Chemex Classic Series Eight Cup Glass Coffeemaker – 8 Cup Coffee Maker
- 40 oz. (Makes 8 five ounce cups)
The machineblown coffeemaker features an hourglass design.It is flawless and made by heavy glass construction.The 8 cup coffee maker is fitted with a wood collar and leather tie.
Rating: 
(out of 28 reviews)
Price: $ 35.90
West Bend 56204 Single-Cup Personal Coffee Maker and Water Dispenser, Red
- Coffee and water dispenser quickly heats up to 12-ounce
- Can be used with ground coffee, tea bags, or coffee or tea pods
- 5-1/4-inch cup clearance for standard-size cups or mugs
- Auto shut-off; dishwasher-safe brew basket and permanent filter
- Measures 5 by 6 by 10-inch; 1-year limited warranty
The West Bend single-cup coffee and water dispenser provides ultimate convenience in preparing hot beverages and soup.
Rating: 
(out of 25 reviews)
List Price: $ 29.99
Price: $ 22.99
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Review from JCH for the Chemex Classic Series Eight Cup Glass Coffeemaker – 8 Cup Coffee Maker
The Rating is:
Using a Chemex requires water to be heated in a tea kettle prior to brewing, and it requires a finer ground than what auto-drip machines ask for. After the water is brought to a boil, it’s important to wait for it to cool just slightly (about 30 seconds) and then you need to wet the grounds in the filter, wait for them to drain, and then fill the pot with water. Want more than a single cup of coffee? You wait for your first pour to brew, and then fill the filter again.
Some advantages over other forms of coffee brewing:
1. Taste: I don’t know how it does it, but the filter does keep your coffee from being bitter.
2. Cleanability: Users can keep all necessary components clean (anyone who’s brewed water and vinegar through their coffee maker to kill off a bitter taste that wasn’t there when you bought it understands this plight). Oftentimes, the most aggressive criticism of the Chemex is its ponderousness to clean because it’s not possible to get your hand into the reservoir. Some people prefer to add hot water and soap and give it a good rinse, which is fine if you clean the moment you empty the pot, but if you’re like me and you let the remaining sip or two sit until a nice coffee stain is on the glass, then you need some good ‘ol fashion friction to get it clean. The best thing I’ve found: a baby bottle cleaner. It’s narrow enough to get into the reservoir and the angle can be adjusted to scrap the walls, too. Brilliant!
3. Electricity Free: As long as you can boil water, you can have coffee.
4. Mud/Sludge: French press and stove-top espresso-style brewing always leaves a thick slime at the bottom of an otherwise rich cup of coffee. Don’t get me wrong: I think that’s good (I use a French Press when I’m in the mood), but the cone on a Chemex doesn’t allow that at all.
5. Style/Size: the Chemex coffee pot is a relic (designed in the 40s) and the wood cuff with rawhide tie screams simplicity and elegance and it’s a wonderful, minimalist sight on any kitchen counter (and unlike electric coffee makers, easy to move if you need the space).
Some drawbacks any purchaser should consider:
1. Time: it does take 5 – 10 minutes of labor to get the morning cup of coffee.
2. Cones: you can’t run over to Wal-Mart when you use the last filter; you need to find a specialty store or go online, which means you need to plan ahead.
3. Cold Coffee: no electric hot plate (thank god) means coffee not poured and consumed immediately gets cold quickly. You can buy a wire guard and a glass lid so your Chemex can be warmed on the stovetop. I think that’s more labor added to an already laborious endeavor. Just have a warmed thermos ready and use that to store any unused coffee.
4. Learning Curve: It does take some time to get the grind right, the amount right and the water level right to find a cup which caters to your tongue.
5. Cleanability: I know this is in the advantages column, as well, but it’s worth mentioning that a lot of people hate cleaning these things. To submerge it does mean pulling off the wood cuff (which is a small pain) else it will get nasty over time.
Review from ThirdShift for the Chemex Classic Series Eight Cup Glass Coffeemaker – 8 Cup Coffee Maker
The Rating is:
Sometime between my apartment in college and the first move to my first real pad, my 4-cup Krups automatic drip gave out. I didn’t drink enough coffee to buy a replacement. Every so often when the caffeine urge strikes, I would microwave some water in a Pyrex measuring cup, insert a paper filter in the plastic basket that sits atop the carafe, add the ground, and pour in the boiling water all at once. Call it the poor man’s coffee maker but it made the best coffee bar none. There is no auto-drip that can extract as much strength and flavor as a quick 3-minute submersion in boiling water. Which, incidentally, is what a French press does, but leaves a bottom layer of silt.
I continue to make coffee this way, and never bought a replacement auto-drip, partly because I was lazy, didn’t have a lot of space, and it worked. Alas, the carafe went to Krups heaven as well, and I cast about to buy an auto-drip. It seems time.
I did a lot of consumer research for machines from budget-friendly $35 models to $150 multi-function behemoth that would roast, grind and brew AND bring you coffee in bed. All roads lead to Rome and all coffee pilgrims eventually come to Chemex. This is the way to get great coffee, and it doesn’t involved a plug.
I bought it because it’s simple, has no moving or electrical part, is not prone to breakage unless I drop it, does not take up a lot of space, and oh, the MOMA considers it an objet d’art, if the art geek in you needs persuation. The design is quite clever, BTW. You insert the filter, which is flushed with the side of the opening; this creates a suction vacuum, of sorts. Water drips down, and the flow is regulated by the displacement of air from below, up the pour spout, which is not flushed with the filter. To clean, you just rinse and pour out. The wooden and leather “belt” can be removed if you want to wash your carafe in the dish washer.
I use a normal #2 coffee filter, it is a bit small but I’m told the #3 filter (harder to find) fits it perfectly. You don’t need to buy the Chemex filter, but I’ve read that it is thicker, allowing for a longer saturation time therefore extracting more flavor. The carafe is heat-resistant pyrex glass, you cannot put this directly on heating elements. It will not keep your coffee warm. I make my coffee and immediately pour into my thermos. This is (still) the best way to make a cup of coffee.
And now for the reason why I have to subtract one star from such a fine product which I use, and like: THIS IS NOT AN 8-CUP CARAFE!
When it arrived I looked at the size of the box and thought the shipper made a mistake. But there it was, printed on the side of the carton: 8-cup capacity. I’m thinking “cup” as in “measuring cup”, the normal kitchen unit for volume measurement. You may read “based on 5oz. cups” elsewhere, but what is that? I have trouble envisioning 5 oz. but I can estimate a cup. Incidentally my coffee cup holds a little less than one standard measuring cup.
I measured the capacity of the carafe. It will only hold barely 8 cups if you fill it to the rim, an impossibility as you need the top to situate your filter and ground. At the midpoint of the carafe, it holds a little more than 4 standard measuring cups. Even this is pushing it, as you need room for the drip. For practical purpose, this is a 4-cup carafe.
Chemex makes a 10-cup carafe, but I suspect it may be just 5-cup, practically speaking. The capacity labeling is inaccurate and just silly.
Review from Bailey for the Chemex Classic Series Eight Cup Glass Coffeemaker – 8 Cup Coffee Maker
The Rating is:
The Chemex coffee maker adds personality to a kitchen and to the morning coffee ritual. It is an example of minimalist functional design. The glass is chemically neutral and clean. The wood enables hands to pour when the glass is hot. The string enables the wood to come loose for the dishwasher. Every detail has a function for which it is ideally suited.
I like to use two standard cone filters instead of Chemex filters. I put one inside the other and wet them. The result is strong enough to support the coffee and water, provides a fine filter for clean coffee, and slows the passage of water for longer extraction time. This works wonderfully, with only the occasional messy disaster.
The resulting coffee is as dark or light as you choose to make, but weirdly clean and sediment free.
The process itself is calming, and clean-up is a cinch.
Update after 1 year–
Some downsides – a) the glass is thin – mine has lasted over a year with occasional use. My friend’s split in half due to a sudden temperature change in the sink. b) the wood and leather are organic and suffer the fate of organic things.
Review from Victor for the Chemex Classic Series Eight Cup Glass Coffeemaker – 8 Cup Coffee Maker
The Rating is:
Simple. Elegant. and produces (almost) the best cup of coffee (second only to a Hario Syphon). The labor is negligible if you consider the benefits.
Since the filter is cone shaped, it eliminates sludge and provides a consistent filtration. I have used a Chemex since 1989 – yes, I have cracked a few, but some vendors have the hand-blown version which is a sturdier glass.
Review from JCH for the Chemex Classic Series Eight Cup Glass Coffeemaker – 8 Cup Coffee Maker
The Rating is:
Using a Chemex requires water to be heated in a tea kettle prior to brewing, and it requires a finer ground than what auto-drip machines ask for. After the water is brought to a boil, it’s important to wait for it to cool just slightly (about 30 seconds) and then you need to wet the grounds in the filter, wait for them to drain, and then fill the pot with water. Want more than a single cup of coffee? You wait for your first pour to brew, and then fill the filter again.
Some advantages over other forms of coffee brewing:
1. Taste: I don’t know how it does it, but the filter does keep your coffee from being bitter.
2. Cleanability: Users can keep all necessary components clean (anyone who’s brewed water and vinegar through their coffee maker to kill off a bitter taste that wasn’t there when you bought it understands this plight). Oftentimes, the most aggressive criticism of the Chemex is its ponderousness to clean because it’s not possible to get your hand into the reservoir. Some people prefer to add hot water and soap and give it a good rinse, which is fine if you clean the moment you empty the pot, but if you’re like me and you let the remaining sip or two sit until a nice coffee stain is on the glass, then you need some good ‘ol fashion friction to get it clean. The best thing I’ve found: a baby bottle cleaner. It’s narrow enough to get into the reservoir and the angle can be adjusted to scrap the walls, too. Brilliant!
3. Electricity Free: As long as you can boil water, you can have coffee.
4. Mud/Sludge: French press and stove-top espresso-style brewing always leaves a thick slime at the bottom of an otherwise rich cup of coffee. Don’t get me wrong: I think that’s good (I use a French Press when I’m in the mood), but the cone on a Chemex doesn’t allow that at all.
5. Style/Size: the Chemex coffee pot is a relic (designed in the 40s) and the wood cuff with rawhide tie screams simplicity and elegance and it’s a wonderful, minimalist sight on any kitchen counter (and unlike electric coffee makers, easy to move if you need the space).
Some drawbacks any purchaser should consider:
1. Time: it does take 5 – 10 minutes of labor to get the morning cup of coffee.
2. Cones: you can’t run over to Wal-Mart when you use the last filter; you need to find a specialty store or go online, which means you need to plan ahead.
3. Cold Coffee: no electric hot plate (thank god) means coffee not poured and consumed immediately gets cold quickly. You can buy a wire guard and a glass lid so your Chemex can be warmed on the stovetop. I think that’s more labor added to an already laborious endeavor. Just have a warmed thermos ready and use that to store any unused coffee.
4. Learning Curve: It does take some time to get the grind right, the amount right and the water level right to find a cup which caters to your tongue.
5. Cleanability: I know this is in the advantages column, as well, but it’s worth mentioning that a lot of people hate cleaning these things. To submerge it does mean pulling off the wood cuff (which is a small pain) else it will get nasty over time.
Review from Teresa Johnson for the West Bend 56204 Single-Cup Personal Coffee Maker and Water Dispenser, Red
The Rating is:
This was exactly what I was looking for. Don’t hesitate buying it. It will fit a variety of sizes of mugs as long as they are not huge. Mugs can be rather tall and still be fine. It does shut off very quickly after brewing…made me feel safe about using it – I’m moving quickly in the morning and won’t remember to turn it off. The red color is really cute, just as pictured. I reaaaaaaally like it alot. You can use the permanent filter OR take that out and use paper size 1 or 4 cup filters, like I do. I think it makes a stronger brew with paper because it holds the water on the coffee grounds longer…same with any coffee maker. Takes up no space at all, too.
Review from Katheist for the West Bend 56204 Single-Cup Personal Coffee Maker and Water Dispenser, Red
The Rating is:
When I first got it, after a bit, the button that turns it on did not work well and it took many attempts to turn it on. So, I took the bottom off and jiggled a bunch of stuff in there, screwed it back together, and it has worked perfect ever since. I bought it about three months ago. It doesn’t brew the best coffee unless you use a coffee filter in it and grind your coffee to fine. But, if you do that, it is a great machine.
I found the original filter set up to be bulky and I didn’t like the roundness, so I used the set up I that had come with a previous one cup coffee make I had, Black & Decker DCM7 Cup-At-A-Time (which I do not recommend for a few reasons). That way, I have a cone-shaped filter set up and can use cone filters.
What I like about this coffemaker is that it is red so you can see in it well to clean it (although I saw nothing to clean in the 3 months I had it) and also the outside is easy to clean because any food or dirt is easy to see. But, I recommend reading the reviews for the black model, because they are considerably more favorable for this machine and will give you a better overall review.
I love the fact it allows tall coffee mugs to go under it. That is a must for me because I have one mug that is taller. It has an overfill feature that drips water out of the back if you put too much in. However, I like to make taller cups of coffee which this maker can do just fine, so I took some JB Weld and filled that hole in. So now, I can use any size mug I want.
This coffee maker stays clean and has no mess. I have owned a black and decker brew and go and it was very messy, had issues of overflowing and getting grounds all over. The unit heats up very fast and brews coffee very fast. I do not recommend pods and I do not recommend using the original filter set up or you will get a weak cup of coffee. It works perfectly with coffee filters.
In my opinion, this red west bend single coffee maker is one of the best, if not the best on the market!
Review from Alan K. Nott for the West Bend 56204 Single-Cup Personal Coffee Maker and Water Dispenser, Red
The Rating is:
I have been using this for several days now. Overall, I am quite pleased.
However, If you are trying to brew a full 12 oz. of coffee, the included permanent filter causes the water to overflow back into the reservoir because the coffee grounds clog it too easily, and I use a Starbuck’s Burr Grinder set on coarse. I’ll have to try using it to brew loose tea sometime and see how it does.
Try this instead:
1. Purchase a supply of basket-style paper filters, 1-4 cup size(the purchase price amounts to 6/10ths of a cent per filter at Wal-mart).
2. Using two 8-oz. paper cups, re-size one of the paper filters by holding the filter over the bottom of one of the cups while inserting it into the mouth of the other cup. I know it sounds odd, but it works better than you would think.
3. insert the re-sized filter into the pod/filter holder WITHOUT the permanent filter, add enough ground coffee for 12 oz. of water, and proceed to brew per the instructions.
This works amazingly well. The paper filters in question are much easier to find than the specialized ones, and cheaper, too. And paper filters have a distinct advantage; they trap bitter oils that re-usable filters do not.
Review from A. Sermons for the West Bend 56204 Single-Cup Personal Coffee Maker and Water Dispenser, Red
The Rating is:
This is an excellent product for individuals who just need one cup of coffee or tea at a time. The liquid gets really hot, so do not expect a warm cup of coffee or tea. With the high cost of groceries this prevent waste.
Review from M. Chaffee for the West Bend 56204 Single-Cup Personal Coffee Maker and Water Dispenser, Red
The Rating is:
I was attracted to this product’s simple design, cute shape and red color, and expected to use it mostly to heat water to make tea. It actually did brew a cup of fresh coffee using ground beans…but only the first time I used it. After that, it heated up the water, but for some reason, retained it in the upper section. Frustrating! I’ve returned it.