Café deVolcán
Panama highland coffee rows rising into a mountain ridge beneath a clear blue sky.

A Journal

From Highlands to Cup

Three stories on place, ritual, and variety: the conditions that shape the cup, the methods that open it, and the expressions that make it memorable.

Panama Highlands
A Chemex brewer with coffee, a cup, kettle, and coffee grounds on a wooden table.

Brewing Methods

The Chemex: Clarity Through a Heavier Filter

The Chemex is a pour-over device of distinctive glass design, named as much for the vessel as for the method. Coffee is placed in a thicker-than-usual paper filter set into the top of the hourglass-shaped flask, and hot water is poured over the bed. The brew passes through the filter and into the lower chamber, ready to be served or decanted.

The Chemex was invented in 1941 by Peter Schlumbohm, a German chemist who had emigrated to the United States and held over 300 patents across his career. Schlumbohm designed the Chemex by adapting laboratory equipment — a borosilicate glass funnel and Erlenmeyer flask joined into a single vessel — into a coffee brewer that combined scientific precision with elegant form. The wooden collar held in place by a leather tie, originally designed to insulate the heat-sensitive glass neck, became one of the most recognizable design signatures in twentieth-century housewares. Schlumbohm filed for the Chemex patent in 1941 and the device went into production immediately, finding its first market among American households during the war years.

The thicker filter is what defines the cup. Because it captures more of the coffee's oils and suspended particles than a standard pour-over filter, the resulting brew is exceptionally clear and bright. Flavors arrive crisp and articulated, without the heavier body that thinner filters allow through. Coffees with delicate florals, citrus, or tea-like qualities express particularly well in this vessel.

The Chemex is also a beautiful object defined by its classically gorgeous wooden collar with leather tie. Its design has remained essentially unchanged since 1941 and has earned a place in the permanent collections of the Museum of Modern Art and the Smithsonian. Ilonna Schlumbohm continued the company and the Chemex is still manufactured by the family-owned company in Massachusetts. Café de Volcán sees in the Chemex a quiet pairing of form and function — a vessel that produces a clean, articulate cup while also carrying the pleasure of being looked at while it brews.

More from the Journal

A journey through place, ritual, and variety.

138 stories
A Chemex brewer with coffee, a cup, kettle, and coffee grounds on a wooden table.Brewing MethodsThe Chemex: Clarity Through a Heavier FilterThe Chemex is a distinctive glass pour-over brewer known for its heavier paper filter, elegant form, and exceptionally clear cup.Volcán Barú rising above cloud cover and green highland pasture in western Panama.OriginVolcán BarúHow altitude, cool nights, and volcanic soil shape the clarity, brightness, and aromatic lift of coffees from Panama.Black gooseneck kettle pouring over a glass Chemex on a wooden table in warm natural light.RitualThe Pour-OverA slower method built for fragrance, texture, and definition, letting the cup open with clarity and control.Geisha coffee blossom with dew against a soft green background.VarietyGeisha, ExplainedWhy the variety became so revered: floral aromatics, tea-like elegance, and remarkable clarity in the cup.Satellite-style view of Panama as a narrow isthmus between Central and South America.Panama PositioningWhat Makes Panama Coffee Different?Panama coffee is shaped by compression: two oceans, a narrow land bridge, volcanic highlands, shifting winds, and producers working in close detail.Glowing lava rock and dark volcanic stone.SoilWhy Volcanic Soil Changes Coffee FlavorVolcanic soil does not create flavor by magic, but it can shape the conditions where expressive coffee grows.Boquete, Chiriquí, Panama, with river gardens, flowers, and green mountain ridges on a sunny day.OriginBoquete Coffee: A Short Guide To Panama's HighlandsBoquete is one of Panama's best-known coffee regions, shaped by mountains, mist, and careful cultivation.Rocky high mountain summit above a blanket of clouds and blue sky.ElevationHigh-Altitude Coffee, ExplainedHigh altitude usually means 1,000 meters above sea level or higher, but the number matters because of the climate it creates around the coffee plant.Sunlit Panama highland coffee farm with mountain ridges, trees, and afternoon light.ClimateThe Climate Behind Panama Specialty CoffeeRain, wind, cloud cover, and cool nights help explain why Panama can produce such expressive coffees.Coffee cherries ripening on a branch in warm highland light.ProcessFrom Cherry To Cup In The HighlandsA coffee's journey begins as fruit, and every step after picking decides how much of the highland character remains.A cool mountain lake at night beneath stars and volcanic silhouettes.ClimateWhy Cool Nights Matter For CoffeeCool nights, highland mist, and slower cherry development help coffee build sweetness and structure with more patience.Coffee plants growing across a forested highland slope in warm morning light.EducationThe Difference Between Origin And TerroirOrigin names the place; terroir describes the living conditions that make that place taste distinct.
The Chemex: Clarity Through a Heavier Filter | Café de Volcán