RULE 25

Always consider the Chemex.

The Chemex is part of the permanent collection at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City.

There’s one home brewing method that we think stands above all the others. Whether you’re Team Manual or Team Automatic, there is a place for the Chemex coffee maker in your home.

The Chemex is a triumph of form and function. It is, quite simply, one of coffee’s most beautiful contributions to the wider world of functional interior design, and it makes a tasty cup of coffee too. It was invented in 1941 by German-born inventor Dr. Peter Schlumbohm, a true twentieth-century character and bon vivant whose other, less popular inventions include a portable Champagne cooling device and “unburnable gasoline.” His Chemex coffee maker was a hit almost immediately, and went on to appear in James Bond films, episodes of The Mary Tyler Moore Show, and as gifts to U.S. presidents Harry Truman and Lyndon B. Johnson. The Chemex is part of the permanent collection at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City, where it appears in a gallery installation alongside other functional interior design pieces by the likes of Charles Eames and Ludwig Mies van der Rohe.

Not bad for a coffee maker! Today the Chemex is produced in western Massachusetts and can be purchased new for around $50. We like hunting for midcentury Chemex coffee makers at vintage interiors shops—you’ll know them by the thickness of the glass. There’s also, perhaps unsurprisingly, a wide range of knock-off Chemex-like makers out on the market, and sometimes in the very same vintage stores. The original is of a distinctly higher quality, so shop wisely and Google liberally.

The Chemex makes a tasty cup of coffee—you need to use the brand-specific bonded Chemex filters, which are designed for the unique size and shape of the cone and won’t fall out during pouring—but if we’re honest, that’s not our favorite part. We love the Chemex for its endless versatility and have used our own personal stash of Chemexes as a wine decanter, flower vase, terrarium, fish tank, water pitcher, punch bowl, self-defense blunt object (long story), watering can, and when filled with dry ice and some glowing neon wristbands, as part of an elaborate Halloween decorative display. We think Dr. Schlumbohm, who affixed a series of gilded gold Chemexes to the side of his Coupe de Ville, would strongly approve.