Chemex vs V60 vs Aeropress: All Differences Explained
Chemex vs V60 vs AeroPress, all pour-overs are tempting. Specialty coffees can make your everyday experience outstanding. But, which specialty coffee brewer should you choose?
This 10-minute read will help you take a wise decision and save your hard-earned money too when choosing among Chemex, V60 and AeroPress. Here, I have discussed the flavors, creaminess, tanginess, sweetness, and other yield factors, difficulty levels, pricing, and much more.
Chemex vs V60 vs AeroPress
Chemex
A style icon in itself, Chemex is known for its modern design and quality brew. With little practice, anyone can brew a perfect cup of coffee that is loaded with flavor in each sip.
Aesthetics
This small coffee brewer is ideal for people who have small counter space in the kitchen. In all honesty, Chemex is most appealing among the three when it comes to aesthetics. You can see your beautiful morning cup brewing from the glass vessel.
The hour-glass shaped pour-over brewer, Chemex is so beautiful that it has been displayed at the Museum of Modern Art. Its wooden handle and leather-tie make it compatible to modern-day minimalist designs.
Taste
Chemex is perfect for delicate and rich coffees. It yields slightly sweet coffees with a little punch of citrus. Chemex coffees are not strong, but they are full of flavor.
Price
Chemex is also among affordable coffee brewers, specially for beginners. For around $40, you can get an 8-cup brewer. For $8-10, you can get a box of 100 filters for Chemex. You can read a full Chemex review here.
Control
The most loved feature of Chemex is the control it gives you over everyday cup of coffee. You can control the temperature, grind, flavor and pouring technique according to your preference. You can experiment with Chemex and find the right balance that suits your palate.
Difficulty Level
Brewing with Chemex needs adequate understanding of brew time and bean size. The process is simple, but you may end up with over-extracted or under-extracted coffee if you do not brew the beans for required time.
Mostly, a Chemex can brew you a perfect cup of coffee in 6-7 minutes. The more you use a Chemex, the better you understand the required time for different grind sizes.
- Start with selecting a good filter paper designed for Chemex only.
- Fold the filter paper in 3 parts. Pour hot water on filter paper to get rid of the paper-like taste.
- Now put the filter paper in top half part of the Chemex carafe.
- Put the coffee grounds on filter paper. If you are using fine ground, you will need to brew the coffee for 5-6 minutes only.
- Pour 1/3rd of the hot water on coffee grounds. When pouring water, move it in circular motions to soak all grounds. Pour slowly. Wait for 90 seconds.
- Now pour rest of the water in circular motions and brew your coffee.
- The water will drip slowly in the bottom half of carafe.
- Once brewed, take out the coffee grounds and filter paper and enjoy your coffee.
Maintenance, Sturdiness and Usability
Chemex comes in two types. The first one, Chemex Handblown is made entirely with borosilicate glass, including a borosilicate glass handle. Chemex Classic is made with borosilicate glass too, and wooden collar that is tied on the waist using leather string.
Borosilicate glass can resist thermal shock effectively. Classic or Handheld, when you pour hot water in Chemex, the glass carafe remains intact because that is how it is designed. However, Chemex is equally delicate too. It can resist thermal shock, but it cannot resist manual shock. If it falls, it cannot bounce or repel the pressure implied during fall.
Once you have used a Chemex, rinsing with hot water immediately is all you need to clean it. It is also top-rack dishwasher safe. This is why, its maintenance is actually the easiest among all pour-over coffee makers.
Portability
Chemex is not portable because of its delicate glass body. For bigger motives, like moving home, you can wrap it in bubble sheets. If you want to take Chemex while traveling, its best to keep it wrapped in bubble sheets with you. Avoid checking Chemex in the luggage.
Chemex vs V60 vs AeroPress
V60
The name of V60 comes from its cone designed at 60 degrees. A product of Hario, a Japanese company, V60 pour-over coffee maker is a state-of-art design that ensures maximum flavor extraction. Result? You will get a rich cup with clean flavors throughout.
Aesthetics
When it comes to aesthetics, I would give more marks to Chemex than V60. However, if we talk about reliability of the materials, V60 gets the crown.
It has a wooden base to hold the brewer. Some wooden bases are aesthetically designed with leather strings too. Insert the cone in wooden base and place the wooden base on your carafe or cup. Insert folded filter paper in the cone, and your V60 is ready to use.
The variety in V60 materials include glass, stainless steel, plastic, ceramic and copper. My favorite one is of course the glass one. You can see your freshly brewed coffee dripping from the swirled borders of V60.
Taste
V60 brews a perfectly balanced cup of coffee with sweet notes and a light punch of citrus. The taste is clear and more towards fruity flavors. You will feel it sweet like a mango and a little citrus punch like a lemon.
Price
The best part about Hario V60 is the price. You can select the material type according to your budget. If you do not want to spend much, then plastic-made V60 is an inexpensive choice.
Control
V60 is a good choice if you love to explore coffee flavors by experimenting with beans, water, temperature, and other parameters. It is ideal for medium or fine grind size.
Hario V60 looks like a simple pour-over drip coffee maker but you may end up with a muddy or bitter cup of coffee if your technique is incorrect.
Once you learn the technique and tricks of this specialty Japanese brewer, you can build 100% control over the flavor of coffee.
Difficulty Level
What could be better than brewing fresh coffee after a long day? Chemex vs V60 vs AeroPress, which one should you choose? Beginners may find pour-over coffee makers a little complicated. V60 is slightly trickier than Chemex or AeroPress because its final yield depends on many factors.
- Use a gooseneck kettle that allows better water flow and maximum extraction.
- Always use high quality coffee only. It is because the filter paper of V60 is thin. It produces richer coffee in less time. Using low quality beans will result in bitter or too strong cup of coffee.
If you are a beginner or you do not want to play tricks after a long and rough day, then immersion coffee makers like French Press would be a good option.
Maintenance, Sturdiness and Usability
A majority of the V60 models and materials are dishwasher safe. You can also dissemble the parts easily and clean the specialty Japanese brewer thoroughly.
Hario V60 models made with stainless steel, copper, plastic and ceramic are sturdier options. The glass one is reliable too, but you just need to be careful about accidental kitchen falls.
Usability wise, V60 is a good choice for a romantic date on a cold rainy evening. However, if you want to brew coffee using V60 for a crowd, then I am sorry friend. You might want to look for other options.
Portability
V60 is a small pour-over drip coffee maker. It takes small space on kitchen counter, and in your luggage too. If your V60 is constructed with any material other than glass, then you can easily transport it or keep it in your luggage while traveling. For glass material, you can keep the base in luggage, and bubble-wrap the glass cone to keep it safe with you.
Chemex vs V60 vs AeroPress
AeroPress
The piston-style coffee extractor, AeroPress has a simple but clever design. It uses a thin filter paper that does not allow oils and sediments to pass through. Result? You get a clean cup of coffee with rich flavor notes. However, there are a few downsides too.
Aesthetics
If you are a practical human who just wants to get the job done, then AeroPress is a good choice for you. There is not much to say when it comes to the aesthetics. AeroPress looks like a deep vessel with a piston to insert in it. Is it decorative? Not really. Is it handy, the backpacker kind? Definitely, yes.
Taste
AeroPress coffee is usually mellow, but still strong. Its thin filter gives clean flavor to coffee as it filters out all the reside and oils. Beginners may end up with a sweet or sour cup of coffee. It is due to selecting a wrong grind size. Medium fine grind is usually suitable for AeroPress.
Price
AeroPress is usually considered an inexpensive option for one person’s use. The basic type, AeroPress Original costs around $30, but these $30 will last you a lifetime because of its durable material. AeroPress Go is around $50-$70. If price is your concern when choosing between chemex vs V60 vs AeroPress, then AeroPress is the most lucrative option.
Control
Coffee lovers have successfully created hundreds of recipes using AeroPress. If you love to be experimental with the temperature and quantity of water and size and quantity of beans, then AeroPress is your best bet.
The standard method of brewing coffee with AeroPress involves this process.
- Put AeroPress on top of your coffee cup.
- Insert filter paper.
- Now fill the vessel or hollow part with beans and water.
- Press it with the piston or plunger-like part to extract coffee in the cup.
Inverted method was later invented by coffee enthusiasts.
- Turn your AeroPress upside down with plunger as the base.
- Fill it with coffee and water.
- Now turn it over the cup and press the piston to extract coffee.
You can extract a clean, light but full of flavor coffee, or a rich concentrate using AeroPress. This small coffee extractor really gives you more control than any other pour-over coffee maker.
However, it can brew only one cup of coffee at a time. AeroPress Go can brew up to three espresso concentrates, which can be used to make three ups of coffee by adding water or milk.
AeroPress is a good choice for hikers, backpackers, and adventure sports lovers.
Difficulty Level
Easy design and simple functionality make AeroPress a good choice for beginners and curious coffee makers.
Maintenance, Sturdiness and Usability
AeroPress is a lightweight device. When packed with its accessories and 20 filter papers, AeroPress Go barely weighs 323 grams. The mug of AeroPress Go is microwavable too. AeroPress Original weighs around 13 ounces with all accessories. When you go for hiking, you can leave the funnel, stirrer, scoop and filter holder at home. This will leave you with around 6.5 ounces of weight to carry in your backpack.
The plunger wipes the vacuum chamber of AeroPress when you press it down. This is why, the manufacturer recommends a simple rinse after each use, or washing with vinegar if the chamber gets sticky. However, AeroPress is dishwasher safe too.
All AeroPress Original and AeroPress Go are made with polypropylene. Only the seal is made of silicone, and it is approved as food-safe. All materials used for AeroPress are manufactured in the USA and are BPA and phthalate free.
All parts of AeroPress are recyclable except the silicone seal and lid of AeroPress Go mug.
Portability
AeroPress is the easiest to carry when it comes to pour-over coffee makers. The durable material of AeroPress is lightweight, which makes it an easy to carry, portable choice.
Final Word on Chemex vs V60 vs AeroPress
Chemex vs V60 vs AeroPress – the choice depends on your personal preference. If you are more into aesthetics and want to enjoy the elite experience of brewing coffee every time, then Chemex is a good option.
For sturdiness along with beautiful coffee brewing experience, then V60 is a good choice. If you like rough and tough lifestyle and enjoy doing adventure sports, then AeroPress is your best bet.
Ideally, I believe everyone should have AeroPress as handy coffee brewer. It can make your 4-hour road trip memorable too. So, which one did you pick?