The Chemex and the Hario V60 are the two most popular pour over brewers in the specialty coffee world, and they produce noticeably different cups despite using the same basic principle: hot water poured over ground coffee, filtered through paper into a vessel below. If you’re choosing between them, here’s what actually matters.

The Fundamental Difference: The Filter

The single biggest factor separating a Chemex brew from a V60 brew is the filter. Chemex uses proprietary bonded paper filters that are roughly 20 to 30 percent thicker than standard pour over filters. The V60 uses thinner, cone-shaped filters with ridges embossed into the paper.

This difference in filter thickness has a dramatic effect on the cup. The thicker Chemex filter absorbs more of the coffee’s oils and fine particles, producing a brew that’s exceptionally clean, bright, and tea-like. The thinner V60 filter lets more oils and body through, resulting in a cup with more texture, more mouthfeel, and a fuller flavour profile.

Neither is objectively better. It’s a matter of preference. If you love the clarity and brightness of a well-brewed filter coffee, where you can taste every individual flavour note distinctly, the Chemex will appeal to you. If you prefer a rounder, more textured cup with more body, the V60 is likely your brewer.

Ease of Use

The V60 is more demanding technically. Its single large drain hole means that flow rate is controlled almost entirely by your grind size and pour technique. Pour too fast and the water rushes through without extracting enough. Pour too slowly and you’ll over-extract. The V60 rewards precision and punishes inconsistency, which makes it a fantastic learning tool but a frustrating brewer for beginners.

The Chemex is more forgiving. The thick filter naturally slows the flow rate, giving you a buffer against technique imperfections. You can pour a little unevenly and the Chemex will still produce a decent cup. The thicker paper acts as a second line of defence against the variables that can ruin a V60 brew.

That said, the Chemex has its own quirks. The proprietary filters are expensive (roughly fifty cents per filter compared to five cents for V60 filters), they need to be stored flat, and they can be difficult to find in some Australian shops. The V60’s filters are cheaper, more widely available, and easier to store.

Brewing Capacity

The Chemex excels at brewing larger volumes. The six-cup and eight-cup models can produce enough coffee for a small gathering, making it the natural choice if you regularly brew for more than one person. The brewing process scales well, and the carafe design means you can brew and serve from the same vessel.

The V60 is designed for single-serving or two-cup brewing. You can buy larger V60 drippers (the 02 and 03 sizes), but the best results generally come from the standard 01 or 02 sizes used for one to two cups. If you need to make coffee for four people, you’re either making multiple brews or looking at the Chemex instead.

The Aesthetic Factor

Let’s be honest: both of these brewers are beautiful objects, but in different ways. The Chemex, designed in 1941 by Peter Schlumbohm, is a mid-century modernist icon. Its hourglass shape with the wooden collar and leather tie is so striking that it’s in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art. It looks stunning on a kitchen bench and serves as a conversation piece even when it’s not being used.

The V60 has a more utilitarian aesthetic. The ceramic version is handsome in a simple, functional way, and the glass version has a certain laboratory charm. But it doesn’t have the Chemex’s sculptural presence. If the visual element of your coffee ritual matters to you, the Chemex wins.

Cleanup and Maintenance

The V60 is simpler to clean. Remove the filter with the spent grounds, give the dripper a quick rinse, and you’re done. The whole process takes fifteen seconds.

The Chemex requires a bit more attention. The narrow neck makes it harder to clean thoroughly, and coffee oils can build up on the glass if you don’t wash it properly. You’ll need a bottle brush to reach inside the lower chamber. Some people run it through the dishwasher, though the wooden collar needs to be removed first.

Neither brewer requires significant maintenance. Both are simple devices with no moving parts, no electronics, and nothing that wears out with normal use. A V60 will last essentially forever. A Chemex will too, provided you don’t drop the glass carafe.

Which Coffee Tastes Better?

This is the question everyone asks, and the honest answer is that neither brewer produces objectively better coffee. They produce different coffee, and the one that’s “better” depends on what you value in a cup.

In side-by-side comparisons using the same beans and the same recipe adjusted for each brewer, the Chemex typically produces a cup that’s cleaner, brighter, and more defined. Individual flavour notes are more distinct, almost like hearing each instrument separately in a piece of music. The V60 produces a cup that’s fuller, more complex, and more layered, closer to hearing the full orchestra together.

Light-roasted coffees with delicate floral and fruity notes often show better in the Chemex, where the clean filtration lets those subtle notes shine without being masked by body. Medium-roasted coffees with chocolate and caramel notes can work brilliantly in the V60, where the extra body complements the sweetness.

My Recommendation

If you’re buying your first pour over brewer and you primarily drink coffee alone, get the V60. It’s cheaper, the filters are cheaper, and the learning process will teach you more about coffee extraction than the more forgiving Chemex will. Once you’ve mastered the V60, you’ll be a better brewer on any device.

If you regularly make coffee for more than one person, or if you value the ritual and aesthetic of coffee making as much as the taste, get the Chemex. Its larger capacity and stunning design make the morning coffee ritual into something genuinely special.

If you’re like me and can’t resist buying both, use the V60 for your weekday morning single cup and the Chemex for weekend brewing when you have time to enjoy the process and share with others. They complement each other perfectly, and having both in your kitchen means you can match your brewer to your mood, your beans, and your audience.