Introduction
What is the difference between Chemex and drip coffee? Which coffee maker will win in the Chemex vs Drip coffee comparison?
The answer relies on taking into consideration several variables in the comparison. Which one produces the perfect cup of coffee? Which one is easy to use and clean? Which one requires more skills and attention?
If you are in a hurry and want a quick answer, here it is:
A Chemex uses a pour-over brewing technique to create clarified coffee while the electric drip coffee maker uses pressured water to brew coffee.
Chemex produces better-quality coffee but necessitates greater skill. For a straightforward cup of coffee, drip coffee machines are a smart option.
Chemex and the drip coffee use the same method for brewing: the pour-over method. Although both methods might seem similar at first but they are significantly different in terms of the skills required.
With that being said, both Chemex and drip coffee machines produce decent cups of coffee, but for various reasons, people prefer Chemex over drip coffee makers.
Discover why Chemex coffee is favored by coffee aficionados and why it has such a distinctive flavor by reading on.
How Chemex and drip coffee makers work
Let us start with a description of Chemex and drip coffee makers.
The Chemex:
The Chemex is a manual type of coffee maker that was invented in 1941.
It comprises a glass flask in the shape of an hourglass with a conical funnel-like neck. It uses special paper filters that are thicker than those used in drip coffee makers.
How coffee is made using a Chemex?
First, coffee grounds are put in the thick filter, and water is poured over the top of the grounds and allowed to drip through.
This results in a clean-tasting cup of coffee. The thick filter eliminates the majority of the coffee oils and extracts better flavor while getting rid of bitter undertones.
Drip coffee maker
The purpose of inventing drip coffee makers was to automate the production of what is now known as pour-over coffee.
While pour-over coffee makers, like Chemex, require you to precisely and carefully pour the water over the coffee grounds to produce fantastic flavorful coffee, drip coffee makers are largely automated.
In other words, Chemex requires some skill, patience, and time to make coffee! Conversely, the process of making coffee with drip coffee is straightforward and is automated by the machine.
How is coffee made using a coffee drip machine?
The water in a drip coffee machine is heated in a tank before being released gradually over coffee grounds in a brew basket or filter. This results in the dripping of filtered coffee into the carafe below.
As you can see, like the Chemex, an electric drip coffee maker also uses a filter-drip method of brewing coffee. The difference is the automation of the process. Water is put into the device, automatically gets heated, and then poured into a layer of ground coffee. Then coffee drips automatically through the filter paper. Everything is being automated for you and the process doesn’t take too much time!
What is the difference between Chemex and Drip coffee?
So since both the Chemex and drip coffee use the same brewing principle, where does the difference lie?
Chemex is noticeably different because of the filter’s thickness, the equipment’s shape, the control over the type of grind (coarseness or fine), the fact that you may adjust the temperature, etc.
Most automatic drip coffee makers produce less flavored coffee than Chemex. They don’t heat water to the desired temperature, the water is not distributed as evenly as it should be, they don’t let the grounds bloom, and the filter paper is not strictly the highest quality.
Asking about the difference between Chemex and drip coffee is like asking whether French Press and AeroPress are similar just because both use immersion, even though they’re very different.
| Criteria for comparison | Chemex | Drip coffee |
|---|---|---|
| Coffee making | Manual | Automated |
| Filter | Thicker quality filter | Less thick low quality filter |
| Control over the process | yes | no |
| The brewing method | pour-over | pour-over |
| Convenience | Takes more time and effort to brew coffee | Takes less time and effort to brew coffee |
| Ease of cleaning | Easy to maintain & clean | Maintenance and cleaning is more demanding |
| Material | Wood, glass or porcelain | Some of the material is made of plastic |
| Esthetic | Beautiful design from the 70s | Ordinary design |
It is now high time for a thorough comparison of both coffee makers.
To set clear criteria for highlighting the difference between Chemex and drip coffee, the comparison will focus on the following:
- The filter
- The brewing method
- Convenience
- Ease of cleaning
- Esthetic
1. The thickness of the filter
The Chemex filter is thicker and produces a smoother cup of coffee. Regular drip coffee makers let the bitter flavors mingle and complicate the flavor profile.
A thicker filter produces a cleaner cup of coffee which is less impacted by the grinds and allows for more flavor notes.
2. The brewing method
The process of brewing is another aspect in the difference between Chemex and drip coffee machine.
In the Chemex method of making coffee, everything is done manually. You have to carefully pour water from a kettle over freshly ground coffee to create an even brew. You may even pour the water in periods. For example, you may pour a little bit to let the ground coffee bloom and then pour the remaining amount of water.
A quality kettle will allow you to control water temperature and saturation. Pour-over coffee takes longer to brew, requires additional steps, and extracts a more intricate flavor.
In the drip coffee machine, everything is done automatically.
NOTE:
Because even more affordable machines automate practically the entire process, drip coffee makers enhance convenience (see below.)
With no additional steps or waiting, you can make a quick cup of coffee thanks to built-in grinders, a water reservoir, and a timer.
However, you won’t be able to modify the temperature or water distribution unless you’re using a high-end drip coffee maker.
3. Convenience
If you are concerned with convenience, you would be tempted to use drip coffee makers. But if you do so, you will be opting for convenience over quality.
You will save time and effort but you will lose the intricate flavor manual pour-over coffee makers offer.
The process of making coffee with the drip machine is quick and is done in about two minutes. The machine just drips water over a bed of coffee without allowing for enough time to extract the flavors. The outcome, however, lacks a lot of taste.
On the other hand, manual pour-over coffee makers like Chemex take time to brew coffee. Because you have control over how long to brew, you may soak evenly the grounds and wait for the flavors to be extracted before adding what remains of the water. This offers a far better extraction.
4. Ease of cleaning and material
A fourth criterion that highlights the difference between Chemex and drip coffee is related to the ease of cleaning.
Maintenance and cleaning of drip coffee makers is their most significant drawback. Simply said, These devices are difficult to maintain clean unless you do it after each and every brew.
A manual pour-over like Chemex is less complicated to clean. As opposed to the majority of the in-home drip machines I’ve used, which contain a lot of plastic that seems to absorb some of the tastes and aromas of each roast, Chemex is made of glass or porcelain, so no flavors or aromas are lost in the brewing process.
5. Aesthetics
Another difference between Chemex and drip coffee is related to the design.
The classic Chemex coffee maker is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful devices ever made. It is a unique coffee maker with a stylish wooden handle and a glass design.
With a reputation for being both a gorgeous kitchen appliance and a top-notch coffee maker, this brewer strikes a nearly ideal balance between design and functionality.
Final thoughts
The difference between Chemex and drip coffee lies in the quality thick paper filter made by the Chemex company compared to the one used in drip coffee machines. Another difference lies in the brewing process. The manual brewing of pour-over coffee makers, like Chemex, allows for more control over the process than drip coffee which results in more flavorful coffee compared to the one made with drip machines. However, drip coffee makers are more convenient because they are time and effort saving (although they have a less beautiful design.)