If you are a coffee lover then a coffee maker is the essential kitchen appliance in your kitchen. As you consuming coffee daily then you must use coffee filters a lot for coffee making. But have you ever thought are coffee filter safe? Can you compost coffee filters? In this article, we will try to find the answers to these questions.
Why Do We Use Coffee filters?
The reason behind starting using coffee filters is just to keep the coffee grounds out of the coffee. But the usage of filters is not only this, but it also has some health benefits.
Unfiltered coffee has a lot of Caffeine. When a person exceeds the caffeine level may lead to insomnia, nervousness, heart palpitations, and jitters. Even usually caffeine interrupts your sleeping process and ruins free time. Moreover, nutritionists say that unfiltered coffee can raise ‘bad’ LDL cholesterol.
To avoid this kind of health risk everyone needs to avoid unfiltered coffee. despite this, they should use filters to make their own cup of joy.
Pour-overs is a favorite method of making coffee for many people in today’s world. But it was started in the early 1900s. To easily brew a perfect cup of coffee a German housewife Melissa Bentz tried a new way of making coffee. To hold grounds she folded a blotting paper piece and poured water over it. That’s how she creates the first coffee by using pour-over.
It becomes popular day by day and makes a new era of coffee making. Despite the fact she never used the term ‘coffee filter’ but when it becomes popular among people, this piece of paper was starting mentioned as a ‘coffee filter’ in the community.
Are Coffee Filters Safe?
Coffee filters are totally safe. Nutritionists suggest people use filters and ignore unfiltered coffee. In the manufacturing process, they don’t use any toxic ingredients. From now when you purchase those filters, you can be assured that Coffee filters are safe to use.
Are Coffee Filters Toxic?
NOO. It has a zero possibility of being toxic for coffee filters unless your enemy did something wrong. Though it uses chemicals that don’t affect the taste and the quality. The method of using different types of filters may increase the quality of the cup of coffee.
Are Coffee Filters Biodegradable? Environmental Impact
Biodegradable are those products that can be broken down by living things like bacteria and fungi. Biodegradable products are environmentally friendly. These types of filters have a good environmental impact.
As there are many kinds of filters manufactured with many types of materials. If the materials of a coffee filter are biodegradable then the coffee filter is also biodegradable.
There is a piece of bad news that not every coffee filter is manufactured with biodegradable materials. And the good news is coffee filters are entirely compostable, but it’s true only for paper filters.
If the filter you use is made of other materials like linen, then the effect upon the environment may not the same. Even many paper filters are bleached with chemicals like chlorine and oxygen.
Pros and Cons of Filters
There are many types of coffee filters. Not all types of coffee filters are the same. Because the way they are manufactured is not the same process or the same materials. There are four major types of coffee filters in the basis of materials-Paper, Cotton, Metal, and Neylon.
Let’s jump right into the pros and cons of these four coffee filter types. So that you can choose the type which will best suit your taste preferences and lifestyle.
Paper Coffee Filters
When it comes to making a cup of coffee paper filters are those that you probably think. It has huge popularity among users that it can be found in every supermarket and can be found in the cabinets of most homes.
Paper filters are tightly compressed in the making process which filters most of the coffee oils and micro-grounds. This is good for some and also bad for many.
Paper-filters filter the brew at the highest level which produces a light, clean, bright, and crisp coffee. Though it is made just to use one time you can use it 3-5 times at a time.
The cleanup process is extremely easy because you just have to through up the paper. Coffee filters are not recyclable like other papers but they can only be used for compost and you don’t need to through the coffee ground.
If you think about cost then this is not cost-effective compared to other types of coffee filters like metal.
Because of the process, it produces a high waste. For this reason, there is an absence of oils and micro-grounds which produces a thinner and more approachable drink that has less caffeine. if you are a coffee addict then you may not like this.
Metal Coffee Filters
Metal Coffee filters are those types of filters that probably have been used in your favorite coffee shop. Metal filters are primarily made of stainless steel but they have gold coating also. Which gives it a luxurious look.
Compared to paper coffee filters, metal filters brew coffee on the complete opposite end of the spectrum. As there’s no paper to soak up the natural coffee oils or filter the microscopic grounds, some of these things end up in the final coffee cup.
It gives a strong taste which is not that good according to the nutritionists. It is comparatively environmentally friendly than nylon.
A piece of Metal coffee filter is expensive than others. But if you think about its existence period then you can realize that it is economical.
A metal coffee filter can last one or two lifetimes easily if you can take care of it properly. But cleaning metal filters is not an easy thing to do like cleaning paper filters. But you have to check it out for yourself.
Cloth Coffee Filters
Cloth coffee filters are made from natural cotton, hemp, or muslin fabric. It is not usually used in North America. Even in the other parts of the world, it is not that familiar like pepper and metal filters.
These filters are made of fine cloth that catches all of the coffee grounds and the micro grounds, but can’t properly absorb coffee oils. That’s why it produces a clean, sediment-free cup with rich flavors of coffee oils.
Cloth filters are difficult to maintain. Between brews, you have to make sure that you washed it properly and don’t dry out too much. You can use it in dozens of brews after that it will start contributing to your coffee taste. It is technically safe to use more than 100 times. It is also not costly at all.
Because of the manufacturing process, it is safe for the environment. It will decompose within 2 years and turn into soil.
Nylon Coffee filters
Nylon filters are made of synthetic yarn. It does the same work as metal filters. For this reason, you won’t find any major cost of manufacturing this other than greed for money.
It can’t soak the coffee oils but it can reduce coffee ground. Though there is a little chance of finding some coffee grounds in your coffee mug it isn’t harmful at all. That’s why these types of coffee filters give you a rich bold and strong taste of flavor in your every sip.
Nylon filters are not environmentally friendly at all. Because of its materials, it cannot be decomposed in 400 years. But it has a good thing that it is not costly as metal. Even the cleaning process is the same.
Impact on the taste of Using Filter
Every type of coffee filter has its own way of working. For this reason, your coffee is impacted by your coffee filters in the aroma, the body, the look it gives, and the way all blends together.
Each type of coffee filter has the ability to impacts your brewing routine differently but there’s one that probably suits you more than the others.
Differences Between paper, cloth, and metal coffee filters
The main visual difference between paper filters, cloth, and metal filters is in their materials. Paper filters use paper which gives a papery taste in the brewing process. cloth filters are just made of cloths. And the metal coffee filter is from stainless steel.
When you brew by using this three you can be sure that these are environment friendly. When they are waste they don’t damage the natural environment.
When it comes to cleaning you can’t clean paper filters. But you can clean and recycle metal and cloth filters.
If you think about cost then both bleached and unbleached paper filter is not economical compared to metal and cloth filters.
Is it safe to Bleach or Not to Bleach?
It is not safe to bleach your filter. Paper filters usually look brown. To give it a bright white look you have to bleach it with chlorine or oxygen.
Even though they both have the same quality, same ability to stop coffee grounds but the only reason behind this transformation is Cosmetic. For people, Brown paper is less appealing than white one. and that’s how despite the fact of having same quality and grounds clear ability white one is expensive.
If you are an intelligent person then you may use paper filters. And then the question arrives “bleached or unbleached”.
Maybe your priority filter is a bleached filter because it is more appealing than doing its work. these bright white filters don’t change the taste of your cup of joy.
From the coffee maker when you pour your favorite cup of energy by using white-bleached coffee paper filters and take a sip to taste the joy, you may never think about the environment. This bright white color bleach filter is white because of the oxygen bleaching or the chlorine bleaching which makes them very flammable.
It is safe to use but your use of bleached filter waste can cost a big environmental disaster. Well everyone wants to be safe. That’s why you should use brown unbleached paper filters. This gives you a slightly peppery flavor in your taste but it has no difference in the quality. Even an unbleached paper filter is also economical than bleached filters.
There is also a big debate about bleached vs unbleached coffee filters. Though in the bleaching process they use oxygen and chlorine to bleach if you think about your health and environmental safety then you have to choose between bleached and unbleached coffee filters.
The Complete Guide to Choosing The Right Coffee Filter
Now after knowing all of these different coffee filter types, it’s time to choose your perfect coffee filter which fits into your lifestyle and your flavor choices.
If you love a bright, crisp acidity in your coffee or need your morning routine to be more appropriate than anything? Paper coffee filters may suit you the most. You can choose bleached coffee filters or unbleached coffee filters. It has a big filter debate between bleached filters and unbleached filters.
If you enjoy a rich aromatic mug and oily body without the sediment then Cloth filters have the middle ground which is suitable for you.
If you are an environmentally conscious person and also want to enjoy the most delicious coffee beans with a rich and strong flavor then metal filters are just for you.
Be your Barista and brew your moment.
Which Filter Is the healthiest option?
After all of this discussion, you can conclude the fact that paper coffee filters are healthier than any other coffee filter. Now you have to choose a bleached or unbleached paper filter.
When it comes to bleached vs unbleached filters, it has a slight difference in taste but if you think about health then a bleached paper filter is the healthiest option. Bleached filters are healthiest because it has a coating which soaks more coffee oil. Which is healthier than any other filter.
So in between Bleached and unbleached filters, bleached filters are healthiest and not only between them, it is healthiest among every type of Coffee filters. Be a healthy person and enjoy every moment.
So Should you use coffee filters?
Now after all of this discussion we conclude that drink a cup of unfiltered coffee is extremely unhealthy. now you have a perfect answer of “are coffee filters safe?” And the answer is yes they are.
Despite every type of coffee filter you can choose your type. So purchase a perfect coffee filter, be your barista and brew your coffee in your method.