Coffee Filter Types: Paper vs Metal vs Cloth

There are three main types of coffee filter: paper, metal and cloth. Paper filters trap almost all the coffee’s oils and fine particles, giving the cleanest, brightest cup, and they are cheap and convenient but single-use. Metal (permanent) filters let oils and some fine grounds through, giving a fuller, heavier cup with a little sediment, and they last for years. Cloth filters sit in between: they catch the fine grounds but let some oils through, for a smooth, rounded cup, but they need the most care. Filters also come in different shapes, such as baskets, cones and wave filters, to fit different brewers.

Paper Coffee Filters

Paper is the most common filter, invented by Melitta Bentz in 1908. It traps fine particles and most of the coffee’s oils, so the cup is clean and bright, which shows off the fruity, floral flavors of light roasts such as Ethiopian beans.

• Rinse first: pour hot water through a paper filter before brewing to remove any papery taste and preheat the brewer. It matters most with thick filters such as Chemex.
• White or brown: most white filters today are oxygen-bleached, and they taste cleaner out of the box. Brown, unbleached filters skip the bleaching step but can taste more papery, so rinse them well.
• Thickness matters: thick filters such as Chemex’s slow the flow and give a very clean cup; thin filters such as the V60’s drain faster.
• Waste: used paper filters and grounds can go straight into the compost. See how to reuse old coffee filters.

Metal (Permanent) Coffee Filters

Metal filters are made of fine stainless steel mesh, sometimes gold-toned, and include permanent basket filters for drip machines, mesh cones for pour-over, reusable discs for the AeroPress and the plunger screen in a French press. Because the holes are larger than paper’s, oils and some very fine particles pass through, giving a fuller, heavier body and a little sediment at the bottom of the cup.

• Grind a little coarser than you would for paper to reduce sediment, and leave the last sip in the cup.
• Clean it well: rinse after every use and wash with soap now and then; oil builds up and turns rancid, which spoils the taste. Many are dishwasher-safe.
• Cost: about $10 to $30 once, which pays for itself compared with paper within a year or so for a daily brewer.

Cloth Coffee Filters

Cloth filters, usually cotton or hemp, are the oldest type and are still used every day in brewers such as the Costa Rican Chorreador and Japanese nel drip. The cloth catches fine grounds like paper does but lets some oils through, so the cup is smooth and rounded, with more body than paper and far less sediment than metal. Read how to use one in our chorreador guide.

• Before first use: boil the new filter in water for a few minutes to clean it.
• After each use: empty the grounds and rinse well with hot water. Do not use soap, which leaves a taste.
• Storage: let it dry completely, or keep it in a covered container of water in the fridge, so it does not mildew.
• Deep clean: boil it now and then to remove built-up oils, and replace it when it smells stale or wears thin.

Coffee Filter Types by Shape and Size

Whatever the material, the filter has to fit your brewer:

• Basket filters: flat-bottomed, fluted paper or metal baskets for most home drip coffee makers, sized for 8 to 12 cup machines.
• Cone filters: paper cones for cone drip machines and pour-over brewers. The most common US sizes are #2 (for 2 to 6 cup machines and single-cup pour-over cones) and #4 (for 8 to 12 cup machines); Hario V60 filters come in sizes 01, 02 and 03. See our V60 guide.
• Wave filters: pleated, flat-bottomed filters for the Kalita Wave; see our Kalita Wave recipe.
• Chemex filters: extra-thick bonded paper, folded into a cone, in square or round shapes; see our Chemex guide.
• AeroPress filters: small paper discs, or reusable metal discs; see our AeroPress methods.

Paper vs Metal Coffee Filters: Taste and Health

The biggest difference between a permanent metal filter and paper is what happens to the coffee’s oils. Those oils carry flavor and body, but they also contain cafestol, a compound that can raise LDL cholesterol. Paper filters trap almost all of it, while metal filters, French presses and unfiltered coffee such as Turkish coffee let most of it through. For most people a cup or two a day is not a concern, but if you are watching your cholesterol, paper-filtered coffee is the safer choice. See filtered coffee and health.

On taste, choose paper if you like clean, bright, tea-like coffee, and metal if you like the rich, heavy body of French press coffee. Some brewers use both: a metal filter for darker roasts and paper for light, fruity ones.

Which Coffee Filter Is Best?

• Paper if you want the cleanest cup, the least effort, and lower cafestol. Best for light roasts and pour-over.
• Metal if you want a fuller body, less waste and no ongoing cost. Best for darker roasts and drip machines.
• Cloth if you want a smooth cup with body but no sediment, and do not mind the upkeep.

Whichever you choose, fresh beans and the right grind matter more than the filter; see our grind size chart and pour-over guide.