Filter coffee has been around longer than espresso and is actually more popular in some parts of the world. While certain countries ( Italy for example) are still culturelly very much anchored to espresso coffee, more and more young people are turning to filter. When you’re using fresh-roasted beans at home, a manual dripper is a great tool for getting the most from your brewing ritual.
And we strongly recommend getting a good grinder, kettle, and scale to complete your setup (though they’re not essential). These tools will make it much easier for you to consistently brew a truly great cup>
The name " Filter " can be a little confusing. Virtually every type of coffee is filtered in one way or another - including espresso. ‘Filter Coffee’ is often used to describe a range of different devices like Pourover, Aeropress, Chemex, Batch Brew and plenty more. Another way to describe this category is 'low-pressure brewing', because that's the one difference they all have compared to an espresso machine. The other difference is strength.
A typical espresso has a ratio of around 1:2 parts coffee to water while filter coffee sits around 1:16 parts coffee to water. In terms of flavour. compared to espresso, the mouthfeel of filter coffee is less ‘thick’ and the flavours are more subtle & detailed.
Filter brewing is the perfect way to experience all the subtle flavours of a high-quality single origin coffee. The type of origin is up to you, personally I love the variety of coffees available and spectrum of flavours. Whether it is the crisp, clean sweetness of a Colombian coffee or the deep, fruit flavours of a Natural-process Ethiopian - it’s the differences that make it interesting. With roasting, most people prefer a lighter ‘filter’ roast coffee as it emphasises the sweetness and acidity of the coffee. Many people find that darker roasts can turn out bitter and smoky as filter. However, if you like to add milk or prefer a bit of kick then by all means, go to the dark side, I hear they have cookies.
Professional Equipment: the options
Automated (Batch Brewing)
(Faster / More Consistent / Less Flexible)
These look like the brewers you see in every classic American sitcom, but don't be fooled. With quality equipment, and the right coffee you can make some seriously delicious coffee. Batch brewers range from small, domestic units that only have one setting up to large, more advanced units that have more options and capacity. These can be far more consistent that the manual filter coffees while still providing great quality. They also hold ‘batch’ quantities that you can keep temperature stable and have ready to go in your fancy travel bottle. For most of you, we recommend you start with a small batch brewer like the Moccamaster KBG 741.
Manual Brewing
(Slower / Less Consistent / More Flexible)
If you want a dripper that further captures the essence of pour-over coffee’s ritualistic appeal, we recommend to get Hario V60. There is so many of different type. Choose the one you are comfortable with. Once you’re comfortable with your technique, it’s a lot of fun to match your spiral pour to this dripper’s wide, conical shape. The V-60 is capable of brewing coffee that is flavorful, interesting, and well rounded. With the Hario V-60, it just takes a little more practice and focus to get consistently great results. And small changes to your brewing parameters will have a more noticeable effect on your coffee (which could be a good thing, if you like to tinker)
Some recommendations:
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| CLEVER DRIPPER | AEROPRESS |
HARIO V60
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We also love the Chemex Six Cup Classic Series. It’s a good choice for those who want to brew several cups at once, as well as for fans of great design. (The Chemex was invented by chemist Peter Schlumbohm, in 1941, and it’s included in the Museum of Modern Art’s permanent collection.) It has a built-in carafe, and in our tests the Chemex reliably produced balanced, nuanced coffee while being fairly forgiving of our pouring technique. Like most of our other picks, the Chemex uses proprietary filters not usually available in grocery stores. But they’re easy enough to buy online.
Grinders
, I’m afraid your espresso grinder is not going to give you good results for Filter Coffee. Unless you’re lucky enough to have a deli grinder already, you will need to get hold of something that can provide a wider range of grind sizes than a typical espresso grinder. For home use, hand grinders can work well too and cost a fraction of the price. Some recommendations:
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| BARATZA ENCORE | FELLOW ODE GEN 2 BREW |
Need more help choosing your perfect filter? Contact our team.
Happy Brewing!