A Guide to Coffee Filters

Coffee has become one of the most popular drinks in the world. Also, it happens to be very good for our body and mind due to its high levels of antioxidants and healthy nutrients. Coffee can make one feel less sleepy and boost their levels of energy. It’s because it has an excitant known as caffeine, the psychoactive substance most widely ingested all across the globe.

Coffee is also known to assist in fat loss and management of type-2 diabetes. 

And since coffee has become one of the most commonly consumed beverages in every household, regular people have also started to buy coffee machines. If you’re wanting to buy a coffee machine and need to know everything about coffee filters, you’ve come to the right place! 

What exactly does a coffee filter do? The filter makes the rich flavour ooze into your coffee mug or cup as you brew coffee and boiling water gushes through the ground coffee while holding the grounds intact. The function of a coffee filter is very simple and clear: the filter separates the liquid from the coffee grounds after the hot water has extracted the flavouring of the coffee beans, and dissolved their flavour, colour, and aroma. 

This filter is mostly made of disposable paper which is delicate and porous enough to enable liquid part of the coffee to move through, but not the little coffee particles. The coffee ground and other things that you do not want to consume are trapped by the filter. 

The filter’s material also influences the coffee’s flavour, as much as the type of coffee beans you use. Filters are commonly made of paper, cloth, or some metal.  

One of the most easily available filters is paper coffee filters. You can easily buy them in any convenience store or your local supermarket. They are used in Drip Coffee Makers due to their high absorbing capacities, and because they eliminate any residual oil and give you a cleaner coffee liquid. You can usually find them in a conical shape or a basket-like shape and are most popularly used with a coffee maker. Paper coffee filters can further be differentiated on the basis of whether it’s made of bleached paper or unbleached paper. This has no significant effect on the flavour of the coffee, but it’s advisable to use unbleached because it’s more eco-friendly. Unbleached paper coffee filters are brown in colour, while the unbleached paper coffee filters are white. 

The next most popular coffee filters are the Metal Coffee filters. This type of filter has a metallic mesh, which has large pores as compared to the paper filters. These pores allow the residual oils and tiny coffee grounds to pass through easily, but it’s not as bad as it sounds, really. Some people actually like that rich, full flavour in their coffee. It has been observed that the natural oils enhance the sweetness, aroma and taste of the coffee. The only problem with this type of filter is that it’s a bit difficult to clean. It needs daily cleaning as well as an occasional deep wash with soap and water. 

You also might’ve heard of Cloth Coffee Filters. This is probably the least commonly used type of filter. They do a pretty good job at filtering the coffee grounds from the coffee liquid. But they’re quite high maintenance as they need to be washed after every use. 

In the end, you should choose your coffee filter keeping in mind what type of machine you have and what type of coffee you want. You won’t have to worry about buying a coffee filter if you buy Gaggia Cadorna Milk Automatic Espresso Machine, which comes with a built-in filter and is perfect for any home barista. This machine goes perfectly with Baratza Sette 270wi, which grinds your coffee to your idea of perfection.