Reviews of pour-over filter materials and alternative brew methods.

WotB

I figured I'd start a thread about something other than espresso machine reviews.

Here we can discuss the pros and cons of different pour-over filter materials and alternate brew methods.

I'll kick it off with some things I've tried.

As you may or may not know, I'm keen on pour-over. While I find that the vessel associated with brewing doesn't have too much of an impact on quality in the cup, the filter material most certainly does.

1. Paper - It's wasteful chucking out the filter each time you brew. The filters themselves are prone to breaking once wet, especially if the construction isn't perfect. While they may produce a clean cup, you get that paper taste. Filters out a lot of volatile oils making for a somewhat benign cup. I don't like it.

2. Cloth - Very clean in the cup and re-usable. Reasonably easy to clean and maintain. You can soak them in cleaner, but I wouldn't use anything too fragrant like laundry detergent. My 2nd favourite so far.

3. Ultra-fine, double-layer stainless mesh. Very clean and allows most of the volatile oils to come through for a more complex, balanced brew. You do get some sediment, but it is so fine it's not an issue. I find in most circumstances the coffee has an increased sweetness. My favourite of what I've used.

I've yet to try goldmesh or a Kone. I can't suggest either way how good or bad they are.

Others feel free to post your opinions.

blanyon

Kone is very different to use compared to paper as there is much less resistant to water flow so your pouring needs to change. If you can handle the sediment (which I don't mind) it is an improvement on the paper in taste (IMHO). Brett

RichardM

I had coffee from one of these today: http://www.coffeecraft.com.au/itemdetailspage/3541 at my local coffee shop. Unlike most syphons I've seen, once it's hot, the metal jug starts shaking, which flicks down the cover over the flame. Such an elegant machine. It was my partner's first ever syphon, and she doesn't normally drink black, yet she enjoyed it. This particular syphon uses a metal reusable filter, and it was an incredibly clean brew. It was even cleaner than other syphons that I've tasted with the same beans (from the same place).

hiphipharar

Well I've tried Syphon: tricky to master but when you nail it, it produces the cleanest and most enjoyable brew of all - and interesting. Being made of glass, they can be prone to breakage. There are various filter types available but the Yama one I have -a copy of the Hario syphon - uses a cloth filter. Aeropress: A great standby and had results the equivalent of some syphon brews using the recently available Kone disk (.008 size) with an inverted method. The Ap provides the most portable solution and the Kone disk allows more volatile oils through. Clever Coffee Dripper: Different to some of the other filter brewing methods in that the water stays in contact with the grounds for a period of time (usually 3 - 4 mins). Once brewed, you place the CCD on your cup which opens a valve and dispenses the water. The CCD is my brewing method of choice at work. Up until recently, I've been using paper filters but, despite offering a very clean cup, I started to notice more and more the paper taste these filters imparted. I bought one of the stainless steel mesh filters WotB mentions in his post. I've only used it a few times in the CCD with varied results and still yet to work out the best grind to use but no more paper taste and the successful attempts have produced very little residue in the cup. I would like to see a comparison of the steel mesh to the Coava Kone that moto mentioned but I wouldn't be surprised if there was very little difference. WotB demonstrated a pourover using the mesh filter and it was quite stunning. Sweet and flavoursome, once again with only a few fines which sink to the bottom. Anyway, WotB is selling these along with other brewing equipment. Click the link under his avatar. The above methods produce a black coffee superior in flavour to that made from an espresso machine at the cost of body. I don't recommend any of these methods for milk-based drinks. You could add milk but it would be a bit like adding orange juice to fine champagne.

askthecoffeeguy

I use the CCD at home and at work with paper filters for ease of use and I'm constantly impressed with the results - not everyone s cup of tea I know, but I'm still on the learning curve of find one useful application (for me its the CCD), and experiment with one variable at a time, until you can get the most out of the coffee and equipment that you're using So far I'm loving the results, and even though I've been using the CCD daily for over six months I'm still experimenting with infusion times, coffee weight and water volume, etc, all to see if I can get more and or something different out of the cup from what I'm used to tasting - and as I matter of course I usually infuse for longer when the coffee's fresher, to get more out of the tasting experience Cheers, ACg

hiphipharar

askthecoffeeguy wrote:

So far I'm loving the results, and even though I've been using the CCD daily for over six months I'm still experimenting with infusion times, coffee weight and water volume, etc, all to see if I can get more and or something different out of the cup from what I'm used to tasting - and as I matter of course I usually infuse for longer when the coffee's fresher, to get more out of the tasting experience

Useful info. Perhaps we need a forum on manual brewing techniques. I've been using the method on the 'Five Senses' website with (usually) success. The infusion time is 3.5 mins with only one stir after 30 seconds. WotB also suggested I could use the CCD with a 'traditional' pourover method by placing the CCD on top of a container to keep the valve open while adding water. Defeats the purpose of the CCD but I wonder if the results might be better???