Small details about the filter cup that you overlooked.

Big coffees who are keen on making hand-brewed coffee all have one or two sets of coffee utensils that are easy to use, and these seemingly obvious items actually contain a lot of interesting little "secrets". Like a 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.

Most of the filter cups of resin 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 ceramic filter cup has strong heat preservation, but it also dissipates heat quickly. So you need to warm the cup with hot water before making coffee. The ceramic filter cup effectively ensures the constant water temperature in the process of making coffee, which is beneficial for the coffee powder to extract a balanced taste at the same water temperature.

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.

In addition to the different materials, the internal grooves (Rib) of the filter cup are also slightly different. First of all, we need to know that the function of the groove in the filter cup is to let the gas out of the gap formed by the filter paper and the groove in the process of extracting coffee, so that the gas will not break through the top of the coffee powder and lose its aroma.

When you pick up the coffee filter cup again, it is not difficult to observe and compare the Melitta single-hole filter cup with dense grooves and deep grooves, so the design facilitates the rapid discharge of gas along the grooves. All the coffee liquid flows through only one hole, and the extracted coffee is full-bodied and rich, but it is easier to soak when making lightly roasted beans.

Compared with Melitta, the three-hole filter cup grooves of Kalita are sparse and shallow. This is because the filter cup has three holes, the coffee liquid can flow out quickly and evenly, and the internal pressure of the coffee powder will not form too much pressure to make the gas break through the coffee powder. The three-hole filter cup can adjust the coffee concentration by controlling the thickness and speed of the water flow.

There is a large round hole at the bottom of the filter cup of KONO, and the groove in the filter cup extends to the bottom groove. Although the bottom filtration time is short, the coffee powder will be piled up narrow and long because of the shape of the filter cup, and the time for the water to pass through the coffee powder will be longer. The coffee extracted by KONO has a strong flavor but can still feel the softness and smoothness of the coffee.

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.