# Using a Costco Chemex for the first time any tips.



## urbanbumpkin (Jan 30, 2013)

Thanks to secret Santa I've found myself with a Chemex Clone from Costco.

I was thinking of giving it a try at the weekend. Having never used one before I was looking for a good place to start.

Any suggestions?


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## Daren (Jan 16, 2012)

Try this for size Urbs - I asked the same question

http://coffeeforums.co.uk/showthread.php?19306-Newb-Chemex-questions

TSK's video and Garys tips are bang on


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## urbanbumpkin (Jan 30, 2013)

Cheers Daren, I'll look through this, sounds a great starting point. There's so much varying techniques online. "Sacrificial bag of beans and changing one variable at a time seems to be a good option


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## jlarkin (Apr 26, 2015)

Did the video from tsk still work for you? On Android Tapatalk and it didn't, wondering if I should try a browser later...


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## Daren (Jan 16, 2012)

No? The video seems to have gone? Maybe @The Systemic Kid still has a copy he can share??


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## jlarkin (Apr 26, 2015)

Daren said:


> No? The video seems to have gone? Maybe @The Systemic Kid still has a copy he can share??


I hope so, it sounded really good! I read the whole thread thinking I'll go back to that video to watch it and then... Disappointment, despair, nothingness and so on


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## urbanbumpkin (Jan 30, 2013)

Works for me on iPhone. Try this


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## jlarkin (Apr 26, 2015)

Thanks, that works


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## Fevmeister (Oct 21, 2013)

The missus pointed them out the week before Christmas; there were hardly any left so must be fairly popular.

I would have never expected something like that to sell so quickly in Costco - usually majority morons in the Leeds store


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## urbanbumpkin (Jan 30, 2013)

I had a couple of goes using the Costco supplied papers. The best was still not coarse enough I think.

Following TSKs vid as a guide using the Lido3 on 11 notched from tightest. And my kitchen kettle (not the swan neck variety).

30g dose.

Add 75g water bloom

30 secs added water up to 220g

1:30min added water up to 510g

Seemed to finish at 5min 50 secs.

Tastes sweet but no real flavours pushing through.

According to TSK aim for approx 4 min mark.

I'll try 14 notches on the lido 3.


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## PPapa (Oct 24, 2015)

That seems fair quite too tight. I was using 18.5 notches with my Lido 2 (same adjustment thread) for 18g:300g on a big Chemex. Mind you, my Lido produced quite few fines which I am sure slowed down the flow a little bit.


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## MWJB (Feb 28, 2012)

PPapa said:


> . Mind you, my Lido produced quite few fines which I am sure slowed down the flow a little bit.


All grinders produce fines (how much is normal, few, or a lot, is not easy to determine, though I don't doubt you have an alignment issue), to speed up the flow go coarser, the average grind size will affect flow rate the most.


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## "coffee 4/1" (Sep 1, 2014)

struggling with my cheaply chemex, using same method as urbanbumpkin, i seem to be 1min wrong either side of 4min

would it be 1min under sour or 1min over bitter, can't get the elements of rich coffee flavour,

perhaps this brew method is not for me, back to espresso, saved.


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## PPapa (Oct 24, 2015)

\ said:


> struggling with my cheaply chemex, using same method as urbanbumpkin, i seem to be 1min wrong either side of 4min
> 
> would it be 1min under sour or 1min over bitter, can't get the elements of rich coffee flavour,
> 
> perhaps this brew method is not for me, back to espresso, saved.


Try a properly brewed Chemex in a coffee shop. It's very different from espresso (can I say that it's the most different you can get?), some people refer it as a tea-like. Works best with African coffees in general.


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## "coffee 4/1" (Sep 1, 2014)

PPapa said:


> Try a properly brewed Chemex in a coffee shop. It's very different from espresso (can I say that it's the most different you can get?), some people refer it as a tea-like. Works best with African coffees in general.


i might just do that, my fail might have been that i used tunki beans, but i don't like jungle beans.


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## tambu (Sep 7, 2015)

urbanbumpkin said:


> I had a couple of goes using the Costco supplied papers. The best was still not coarse enough I think.
> 
> Following TSKs vid as a guide using the Lido3 on 11 notched from tightest. And my kitchen kettle (not the swan neck variety).
> 
> ...


Not sure about the costco papers, but with regular chemex papers I have to grind very coarse on the LIDO - around 18 notches for 30g in a 6-cup chemex? My method is almost exactly the same as TSK, although I churn the slurry. I'm not sure if that setting is normal though - I've been meaning to realign the LIDO, but I don't think it'll make much difference (visually I can't see any obvious alignment problem, and conical burrs supposedly create quite a lot of fines anyway). I'd be interested to know what settings others are using for reference.

@The Systemic Kid, I think you have an (older) LIDO 2? Whereabouts do you grind on that to fit your chemex method in the vid?


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## The Systemic Kid (Nov 23, 2012)

Not far off the Lido 3, Clive. On the Lido 2, I grind 18-20 notches depending on the bean I'm using.


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## PPapa (Oct 24, 2015)

I always assumed that Lido 2 and 3 grind settings are identical. All other parts are interchangeable as well, which suggests that, too.


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## tambu (Sep 7, 2015)

Thanks TSK.

PPapa - the (older) lido 2 had a different burr set (Italian); the internet suggests 16 notches on the Italian burr set is roughly 10 on the Swiss burr set, but I imagine there's a fair bit of variability both when comparing the burr sets and then also comparing individual hand grinders with the same burr set, and I have no idea if the quoted relationship between the two is linear, etc.


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