Bleached vs unbleached? Different shapes? Quality? Choosing the right coffee filter can get complicated.
Do you need one? Yes. Filter paper plays an important role in the process of brewing. Filters separate the grinds from the coffee. The last thing you want to drink are grounds!
Does the size and quality matter? Yes! Without the right size you could end up with grinds in your coffee. Gross! The key is to find the right filter paper to match your brewer. Quality has to do with thickness and build. The quality of the filter will have an impact on the taste because of how quickly it allows the coffee to flow out.
Bleached vs Unbleached
There are two basic paper filter types: Bleached and unbleached paper filters.
Bleached:
Now, when we say ‘bleached’...Basically, they are paper that have undergone a process that makes them appear white. Natural paper, you see, doesn’t actually look white. Think of those cheap paper bags that you get in the grocery store. There are two main products used in the bleaching process:
We like to carry the bleached version because it produces a cleaner cup of coffee. We offer 3 different types: Chemex filter, Gino paper filter and Filtropa Cone Filter.
Unbleached:
Unbleached versions are more eco-friendly as they require less processing. Keep in mind that it will have a more papery or dusty like taste due to the color (they are brown because trees are naturally brown). For unbleached, we would highly recommend pre-rinsing a couple of times and to ensure that you rinsed out the papery/dusty mouth feel, sip the water to check.
There is no right choice for bleached or unbleached; it all comes down to your preference.
Thickness
Thicker is better! Thinner filters will allow the water to pass through it much more quickly, and if it is going out too quickly it is not extracting properly. The thicker filters can be more expensive, as a heads up BUT it is worth it.
Troubleshooting
Ever had that papery or dusty mouth feel from a pour over coffee?
If yes, it was because of 2 things using bleached or unbleached filters:
- Did not pre-rinse the filter paper
- Did not pre-rinse enough water through the filter paper
Sizes and shapes
Flat bottom drippers:
Gino paper filters are fitted for those flat bottom drippers like the Gino Dripper, Kalita 185 and December dripper.
Cone shaped Flat bottom drippers:
A Filtropa Cone Filter is in a cone shape but has a flat bottom. This paper filter only fits the drippers like Mellita drippers and Bee House Ceramic Coffee drippers.
Our recommendations:
Paper quality is very important to us, so we carry the best, highest quality filters we could find. We carry Chemex, Gino, and Filtropa filter papers. Our Brewers Cup Champions like to use the Gino filter paper because it is slightly thicker than the other leading brands in the flat bottom filter paper category. It has sturdiness and is able to produce a clean well-balanced coffee.
