Chemex Funnex Review: Does it Live up to the Hype?

The Chemex Funnex is a double-walled borosilicate glass dripper that brings the clean style of a Chemex into a smaller, cup-friendly design. It’s portable and sturdy, and yields up to 15 oz. of Chemex coffee.

The Funnex pairs with Chemex filters to ensure the flavor remains bright and smooth, while the bloom rises beautifully right before your eyes. Fans of manual brewing who enjoy shaping every part of the process will undoubtedly appreciate the control this tiny brewer offers over water, timing, and flow. 

With the Chemex Funnex, you can experience a calm coffee shop moment at home without a full countertop setup. 

What Is the Chemex Funnex

The Chemex Funnex takes the same idea as the classic Chemex brewer and shrinks it into a compact glass dripper. 

It still uses Chemex filters, which help keep the coffee flavor clean and the coffee bed nicely shaped. Instead of brewing into a full carafe, it sits right on top of your cup, flask, or even basic servers. 

Hot water flows through evenly, giving you pour-over coffee without a large setup. It feels like the barista in you finally gets a tiny upgrade that fits anywhere.

The Funnex is travel-friendly with the same recognizable design, and offers enough room to bloom your favorite ground coffee without fuss. It brings manual brewing into the places where a full brewer would feel silly.

Design and Build

The Chemex Funnex is small but serious. The body is made of thick borosilicate glass, so it can handle hot water without fuss.

The two-piece layout leaves a gap for airflow, helping the coffee bed drain evenly rather than choking the flow. 

A silicone ring hugs the base and keeps the dripper steady on your cup, flask, or small servers, which is especially helpful during early-morning manual brewing.

Because the walls are transparent, you can see the coffee bloom rise, monitor the water flow rate, and spot any uneven pouring immediately. On the counter, it looks simple and clean, blending in with almost any existing coffee setup.

How Brewing Works with the Funnex

The Chemex Funnex keeps the brewing process hands-on and straightforward. Place it on your cup or flask, add a Chemex filter, and pour in the ground coffee. 

A burr grinder helps keep grind sizes consistent, which supports better extraction. If the grounds look like coarse sea salt, you are in the right zone.

Heat your water to about 92–96°C using an electric kettle or a Stagg EKG if you enjoy precision. A gooseneck kettle makes it easier to control each pour. 

Start with a quick splash to trigger the coffee bloom, then follow with slow circles to keep the coffee bed flat. A scale and a timer give better control over timing and flow rate, so the final cup tastes balanced.

Here are a few tips to keep in mind:

• Aim for one or two cups at most since the dripper is small
• If the water drains too fast, use a finer grind next time
• If it drains too slowly, try a slightly coarser grind

The Chemex Funnex provides the kind of manual brewing experience that feels easy but still requires your attention on each step. It rewards care without turning your morning coffee into a science project.

Taste and Coffee Flavor

The Chemex Funnex focuses on clarity, giving a bright cup with a clean coffee flavor. Light roasts shine here because the paper coffee filters keep oils out of the final brew. 

You get less body than with a French Press or an Aeropress, but the trade-off is a crisp taste with details that are often lost in a heavier brew. 

When the extraction hits the right timing and flow rate, each sip feels smooth, fresh, and focused on the natural character of the coffee beans. It delivers that pure cup people expect from Chemex, just in a smaller, easier format.

How it Compares

The Chemex Funnex sits in a fun middle ground between other pour-over brewers and more familiar gear.

It behaves like a small, neat coffee maker with a focus on clarity. Compared to a Hario V60, you get a similar clean taste, but the Funnex often drains slightly more slowly, so pour technique matters more. 

The Kalita Wave usually gives a more even bed and a slightly richer cup. The Clever Coffee Dripper leans on immersion, which feels thicker and more forgiving. 

Melitta gear wins on simplicity and cost. An Aeropress tends to bring a fuller texture with less clarity. Espresso lives in its own world, closer to a coffee shop barista shot than any manual dripper.

Who Should Buy the Chemex Funnex

The Chemex Funnex fits right into the hands of anyone who enjoys pour-over coffee and wants a clear flavor without a bulky setup. 

It feels friendly to new brewers while still giving enough control to satisfy hobby baristas. A few groups will love it most:

• Beginners who want an easy way to bring clarity into their daily cup
• Fans of the classic Chemex who only need one serving instead of a full carafe
• People who enjoy coffee culture, small cafes, and hands-on brewing at home
• French Press or Aeropress users who want to explore a cleaner taste without giving up manual brewing

If a small brewer with a bright flavor profile sounds fun, this one will feel right.

The Final Scoop

The Chemex Funnex is a manual brewer that keeps things simple, clear, and pleasantly compact.

It delivers bright coffee flavor without needing a full carafe, and the travel-friendly size fits easily in any kitchen or bag. 

Good grind sizes and steady hot water pouring make a noticeable difference in clarity, so a scale and a gooseneck kettle remain helpful friends. 

Manual brewing relies on the entire process, and this small glass dripper makes each step feel satisfying rather than overwhelming.