It’s Electric

Photograph by Bruce Peterson

When it comes to Chemex—that pour-over coffee vessel so stylish it’s in the permanent collection at the Museum of Modern Art—there are a few things even the staunchest coffee snobs may not know.

First and foremost, we get to call Chemex our own. Though the coffeemaker was invented by a German chemist in 1941, the company is headquartered in Chico­pee. Second, its cutting-edge new Chemex Ottomatic isn’t actually the first of its kind: A similar model was in production from the late 1970s through the early 1990s.

COO Adams Grassy, whose parents purchased Chemex in 1981, says he wanted to bring the electric brewer back to appeal to people who love Chemex coffee but lack the patience to hand-brew a pot each morning. He spent two years working with a high-end Irish manufacturer to produce the machine, which mimics the elaborate pour-over process with a simple push of a button.

$350, chemexcoffeemaker.com.