Dr. Peter Schlumbohm invented the Chemex in 1941, applied for a patent the same year, and spent the rest of his career convinced he had created one of the finest objects of the twentieth century. The Museum of Modern Art agreed. So did the Smithsonian Institution, the Illinois Institute of Technology, and the Corning Museum of Glass, all of which have added the Chemex to their permanent collections.
The 6-Cup Classic is the same design, essentially unchanged, as the original 1941 model. Hourglass-shaped borosilicate glass (the same heat-resistant material used in laboratory beakers), a wooden collar held with a leather tie, and a funnel top sized to accept Chemex’s proprietary bonded paper filters.
The Chemex’s thick filter — 20–30% denser than standard paper filters — removes virtually all coffee oils, producing a cup of extraordinary clarity: bright acids, transparent sweetness, and the delicate aromatics of high-quality single-origin coffee with nothing to obscure them. It is the cleanest cup of filter coffee you can make.
Specifications: Brews 6 cups (approximately 900ml, or 3–4 generous mugs). Borosilicate glass. Wood collar and leather tie removable for washing. Dishwasher safe (glass only; remove collar). 6-cup version is the most popular and the best-looking proportion.
Requires: Chemex paper filters (size 6-cup, sold separately). Read our complete Chemex brewing guide.
Photo: Hay Kranen · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 4.0
