Can You Use a Paper Filter in a French Press? (Solved & Explained!)

Yes, you can use a paper filter in a French press. French presses have an in-built permanent metal mesh filter which separates the grounds from the hot water after steeping. A paper filter is used to filter your coffee grounds through the water so that they do not have prolonged contact and filters out oils.

The following provides an in-depth look into how to use a paper filter in a French press, which types of coffee filters are best, how to use them, clean them and other uses for them.

Can You Put a Paper Filter in a French Press?

Yes, you can put a paper filter in a French press. French presses have in-built metal filters which separate coffee grounds from hot water after steeping. This means they do not require an additional paper filter, unless you are using fine grounds which can get through the mesh or wish to filter the grounds from the water instead of steeping.

What Types of Coffee Brewing Methods Use Paper Filters?

Brew methods that use paper filters are drip coffee machines, pour-over coffee makers, filtered coffee, and Aeropress. You can however add a paper filter to any kind of coffee brewing method such as a French press, percolator, espresso or coffee steeper.

What Is a French Press?

A French press, also known as a cafetière, or coffee press, is a simple device which manually brews coffee by steeping the grounds in hot water for several minutes. They are made up of a glass beaker, a lid, and a metal plunger with a mesh filter. They are cheap to buy and easy to use.

How Does a French Press Filter Coffee?

French presses brew coffee by steeping grounds in hot water for several minutes. Then the plunger is pushed to the bottom of the beaker so that the metal mesh filter can separate the coffee grounds from the hot water. French presses use coarsely ground beans so that they do not escape through the mesh and cause sediment in the water.

What Size Coffee Grounds Should Be Used in a French Press?

Coarsely ground beans should be used in a French press. They should be midsize, like rough sand or grains of salt. This is so that the grounds do not get out of the mesh filter into the water and cause sediment. If grounds are too fine, an additional paper filter can be used to prevent this.

What Are the Pros and Cons of Paper Filters?

Pros:

• There is no clean up – you can use them to throw the coffee grinds into your household waste.
• You can purchase biodegradable paper filters which are more eco-friendly and can be placed in compost piles.

Cons:

• As they are disposable, they are not the most environmentally friendly option even if biodegradable, as they are made from trees.
• If they have chlorine bleach on, they are not biodegradable.
• Paper filters can compromise your coffee flavor by making it taste less rich and strong by filtering out oils and aromas.

What Other Types of Coffee Filters Are There?

• Cloth filter – cotton, hemp, muslin, or cheesecloth. These can be reused for around six months.
• Nylon filter – can be reused for around a year.
• Stainless steel filter – according to Coffee Statistics, steel filters can be reused for up to seven years.
• Gold filter – made entirely of gold or stainless steel with gold plating. Can also be used for several years.

Is Unfiltered Coffee Bad for Your Health?

Unfiltered coffee such as the French press method has been shown to have the highest concentrations of cafestol, a substance in coffee which raises cholesterol. This is because the mesh filter in the French press separates the grounds from the water but does not filter out the cafestol and oils, rather the grounds have steeped in the water to saturate.

Is It Better to Filter Coffee?

Filtered coffee does not have as much of a rich, distinct taste as French press coffee as the aromas, oils and flavors are filtered out. However, it raises cholesterol less than unfiltered coffee. This is because the water only passes through the grounds once, rather than having prolonged contact with it, leaving the cafestol behind on the filter.

Are Paper Coffee Filters Bad for the Environment?

Disposable paper coffee filters are not the most environmentally choice as they require trees to be chopped to make the paper, and many are bleached with chlorine so cannot be composed or recycled.

What Are Other Uses for Paper Coffee Filters?

• Packaging and storage – if packing to move house or storing items you can place coffee filters between fragile items such as plates, glasses, or ornaments.
• Gardening and planting – coffee filters can be placed in the bottom of plant pots to prevent soil escaping from the hole in the bottom and water can still filter through.

How Do You Clean a French Press Filter?

Clean your French press thoroughly after each use to prevent any loose grounds from getting stuck in the filter and building up residue and oils.

1. 1. Take apart the French press and unscrew the filter.
   2. Rinse with hot water and dish soap to remove any loose grounds.
   3. Fill beaker with hot water and press plunger down several times.

How Should You Dispose of Used Coffee Grounds in a Filter?

You should properly dispose of coffee grounds in the household waste rather than rinsing them down the drain as they can cause blocked pipes. If using a paper filter, you can simply remove the filter, fold, and throw the grounds and filter away. With a reusable filter, wash and sieve the grounds out before throwing them into the waste.

What Are Other Ways to Reuse Coffee Grounds?

You can reuse your coffee grounds and paper filter rather than throwing them into the household waste.

• Add coffee grounds (and paper filter if biodegradable) to your compost pile to make fertilizer. Coffee grounds help plant growth as they contain calcium, iron, magnesium, nitrogen and vitamins.
• Make your own coffee body scrub by mixing with coconut oil or water.