dose.

A follow up to last weeks post, this one is dedicated to our favorite brew method at the shop: the Chemex Coffeemaker. If you come by at a 6AM (which we encourage you to do ), you’ll more than likely find us carefully preparing our own First Cup via this classy device.

The Chemex was invented in 1941 by Dr. Peter J. Schlumbohm, and was a fixture in many mid-century kitchens. The original hand-blown models even earned it a place in the Museum of Modern Art and the Smithsonian. During the last decade, the brewer has experienced a bit of a renaissance with fine coffee establishments and connoisseurs worldwide because it brews an exceptionally clean tasting cup of coffee that allows the real nuances of flavor to come through.

As fetching as the design of the coffeemaker is, the functional superiority of it probably more to do with the proprietary filters than the shape. The thick, lab-grade paper of the filter holds back the oils and sediment of the brew, as well as slows down the contact time between the coffee and water. Current coffee theory suggests that there is an inverse relationship between body and clarity of flavor, as the body causing compounds somehow attach to the flavor compounds and thereby mask our tongues from clearly discerning them.

The lighter bodied but full flavored result of a Chemex brew would certainlyuphold this theory. It takes a bit more attention during the extraction than the steep-and-release method of the Clever Dripper, but is hard to beat for its clarity. If you’ve got a few minutes one of these mornings, pick a coffee off of the Featured menu and we’ll be more than happy to carefully prepare your First Cup the same way we enjoy ours.

For tips on at-home brewing with the Chemex Coffeemaker, ask us in-store, or visit brewmethods.com for links to a myriad of techniques from across the coffee-sphere

For awhile now, dose. has been offering a selection of featured coffees that are brewed by-the-cup. Truth be told, this is our favorite way to drink coffee (other than espresso). We’ve selected two primary methods of manual, single-cup brewing, and they both consistently produce great cups that really show off the coffee.

The simplest method we use (and sell for your at-home brewing convenience) is the Clever Coffee Dripper, which became available in the US just a few years ago. This device is so simple that it is surprising no one had thought of it before. It is similar to the ubiquitous Melitta pour-over cones you can find in any Kroger store, but has the added feature of steeping the coffee (similar to a French Press) before draining it into the cup. This full immersion of the coffee grounds allows for a more evenly extracted bed of coffee and a generally well developed flavor profile.

Brewing with the Clever takes around 4 minutes, and is worth the wait for a great, fresh cup of coffee. It is also a great way to get started with manual coffee brewing at home – and even uses the #4 cone filter you can find at just about any grocery store.

Ask us about the Clever next time your in the store and we can give you more tips on using the brewer – or visit brewmethods.com for more examples of great ways to brew a cup at home!

For a limited time, from Counter Culture Coffee and Finca Mauritania in El Salvador, we have “Cascara Tea” available by-the-cup and by-the-bag! This tisane is made from the dried fruit of the coffee cherry. Basically, coffee beans are the seeds of a fruit that grows on a tree, after being picked the beans are removed via various methods, and this dried fruit is what is left.

Steeping the fruit in hot water produces a relatively full bodied beverage withnotes of fig, sweet black tea, dates, baked apples, and caramel. While we haven’t found any official information on the levels of caffeine contained, primary exploratory research conducted in our “lab” would suggest that it amounts comparable to brewed coffee.

2.25/cup 10/4oz bag