Chemex vs Hario V60

No, and they are not interchangeable. Chemex bonded filters are made specifically for the Chemex and are considerably thicker than standard pour-over papers — that thickness is the whole reason the cup is so clean and the drawdown so slow. The V60 uses its own cone filters in sizes 01, 02 and 03, matched to the dripper you own. For the 6-cup Chemex, Chemex lists its Bonded filters FP-1, FC-100, FS-100 and FSU-100. Budget for the right filters for whichever you buy; Chemex filters cost more per brew.

Both benefit from one and the V60 effectively requires it. The V60's large single hole means your pour rate sets the brew, so a controlled stream is the difference between a good cup and a fast, sour one. The Chemex is a little more forgiving because its thick filter slows the drawdown regardless, but an even pour over the bed still matters. If you own neither, budget for a gooseneck alongside either brewer.

The Chemex, marginally, because the thick filter slows everything down and gives you more margin on pour speed. Both are technique-sensitive compared with an immersion brewer, and both improve dramatically with a burr grinder and a scale. If you want a pour-over that is genuinely forgiving on day one, an AeroPress is the easier starting point than either of these.

The Chemex for two or three cups, the V60 for one. They make different coffee rather than better coffee. The Chemex's heavy bonded filter strips oils and fines for a very clean, tea-like cup and brews straight into its own carafe. The V60 leaves more aromatics and body in a single fresh cup, scores slightly higher on cup quality here for that reason, and costs a fraction of the price. How many people you brew for is the most useful way to decide.

Chemex rates the Six Cup Classic at 30 oz and measures its cups in 5 oz increments, so the six cups are small ones: about three 10 oz mugs. Chemex says you can brew less than the full size by scaling the recipe down. The Classic series also comes in 3, 8 and 10 cup sizes. Hario rates the V60 02 at 1 to 4 cups, and sells a smaller 01 and a larger 03.

The Chemex wants it coarser. Chemex's own instructions call for a medium-coarse grind, and its thick bonded filter already slows the drawdown. For the V60, the one-cup recipe Hario USA publishes uses a medium-fine grind, with drawdown finishing around three minutes. On either brewer, go coarser if the brew runs slow and tastes bitter, finer if it runs fast and tastes sour.

The glass is. Chemex says its glass coffeemakers can go in the dishwasher once the wood collar and leather tie are removed, secured so the carafe does not knock against other dishes, or you can hand-wash it with a brush. The collar and tie should not go in. A V60 dripper is a simple cone that rinses clean under the tap after each brew.