Where did filter paper come from? What are the advantages and disadvantages of metal filter and filter paper?

Professional coffee knowledge exchange more coffee bean information please follow the coffee workshop (Wechat official account cafe_style)

The birth of coffee filter paper

In 1908, a German housewife Melitta Bentz liked freshly brewed coffee, but she was a perfectionist suitor and hated the coffee grounds left between her teeth. One day, on a whim, she punched a hole in the bottom of the copper bowl, took out a piece of blotting paper from her son's schoolbag and put it into hot water, and immediately the mellow coffee dripped into the pot through the blotting paper. In this way, she invented a method of filtering dregs and retaining the aroma of mellow coffee. Before this invention, people used cloth bags to filter coffee grounds. However, the cloth filter bag is troublesome to clean and unhygienic after being used many times, and the coffee grounds left in the gap in the cloth bag are also easy to destroy the original mellow taste of coffee. From then on, a small piece of filter paper opened the concept of coffee filtration, and today it leads the trend of boutique coffee for a century.

Which is better to use metal filter or filter paper?

Which is more expensive?

If only from the point of view of unit price, metal filter is much more expensive than filter paper. But the filter paper is disposable and needs to be bought repeatedly. If you drink a lot of coffee, the cost of using the filter paper will continue to add up, so in the long run, the metal filter is more economical and practical.

Which has a greater impact on the environment?

Each of us is very concerned about the impact of coffee on the natural environment. From this point of view alone, the metal filter net wins with absolute superiority. After all, the filter paper is disposable and has to be discarded every time it is used, which will more or less have an adverse impact on the environment.

Which is easier to clean?

In terms of the ease of cleaning, filter paper has an absolute advantage, because after use, you don't have to clean up the remaining filter paper, just throw it away. If it is a metal filter, you must clean it every time you use it, otherwise the residual coffee grounds and oil will directly affect the quality of the coffee.

Which is better for health?

We all know that coffee is good for health, but coffee does contain some bad substances, such as caffeine, which can increase cholesterol levels. Fortunately, scientists have shown that filter paper can effectively filter caffeine, so filter paper is the best choice from a health point of view.

But not all filter paper is 100% healthy. Brightly colored filter paper is bleached, and bleaching requires a lot of chemicals, including dioxins. Experts say the use of bleached filter paper will cause some residual chemicals to enter the coffee, causing adverse effects on the human body.

Therefore, if you prefer filter paper, use unbleached filter paper, which not only contains no chemicals, but also filters more caffeine.

Which one tastes better?

This is perhaps the most critical issue and what we are most concerned about. The taste of coffee made with metal filter is quite different from that of filter paper. first of all, because the metal filter cannot filter coffee alcohol, the coffee will contain more oil, and the taste of coffee will be more mellow and full. If you like heavy coffee, you'd better choose a metal strainer.

On the contrary, the filter paper will filter out more substances in the coffee, and the taste of the coffee will be brighter and more refreshing. But the problem is that if the coffee is brewed incorrectly and the filter paper is not wet and preheated in advance, your coffee may taste a little "paper".

In general, if you like coffee that tastes better and don't care about how much coffee is filtered or not, choose a metal filter, but if you prefer coffee that tastes refreshing and bright, and cares about the health effects of coffee, please choose filter paper.