[Must Read] What To Look For When Buying A 5 Cup Reusable Coffee Filter

Last updated on October 24th, 2023 at 21:30

This article is designed as a guide to help you buy the most suitable 5 cup reusable coffee filter. Coffee filters require a bit of thought, and knowledge about the humble piece of coffee brewing equipment.

And like anything else where there is a variable, it is something that can be controlled, and it has the potential to change how your cup of coffee can and will taste.

Don’t worry, there is nothing complicated or complicated about them, just a few key things to know.

Keep reading as we dig down and talk about 5 cup reusable coffee filters.

What Is A Reusable Coffee Filter?

A reusable coffee filter is a mesh coffee filter made with either nylon or a fine stainless steel wire mesh. They are used for brewing coffee and permit the coffee to flow through the coffee grounds and the fine mesh and trap the coffee grounds, preventing them from getting into your cup of coffee.

Unlike paper filters, they do not trap the coffee oil and the diterpenes, a healthy compound that has anti-inflammatory properties.

In the strictest sense, cotton cloth filters can be considered as a reusable coffee filter as you can use them many times.

However,

they do not last forever, like a metal mesh filter, and will need to be replaced. This is why I call the semi-reusable coffee filters.

Read: 5 Cup coffee filter

 What To Consider – The Material

Something to think about is the material from which your reusable filter is made from. With a mesh filter there are two choices, which are nylon and metal. The metal is usually stainless steel but aluminum and even gold in rare cases.

Nylon is a polymer plastic material and, quite frankly, is best avoided. Since hot water, or more accurately, hot coffee, is in contact and passes through it, there is the potential for your coffee to become contaminated with xeno-estrogens and other chemicals.

At Latte Love Brew, we discourage the use of plastic in coffee brewing for these reasons.

This leaves you with a metal, stainless steel reusable filter, which is a good choice. It functions well, but is not 100% perfect. Some tiny-micro particles of coffee make their way into your cup of coffee, not a lot, and it is rare. To be honest, it is not a big inconvenience.

Both a nylon and wire metal reusable filter allows all the coffee oil to get into your cup, ensuring that you get a delicious coffee that has a fuller flavor that has a heavier body.

A cloth filter, just in case you were curious, filters out some oils, but not all. None of the coffee grounds, even the tiny micro-particles, make their way into your cup.

Are Permanent Coffee Filters Better Than Paper?

Yes, in my humble opinion, permanent coffee filters are better than paper filters as the coffee produced is much better, fuller and does not remove and filter out those lovely coffee oils that add flavor and body to your coffee.

Also,

they do not cause any waste by ending up in the landfill and are much better for the environment.

What About The Shape?

The shape plays an important role for a reusable coffee filter. There are two basic shapes:

• Conical
• Flat bottomed.

Flat-bottomed coffee filters are often called bucket filters and filter baskets due to their shape. The one drawback with this shape is that you might end up with an uneven extraction when you are making pour over coffee.

The solution is good barista skills. Maintain a pencil-thin stream while you are slowly pouring in a circular manner. Take good care not to flood your coffee grinds.

With drip coffee, you need to ensure that your drip coffee machine is apt for this shape of filter and does give an even distribution of the hot water.

A conical or cone-shaped filter does not have this issue as under extraction is eliminated due to the way the hot water flows to a central point while passing through your coffee grounds while extracting.

How Do You Clean A Reusable Coffee Filter?

Clean your reusable coffee filter by hand by giving it a good rinse under the hot water tap after you have bashed out your coffee grounds. If there are any coffee grounds stuck in the filter, give it a good run over with a hot soapy sponge to remove any coffee oils and any coffee particles that are stuck.

Give it a rinse with more warm water and then scrub with a nylon brush to remove any stubborn coffee grounds that are stuck.

Don’t scrub it aggressively in a way in which you may damage the wire mesh. Be careful and take care of it.

Then give it a good clean with a hot soapy sponge again to ensure that it is clean. Then rinse it in an abundance of water – you don’t want any soap in your coffee. If you so wish, at this point you can take the extra step of running it through your dishwasher.

Frequently Asked Questions About 5 Cup Reusable Coffee Filter

How Many Times Can You Use A Reusable Coffee Filter?

You can reuse your coffee paper coffee filter a maximum of four times before you need to throw it out or on the compost pile. Strictly speaking, you can reuse a coffee filter as many times as you want to for as long as your coffee is still tasting great.

When your coffee starts to taste less than perfect, you can replace it with a new one.

Is A Reusable Coffee Filter Worth It?

Yes,

reusable coffee filters and permanent coffee filters are great for the environment as less waste goes into the landfill. Also, long term, you will spend less money on coffee filters, but overall you get a fuller bodied cup of coffee that has a fuller flavor.

Do Reusable Coffee Filters Work Well?

Yes,

reusable coffee filters work very well, but they are not perfect. Very fine coffee particles do make their way past fine mesh. This is very rare, but it does happen. Due to more coffee oils getting into your coffee, you end up with a cup of coffee that has a more complete taste and heavier body.

Can You Use A Wet Coffee Filter?

Yes,

it is recommended by us that you rinse your paper coffee filter, be it bleached or unbleached, to reduce the papery taste and any possible chemicals that may be in them. There is a lot of debate on the topic. I certainly suggest that you rinse it and if it causes you concerns, let it dry and then use it.

Either way, you can use a wet coffee filter without any adverse effects on the quality of your coffee.

How Many Times Can You Reuse A Reusable Coffee Filter?

You can use a reusable coffee filter multiple times, typically 90 to 120 times before you need to throw it out. This should give you 3 to 4 months of use.

What Is The Biggest Coffee Filter Size?

The #4 is the largest coffee filter size. It is designed for 8 to 10 cup coffee makers or larger pour over coffee makers.

What Micron Is A Reusable Coffee Filter?

Reusable coffee filters have an average 5 micron filtration.

How Long Do Reusable Filters Last?

Reusable coffee filters will last you 90 to 120 uses which means they will last 3 to 4 months for making you great morning coffee or 6 weeks to 2 months if you are using them twice per day.

Frappé-Ing It All Up – 5 Cup Reusable Coffee Filter

If you have read this far and are thinking about buying a 5 cup reusable coffee filter you know exactly what to look for, how to clean it and have a good idea of which type is best for you and why.

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