Which Coffee Filter is Best for Hula Daddy Kona Coffee? by Karen Paterson

My grandmother used a coffee percolator with a metal filter to brew coffee for my grandfather. She didn’t choose the filter, that was the way the coffee pot came. The coffee was black, bitter and made your hair stand on end. But it kept my grandfather working the farm until he was 86. Today, if my grandmother went to the store, she would have to choose between a steel filter, gold filter, plastic filter, paper filter or a cloth filter. I am sure she would say “Too many choices.” Here are some of the pro’s and con’s when you choose the filter for your Hula Daddy Kona Coffee.

Paper Filters

Paper filters are the most popular. There are pluses for using paper filters. First, they are easy. Pop the filter in, add the coffee grounds, brew and discard. They keep out the grounds from the brewing basket. They are also ecological. Coffee grounds and paper filters make great compost. Put them around your acid loving plants and they will thank you with lots of flowers. Mix them into your garden soil and the earthworms will party. One of the best reasons to use paper filters is that they remove a coffee oil called cafestol, which researchers have found elevates LDL cholesterol.

One con of paper filters is if you are not careful you can make a big mess. Everyone has dropped a paper filter and had to clean up the wet grounds. Inexpensive filters sometimes split open when you are pulling them out of your brewer. Over time paper filters are more expensive than permanent filters. Also cheaper paper filters can leave a papery taste in the coffee.

If you decide to use a paper filter, make sure it is the right one. Every coffee brewer is different. Some brewers have a cone brewer, some have flat bottoms, some will take a very fine filter, some won’t. If you use the wrong filter, it may effect the flavor of your coffee, even worse you may see your coffee pouring over the counter onto your floor.

Metal Filters

There are also coffee filters that are made out of metal. Most metal filters are stainless steel but there are also gold filters. The gold filters are more inert and don’t react with the coffee.

The pro’s of metal filters are that they don’t absorb coffee oils so that the coffee tastes richer. They are also more convenient than a paper filter because you can’t run out of them and, in the long run, they are cheaper. The con’s are that they have to be cleaned each time, and they let more of the grounds into the cup.

Cloth Filters

Cloth coffee filters are made of unbleached cotton. They work like the paper filters but after you use them you wash them out and reuse them.

The pro’s are that the cloth filters retain more coffee grounds than the metal filters and they allow more of the coffee oil to pass through than the paper filters. Also they are reusable and will last for several months.

The con is that they are messy to clean, and, if not cleaned well, will give an off taste to the coffee.

Double Filtering

It is possible to double filter your coffee. Many people like making coffee in a french press but don’t like the grounds that usually go through the metal filter. They may also be worried about cafestol . An easy answer is to pour the brewed coffee from the french press through a paper filter into a carafe.

Clean Your Filter

You have to clean, metal, cloth and plastic filters thoroughly. Regardless of which filter you use, you also have to clean the brew basket after each brew. Coffee oils stick to the filters and brew baskets and turn rancid very quickly. Rancid coffee oils and dried out coffee grounds do not taste good.

Change Filters – Change your Brew Profile

When you change filters you have to change your brewing procedure e.g. paper filters are finer than metal filters so the extraction time will be longer and there will be less solids in your coffee. Metal filters need a coarser grind to keep the solids out of the cup. If you don’t change your brewing procedure, you may find that your coffee has become bitter or sour, weaker or stronger.

The bottom line is that you can use any quality filter for the best Hula Daddy Kona Coffee. However, each type of filter will produce a different cup. You have to choose the filter that produces the best taste for you.