Have you ever observed a barista making coffee and wondered, what’s that funnel-shaped thing they use? It’s a pour-over coffee brewer, and it’s the secret behind the authentic and rich coffee you love.
Coffee enthusiasts often complain about the bland taste of most coffee makers. However, a pour-over coffee dripper remains unparalleled in terms of richness. Read on, as we compare Chemex vs. Hario V60, the two best pour-over coffee brewers, for you.
Chemex Vs Hario V60: Pour Over Coffee Face-off
To compare them effectively, you must first understand what a pour-over coffee brewer is. In this section, we have also given a brief overview of these two fantastic coffee brewers.
What’s Pour Over Coffee?
You may refer to pour-over coffee as coffee in its true essence, as it has a very traditional taste. All you need is a filter, a funnel, a cup, and of course, some coffee beans. It’s a relatively old way of brewing a delicious cup of coffee with the simplest of tools.
All you need to do is, place the funnel over your mug or cup and cover it with the filter. There, that is your set-up! You can then freshly grind the coffee bean or use ground coffee powder. Put as much coffee as your heart desires on top of the filter.
Then you have to pour a slow stream of hot water over the coffee beans, preferably in a circular or spiral motion. The more you let it bloom, the more decadent and flavorsome your coffee. Patience is the key.
After the brewing process is over, you can dispose-off the filter with the used coffee grounds and remove the funnel. Voila! Your perfect cup of specialty coffee is ready.
What is Chemex?
As simple as that process was, pour-over coffee brewers, manage to make it even more effortless for you. Chemex is one such company that manufactures coffee makers as well as filters. The Chemex brewer comes in a classy and sophisticated glass design that many of you may not even associate with coffee. It’s both aesthetically pleasing as well as functional.
It resembles an hourglass and is heat-resistant with its non-porous Borosilicate glass. You don’t need a separate funnel with this one. The design of the Chemex filter and in-built system is equipped with this tool. There is a wooden neck around the glass’s cinched waist, which typically comes with a leather tie around it for grip.
What gives it an edge over drip coffee is the control you get when you pour water over it, slowly. Its patented design offers a beautiful coffee-making experience to you. You can even choose from a host of different sizes and sets, as per your needs!
What is V60?
V60 comes to you with another great design, but this time, from Japan. What will most probably attract you to this one is its V-shaped, functional, and simple design. Quite literally, like its name, the top forms a 60-degree angle.
The specially designed V-shaped top has ribs crafted inside. This design makes sure you get a lot of flavors and a smooth texture. The flow of water in this coffee maker/brewer is so perfect that you get the maximum coffee expansion. You control the intensity of the brew with this one.
The brand Hario manufactures V60 dripper models, servers, filters, as well as mills. The incredible thing is, they use various types of material, ranging from ceramic to even plastic.
The designs also offer a lot of variety in terms of colors and prints.
Chemex Vs Hario V60: The Differences
Now that you know what these two pour-over coffee brewers are all about, let’s analyze Chemex Vs. Hario V60. In this section, we have compared them based on various types of parameters. The manufacturer did this to help you make an informed decision.
Grind Size
The grind size of the coffee is extremely crucial as it determines the extraction rate. The more refined your coffee, the more extraction you get. This situation happens as a finely ground coffee powder will make sure that the water passes through it slowly. Due to this, you get more flavor.
The design of a Chemex coffee brewer gives some leeway in this matter. Even though it’s designed for medium-coarse grind size, the taste won’t heavily depend on the grind size. Whereas, with a Hario V60, the grounds’ size will determine how strong your coffee turns out.
Funnel Design
While both have functional and well-designed funnels, the Hario V60 funnel is more intricately crafted with ribs inside, and they ensure that the flow of water is smooth. It’s V-shaped at a 60-degree angle for the perfect brew.
On the other hand, Chemex doesn’t have an intricate design. You get very little space between the funnel and the filter paper, owing to the angle. However, as a result, you’ll get little to no sediments or leftover coffee grounds in your coffee.
Filters
Filters are of utmost importance in a pour-over coffee brewer due to obvious reasons. While they seem somewhat inconsequential in terms of design, they’re not! You can choose from various qualities and materials of filters with different thicknesses, as per your requirements.
In the case of Chemex Vs. Hario V60, both of them require paper filters for the best results. However, Chemex requires a relatively thicker filter due to the design. This feature leads to maximum filtering of sediments. The Hario V60 coffee brewers come with thinner filters, but they can leave you with a weak brew.
Variety of Sizes
What is the point of having a coffee brewer at your place if you can’t serve everyone? A pour-over brewer size matters a lot as it is usually discredited based on the time-consuming brewing process. If you add a small size to this point, it makes for little to no practicality.
The Chemex comes in a host of different sizes. You can get one that brews three standard cups to one that brews 13 cups. 3, 5, 6, 8, 10, and 13, to be precise. That’s quite a range. The Hario V60 has a drawback in this regard as it can only cater to one to two cups at a time.
Convenience
You want your pour-over coffee brewer to be durable as well as highly functional. The Chemex earns points for being plastic-free and inclusive of sizes; you may find it very breakable or delicate. It’s made of high-quality glass and comes with a price tag to justify that. You’ll also have to wash fewer dishes.
On the contrary, Hario V60 caters to a wide variety of customers as it has devices of ceramic, copper, glass, and plastic. This feature offers you more durability as well as cost-effectiveness. You get the option to choose one, based on your requirements as well as your budget. They are a lot easier to clean as well.
Also Read: French Press vs Percolator
Ease of Use
If you’re not an occasional coffee drinker, you don’t want to struggle while brewing coffee every day. Most pour-over coffee brewers can’t compete with a coffee maker in terms of user-friendliness. However, with time, you can quickly master one.
You’ll find that Chemex is easier to use. It is due to its limited dependency on the coffee ground size and the various size options. The high-quality filters ensure a deliciously creamy brew every time.
Whereas, with a Hario V60, you’ll have to rely on your coffee-brewing skills. We all are not professional baristas now, are we? It also requires a little getting used to, and you may end up with a darker or weaker brew now and then.
Time
Most of you have a busy life and are always on the go. Capsule coffee makers have found popularity because they serve you a good brew within seconds. With a pour-over coffee maker, you get a highly authentic taste, but they shouldn’t take too long.
Since you have to use thicker filters with Chemex, the filtering process will be more time-consuming. It will typically take you four to six minutes for each brew. However, the Hario V60 brewer is quicker. It will only take two to four minutes of your time, owing to the larger filter hole.
Brew
Well, this one is a game-changer for some of you. While all the factors mentioned earlier are important, great taste is paramount. Most avid coffee drinkers will not compromise in this aspect, and so neither should you. Chemex Vs. Hario V60 both use paper filters. Hence your decision can be difficult.
Chemex prides itself on serving you a smooth and sweeter brew. This thing boils down to the excellent quality and thickness of their patented filters. You get little to no unfiltered coffee grounds that have passed through the narrow channel. Also, since the process is time-consuming, the result lives up, and you get a more potent brew every time.
The brew from Hario V60 somewhat depends on your coffee brewing skills. The grind size of your coffee will also play a role. However, the brighter side here is that you can experiment and refine your barista skills.
Is Chemex better than Hario V60?
Looking at the information mentioned earlier, you must realize that the competition here is tough! Both of these fantastic pour-over coffee brewers can cater to your needs quite efficiently. Where one lacks, the other will make up, and vice-versa.
Chemex might be better for you if you value consistency in taste and elegance in design and feel. You get a smoother brew with comparatively fewer efforts. The Chemex filters’ quality is also top-notch, and they reduce the dependence on the grind size of your coffee. To top it off, they cater to a wide variety of sizes, and you can make a bigger batch with them.
However, Hario V60 is not far behind the Chemex coffee maker, with its well-crafted design and budget-friendliness. You can choose from a variety of materials to cater to your requirements. The plastic brewer is very travel-friendly and convenient. As they are easy to clean, your efforts are reduced.
If you have a knack for preparing barista-style coffee or you own a good coffee grinder, the Hario V60 dripper will be just as good for you. That being said, Chemex is a more cost-effective option in the long run, and you will get better quality, in general.
Chemex vs V60: Wrap Up
These two pour over coffee brewers are very popular and are scientifically designed. You must select the one that suits your needs, instead of going by a general opinion. It would be best if you kept factors like budget, taste, design, quality, and user-friendliness in mind.
If you carefully align and scrutinize the various factors with your personal needs, you can easily pick a winner. We hope we were of assistance in solving the Chemex Vs V60 dilemma. Happy brewing!