Coffee filters, bleached or natural?

Anyone immersed in the world of coffee of any kind has probably heard about bleached and unbleached paper coffee filters. What’s the difference?

There are many people who think that unbleached paper filters are good, but there are also some who think that bleached paper filters are good, which has led to a heated debate.

So in this issue, we will analyze the difference between bleached and unbleached paper filters.

Bleached Paper Coffee Filter

Most people, like me, have always believed that the natural color of paper is white, so many people think that white paper filters are the most original material.

No, natural paper is not actually white. The white paper coffee filters you have seen are processed with bleach.

There are two main products used in the bleaching process:

1. Chlorine 2. Oxygen

Since chlorine is a chemical bleach, most coffee lovers don’t use it often.

And paper coffee filters bleached with chlorine are no better than those bleached with oxygen.

If you are looking for a quality bleached paper filter, then it is recommended that you go for one that has "TCF" marked on the package, which means the paper is 100% bleached and chlorine-free.

Unbleached paper coffee filters

It doesn't have the bright white appearance of bleached paper filters, but they are more natural and more environmentally friendly. All paper has a brown appearance because it has not gone through the bleaching process.

When you use an unbleached coffee filter though, you must prepare it to prevent the papery flavor from entering your coffee.

1. Place an unbleached coffee filter into the coffee funnel container

2. Rinse with hot water and then add ground coffee powder

3. Pour out the hot water used to rinse the filter

4. Finally, start brewing the actual coffee

01. Environmental protection

Compared to the two, bleaching paper coffee filters can be bad for the environment.

Because bleaching is added as a step in the manufacturing process, even if only a small amount of bleach is used, these paper filters with bleach still pollute the environment when discarded.

Oxygen bleached filters are more environmentally friendly than chlorine bleached filters, where chlorine can damage the soil.

02. Flavor

There is also a lot of controversy over whether bleached versus unbleached paper coffee filters have an effect on the flavor of the coffee.

For the average, everyday coffee drinker, the difference will probably be minimal, while experienced coffee aficionados may find that unbleached paper coffee filters impart a slight paper taste.

However, unbleached paper coffee filters are usually rinsed once, so if you rinse the filter before brewing coffee, you can almost completely remove it.

So neither type of paper coffee filter will have a huge impact on the flavor of the coffee, but the thickness of the paper will.

03. Quality

When choosing a filter, make sure you not only get the right size for your chosen brewing method, but also the correct thickness.

Filters with thinner paper can allow water to flow through too quickly, which may negatively affect your brew and make it taste bad; thicker filters will cost more and will have better coffee flavor.

Regardless of which paper filter you choose, always remember to buy a high-quality filter because it will affect the taste of your coffee.

Make sure they are the correct size and thickness to brew your favorite cup of coffee every time.

Now that you know more about paper coffee filters, each has its own needs. By weighing your needs, you can ensure that you use the coffee filter you want during production and brew a perfect cup of coffee.

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