How to select the type, efficacy and use of hand-made coffee filter cup

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In the Japanese magazine 'coffee cup', it is mentioned about the flow rate of several common coffee filter cups, which is a very interesting result, which usually doesn't seem to be discussed when making coffee by hand. Let's take a look at the picture above, from left to right, cooking time from fast to slow, in order:

HARIO V60 → KONO → Donut → KALITA → MELITA

The speed of the extraction time mentioned in the magazine is just a comparison, and there is no exact data, which makes my heart itch, so I have to use a very stupid method to measure several coffee filter cups I have on hand. Although not very rigorous, but more or less reference value, hoping to throw a brick to attract jade, together to explore the secret of hand-brewed coffee.

First, use the amount of water from 400CC and pour it directly into a filter cup without filter paper to see how long it takes to finish. This method is a little stupid for tapered filter cups, so only a few ladder filter cups are made.

[filter-free group flow rate test second / 400CC]

KALITA 101ceramic filter cup for 12 seconds

SANYO Sanyo ceramic filter cup for 18 seconds

BONMAC single hole ceramic filter cup for 28 seconds

KALITA 102ceramic filter cup for 28 seconds

KALITA 185 ceramic filter cup 34 seconds

Stainless steel filter cup for Tosa and paper for 46 seconds

KINTO metal mesh filter cup for 57 seconds

Next, put in the fan-shaped filter paper, also pour in the amount of water from 400CC, and test the time of flow without coffee powder.

[filter paper group flow rate test second / 400CC]

Name time

SANYO Sanyo ceramic filter cup for 45 seconds

SANYO Sanyo ceramic filter cup new version 35 seconds

BONMAC single hole ceramic filter cup for 50 seconds

KALITA 101ceramic filter cup 1 minute 52 seconds

KALITA Bozo saw the burned ceramic filter cup for 35 seconds

KALITA 102ceramic filter cup for 52 seconds

KALITA 155stainless steel filter cup 1 minute 05 seconds

KALITA 185 ceramic filter cup not tested

Stainless steel filter cup for Toussa and paper has not been tested.

KINTO metal mesh filter cup not tested

Hario V60 glass filter cup conical for 25 seconds

Hario V60 ceramic filter cup conical 46 seconds

New version of Hario V60 ceramic filter cup for 30 seconds

UN CAFE ceramic filter cup conical for 60 seconds

Melita siphon filter cup 3 minutes 40 seconds

Experimental results

After the experimental results, when there was no filter paper, the KALITA 101ceramic filter cup with the fastest flow rate became the slowest. What is the reason for this? The original problem lies in the fit between the filter paper and the coffee filter cup. when we use the fan-shaped filter paper, we have to fold the side in half, so the thickness of the paper at the bottom will be doubled, and this part will fit at the bottom of the inside of the filter cup. If you happen to have a KALITA 101filter cup on hand, you will find that most of its three outlet holes are covered by filter paper.

Then why don't BONMAC and SANYO ceramic filter cups have this situation? Because it has a rib-like groove next to the outlet, it will create a gap between the filter paper and the bottom of the filter cup, so the flow speed will not be affected. Friends who do not have these two filter cups can refer to Hongze Coffee's previously published article: 'Taguchi Guard. Baja Cafe's unrevealed secret of making coffee by hand.'

So after knowing the difference between these filter cups, you have to adjust the coffee grinding thickness or the amount of powder used when using KALITA 101and 102ceramic filter cups. It is recommended that the slowest filter cup should use less powder to extract less coffee liquid, and vice versa.

In addition, although the tapered filter cup is not in this test, we can imagine that the reason that affects its flow rate is definitely related to the degree of fit between the filter paper and the filter cup, so all brands work on the inner guide groove.

How to choose your filter cup?

There are many kinds of filter cups, and the one in your hand may be Melitta,Kalita,KONO. Either way, each has its own characteristics, so how will these unique designs affect the taste of coffee?

In terms of material, the filter cup is made of resin, ceramic and copper.

The function of groove (rib):

When using the filter paper dripping method to brew coffee, the filter paper will stick to the wall of the filter cup. Without the grooves of these filter cups, after injecting hot water, the air can only be discharged from the filter hole at the bottom of the cup, and the remaining air will be discharged from the surface of the coffee powder in the steaming state. There is a hole in the surface of the coffee powder, and the cold air enters, so that the coffee will not be fully steamed. If you don't get enough steaming, the coffee will lose a certain flavor.

Therefore, the filter cup is extremely important. The filter cup must have a deep groove so that after the hot water is injected into the coffee powder, there is a gap between the filter paper and the filter cup to let the air out, so that the coffee can be fully steamed.

There are many kinds of filter cups, many people will be very confused about how to choose, the editor has worked hard to do his homework for several days, today can finally tell you in detail!

What are the design features of each classic filter cup?

First of all, we will first classify the filter cup, there are many standards of classification, Xiaobian here to introduce two classification methods, one according to the material classification, can be divided into ceramic, copper and plastic. The other is that it can be divided into single hole, double hole, three hole and multi-hole according to the number of holes.

Material classification: ceramics, copper, plastics

Ceramic: the ceramic filter cup needs to be preheated in advance, because the temperature will decrease when the water touches the ceramic surface, but the advantage of ceramic is good heat preservation. After heating once, the temperature can be maintained for a long time, which is suitable for use in winter. And the ceramic filter cup and the ceramic coffee cup are also very compatible.

Copper: the copper filter cup is excellent in both thermal conductivity and thermal insulation, but its shortcomings are also very obvious, the price is high and it is not easy to keep, and it is easy to rust if it is not wiped dry. So store it in a dry and cool place after each use. Many coffee makers collect copper filter cups. After all, the charm of copper filter cups is obvious.

Copper filter cups are very textured in appearance, and a considerable number of people are happy to collect copper filter cups, and their thermal insulation and thermal conductivity are excellent. But if you don't take good care of it, the remaining water droplets will oxidize the copper into black spots.

2. Classification of the number of holes:

The number of holes has a major principle to pay attention to: the more the number of holes, the less likely to block, the faster the flow rate.

Single hole: pioneered by Mrs. Melita, the single-hole filter cup is mainly used for German medium-depth baking.

Double-hole: the function of double-hole filter cup is between single-hole filter cup and three-hole filter cup, which is mainly suitable for light-medium baked beans.

Three-hole: three-hole filter cup is not easy to clog, it is simply a universal filter cup, can be called "a cup in hand, not afraid to go all over the world", suitable for all kinds of roasted coffee.

Kalita stainless steel filter cup you will see that there are three small holes at the flat bottom for coffee liquid to flow out, you need to buy cake cup filter paper, Kalita filter paper, our shop prefers to use Bonavita cake cup filter paper, thicker version than Kalita, specially deepen the design of side grooves, hand-flushed with cake cups although the aroma changes are not as strong as conical filter cups But the overall flavor of the beans, the solid taste and sweetness of the entrance always perform very well.

Porous: filter cup later developed more and more holes, there are four holes, six holes and even eight holes.

Generally speaking, the more holes you have, the more skills you need, so the editor strongly recommends that beginners start playing with a single hole or three holes, and do things in a down-to-earth manner.

Finally, let's take a look at the V60 conical large hole filter cup that everyone must have.

In terms of material, most of the resin filter cups are transparent, so it is easy to see the dripping state of coffee liquid during coffee extraction through the filter cup, and it is light and easy to carry.

The bottom of the V-shaped filter cup is a large hole, and the filter paper used is a special conical filter paper. this kind of filter cup does not have the trouble that the filter hole is blocked, so it is suitable for coffee beans of various roasting degrees. The conical filter cup can not only increase the concentration of water flow, but also make the coffee powder more concentrated. During the initial water injection and steaming, the coffee powder will be easier to absorb water evenly. But it also has shortcomings, its flow rate is relatively fast, easy to lack of extraction, need to inject water many times, and the requirement of steaming is relatively high.

[Diamond filter cup design]

Filter cup design: perfect tapered, diamond-shaped lines, large round hole in the center.

Extraction characteristics: the design of the diamond pattern of the filter cup can make the flow velocity more uniform; the design of the large round hole in the center of the filter cup can increase the flow rate and make up for the non-uniformity of extraction to a certain extent. The use of diamond filter cup also requires some cooking skills and stability, if hot water is injected in the same way as V60, the filtration speed will be different, so the extraction time will also change. The difference in extraction time will lead to a difference in coffee flavor.

Design features of V60:

1. Cone at an angle of 60 degrees: this prolongs the time for the water to flow through the coffee powder to the center.

2. A large filter hole: this allows us to control the flavor of coffee by changing the flow rate of water.

3. Spiral pattern: this allows air to escape upward from all around to maximize the expansion of coffee powder.

A closer look at the ribs of the KONO filter cup shows that the ribs of the KONO do not extend from the bottom to the top, but stop when they are less than half the height of the filter cup. This height is designed to ensure that during the dripping process, the filter paper can be attached to the wall of the filter cup after absorbing water, and once the exhaust space is limited, the air flow will be limited, which will increase the water absorption time of coffee powder particles.

The overall shape of Chemex is like a combination of triangular flask and funnel, minimizing the unfavorable factors in hand-making and fully showing the ultimate flavor of boutique coffee.

Design and extraction characteristics of several classical ceramic filter cups

Hario V60

Hario V60

Filter cup design: perfect cone, whirlpool pattern, large round hole in the center.

Extraction characteristics: the design of the filter cup pattern can make the flow velocity more uniform; but the flow in the groove of the filter cup is easy to gather, resulting in over-extraction of some coffee powder and insufficient extraction of some coffee powder; the design of the large round hole in the center can increase the flow rate and make up for the non-uniformity of extraction to a certain extent. Using Hario V60 filter cup requires some cooking skills and stability.

Bonmac Dripper

Bonmac Dripper

Filter cup design: wedge design, vertical grain, small round hole in the center, bottom observation window.

Extraction features: in a sense, Bonmac Dripper is a perfect filter cup. The perfect match between the size of the filter cup and the small round hole in the center makes the extraction speed neither too fast nor too slow, the flow rate is very stable, and the consistency of coffee is perfect. All you need to adjust is the degree of grinding and the ratio of water to powder.

Bee House

Bee House

Filter cup design: wedge design, vertical grain, double hole, bottom observation window.

Extraction features: with this filter cup, Andy Sprenger has won 2011 and 2012 world championships successively. "I extracted a lot of cups of coffee with Hario V60 and Kalita Wave, and it worked well. But I used the Beehouse filter cup to get my most satisfied cup of coffee, the most flavor, the cleanest, the most uniform extraction. "

Kalita Wave ladder type three holes

Kalita Wave

Filter cup design: tapered flat bottom, horizontal lines, three holes.

Extraction characteristics: from the design concept, the Kalita Wave filter cup is similar to Bonmac, which can well control the flow rate of the extraction process. The ripple of the filter cup wall is combined with the design of flat bottom and small hole to make the contact time between water and coffee powder reach the ideal state.

Bonavita Next wave cake cup

Filter cup design: tapered flat bottom, ring pattern, four holes

Extraction features: annular diversion combined with Next Wave filter paper makes the hot gas discharge and the whole hot water and coffee extraction process more reasonable, four holes will control the extraction flow rate in the best state, higher extraction rate, suitable for shallow baking beans, richer taste layer, thickening cup wall is conducive to brewing time temperature constant temperature, showing a better taste level.

Origami coffee filter cup

Filter cup design: Bowl type flat bottom, vertical grain, single hole

Extraction features: feel the extraction mode between V60 and Wave cup and the flow rate is just right, the bottom of the filter cup is flat and smooth, and the water diversion groove extends from the top to the bottom. The design concept of the origami filter cup is to let the water accumulate at the bottom and then flow down slowly.

Blue bottle filter cup

Filter cup design: trapezoidal flat bottom, vertical grain, single hole

Extraction characteristics: this fan-shaped filter cup feels that the water is very slow, and the water flows out along the bottom of the filter cup, which is not smooth, but the coffee extraction is very uniform and comfortable to drink.

Sanyo petal filter cup

Design features: 1, fancy ribs, fancy inner ribs form an air layer to make coffee powder fully expand

2. Inner trough petal type, which can fully steam the thickest part of the water and coffee powder.

3, the bottom rib diversion trough to alleviate the effect of steam on extraction

Extraction features: also boiled Yega Sheffivoka water for comparison, obviously feel that the petals body will be thicker, close to flannel, this is a pleasant surprise, look at the ribs think that the water will be faster than V60, in fact, much slower than V60. This design lengthens the contact time between coffee powder and water. The overall flavor is strong, but it is not clear and slightly complex. The Yega brewed in the V60 is slightly tea-like, but the flavor is much clearer.

The way you make coffee by hand varies with different utensils. When we choose a coffee filter cup, as long as we can meet the three basic conditions of filtration, ventilation and heat preservation, and understand the characteristics and functions of the apparatus, coupled with our own hard practice, we will be able to make coffee in line with our own taste.

In the world of hand-brewing coffee, any small detail will cause subtle changes in the taste of coffee, and there are too many unknowns waiting for us to explore. I like coffee, not only because of its taste, but also because it can bring me enough fun.