Comandante C40. Filter: Bonded Paper (x1).

### Steps (3-cup)

1. Rinse filter
2. Add 15g coffee
3. Bloom with 35ml, gentle stir
4. Pour to 115ml in slow circles by 1:30, at 0:45
5. Pour to 225ml by 2:30, at 1:30
6. Drawdown complete by ~3:30

## Dialling in a Chemex

- Time the drawdown. A bed that stalls or gushes is the first thing to fix, because the cup can't be judged on a brew that didn't flow properly.
- Grind is your main extraction lever — finer to extract more, coarser to extract less.
- Pour height stands in for contact time: a higher, more energetic pour extracts more.
- Temperature and water minerals come after, once grind has had its turn.

Whatever the problem, change one thing per brew. The [dial-in guide](https://cuplift.app/dial-in) covers the order to fix things in.

## Common pour over problems

- [Why does my coffee taste sour? How to fix it](https://cuplift.app/fix/sour-coffee)
- [Why does my coffee taste bitter? How to fix it](https://cuplift.app/fix/bitter-coffee)
- [Why does my coffee taste dry, chalky or astringent?](https://cuplift.app/fix/astringent-coffee)
- [Why does my coffee taste weak or watery?](https://cuplift.app/fix/weak-coffee)

## Recently dialled in on a Chemex

- [Kaleidoscope by Imbibe Coffee Roasters](https://cuplift.app/coffee/kaleidoscope/ian): best 7.9/10 over 3 brews
- [Cleber Córdoba by Cloud Picker Coffee](https://cuplift.app/coffee/cleber-cordoba/ian): best 8.2/10 over 3 brews
- [Finca Monte Alto Lot 1 by Imbibe Coffee Roasters](https://cuplift.app/coffee/finca-monte-alto-lot-1/ian): best 7.6/10 over 1 brews