The coffee maker filter is manufactured in different shapes and sizes, but which one is right for you? It all really depends on how often you drink coffee and what your tastes are. Here is a brief overview of the world of coffee maker filters to help you choose the right one for you.

Different styles of coffee filters

  Coffee filters usually come in two shapes – cone shaped and basket shaped. A basket filter will allow the water to remain in contact with the coffee grinds longer than a cone filter.

It filters the water more evenly. However, they require bigger grinds.The cone shaped filters have their advantage aswell - they are less prone to spillage and are easier to clean.

Different types of Coffee Maker filters

Paper Coffee Filters

The most widely used material for casual coffee brewers is paper. The advantage of paper filters is they are inexpensive and do get the job done. Also, clean-up is a easy as paper filters are disposable. So all you have to do is take the filter out and throw it away.

The only drawback of paper is that some people claim that the paper absorbs too much of the coffee’s natural oils, which is where the flavor lies.

Cloth Coffee Filters

Cloth coffee filters are not as popular because they are the hardest to clean. The disadvantage of this environment friendly filter is, coffee grinds stick to the cloth, and so it actually takes a bit of effort to rinse out all the grinds. However, for the coffee connoisseur the extra work may be worth it, as both cloth and metal both allow the coffee’s natural oils to seep through, unlike paper.

Metal Coffee Filters

These are made of stainless steel. Metal filters are easier to clean than cloth, but they still require some extra clean-up time.

One advantage of metal coffee filters being its durability. It is a good choice of filter for people who brew multiple cups at one time, such as big families, offices, or coffee shops. With metal filters you can start brewing your next cup immediately just by switching the used filter with a clean one and just wash them later. A popular model of metal filters is a reusable filter called My K Cup by Keurig.

Gold And Gold Toned Coffee Filters

The name gold coffee filters is used for two types of coffee filters – the gold toned coffee filters and Swiss gold coffee filters.

The Swiss gold filter are plated with 23 karat gold. So they are not called “gold” just to sound snazzy – but because they are actually made of gold! Out of all the different filter materials gold has the best ability to retain the coffee’s natural oils. However, being gold, they are quite expensive.These filters cost anywhere between $ 20 -$ 25 usd.

Whereas the gold toned coffee filters are made of stainless steel and treated so they don’t transfer the metallic taste. These cost anywhere from $8 to $ 12 usd. Long life is one of the advantage of these filters. Also, clean up and maintenance is very easy. There is no messy clean up after your coffee is made.

Water Filters

Some high end coffee maker come with a water filter. These filters purify the water before it goes through the coffee grinds. This is useful for people who live in cities and need to filter their water, or for people who just want to have the most perfect cup of coffee possible.

The popular water filter brand Brita manufactures such coffee maker water filters, and they can be found in almost any major department store or online coffee maker distributor.Braun offers Brita water filters with some of its coffee maker models.

Another type of popular water filter is the charcoal water filter.The charcoal water filters removes upto 82% of Chlorine that is found in tap water. Braun, Kitchenaid are among the other manufacturers who offer charcoal water filters with some of their models of coffee makers.

How to clean your metal and gold coffee filter

If you use coffee filters, than you probably have a drip type filter. If you are noticing that your metal or gold coffee filter is getting stained, here are some quick cleaning tips -

• Pour 4 cups of hot water into a bowl of 1 oz citric acid.


• Add 4 cups of cold water to the mix and pour the solution into the water chamber.


• Start your coffee maker and let half of the water solution run through the machine.


• Let it sit for 15 minutes.


• Start up the coffee maker again and let the rest of the solution run through.


• Throw away the solution and run 8 cups of clean water through the coffee maker to rinse out the solution.

The coffee maker filter has come a long way from its humble roots. From cloth to metal to paper, coffee filters have improved and enriched the lives of coffee lovers around the world.

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