Filter coffee

For an exceptionally clear, transparent, and refined coffee

Learn how to do it
Ein Wasserkocher giesst heisses Wasser auf den Filter mit Kaffeepulver darin, unten fliesst der gebrühte Kaffee in die Kaffeekaraffe.
Heisses Wasser wird gerade auf ein Filter mit Kaffee drin gegossen, unten fliesst der frisch gebrühte Kaffee in die Kaffeekaraffe.

Filter coffee is as diverse as wine. Each bean brings its own character. Sometimes fresh and fruity. Sometimes soft and elegant. A coffee for those who want to discover taste at their leisure.

Filterkaffee am Zürichsee: Hario V60, Comandante Mühle und Kaffeetassen

What is filter coffee?

Filter coffee is a brewing method in which hot water slowly flows through ground coffee. Filter coffee is coffee in its purest form. Gently brewed, light-bodied, and full of nuances.

We don't define filter coffee by the paper filter as a decisive characteristic, as seen in various filter coffee machines, the Chemex, or Hario V60. Instead, we define it by the brewing principle: no pressure, no short extraction time, no concentration like with espresso. Instead, more time, more water, and an emphasis on clarity and aromas. Just like with a French Press or Aeropress.

How do you make filter coffee?

Filter coffee doesn't have a good reputation in Switzerland. Unjustly so! If you master a few basics, you can incorporate a wonderful ritual into your daily life. Ten minutes from brewing to the last sip, that are solely yours.

Pourover aus der Vogelperspektive
Weighing up your options carefully
Every filter coffee equipment includes a coffee scale that can weigh to the exact gram and measure the brewing time. We consider coffee scoops for portioning the amount of coffee to be too inaccurate. Once you find the sweet spot of weight, grind size, and brewing time, the scale allows you to repeat your recipe and achieve the same result again and again.
Mit der Comandante Handmühle wird gerade Filterkaffee gemahlen
Grind filter coffee fresh
Freshly ground coffee beans make a world of difference. Coffee aromas dissipate quickly. After just 10 minutes exposed to air, the coffee tastes flatter, more uninspired. So, before brewing, precisely weigh the amount you will use and grind it shortly before you start. We consider single-dose grinders to be the best, though you can also achieve good results with hand grinders.
Beanwatch Kaffeeverpackungen im Supermarkt
Choose good coffee beans
In Swiss supermarkets, among all the espresso and coffee-crème beans, you'll rarely find filter coffee. Your best bet is to find a small roastery that specializes in specialty coffee. Chances are, they will offer the best filter coffees. Most of them have various filter coffees in their range. You're sure to find your new favorite coffee among them.
Gefiltertes Wasser aus der Aarke in einem Wasserkocher im Beanwatch Rotorange
Use filtered water
99% of your brewed filter coffee consists of water, only 1% is coffee. So, it's worth paying attention to the quality of your water. Filter coffee needs particularly soft water. A total hardness of 2-3° dH and an alkalinity of 1-2° dH, to be precise. Check with your local authorities to find out how hard your water is, and filter it if it's too hard.
Wasserkocher im Beanwatch Rotorange mit Temperaturanzeige bei 87°C.
Check the water temperature
Your brewing temperature has a significant impact on the taste. With our light-roasted coffees, we achieve the best results well below the boiling point of water, specifically between 92 and 96°C. The best way to control the water temperature is with a kettle that has precise temperature settings.
Brührezept im fotorealistischen Diagramm
Always change only one variable in your brewing recipe
The following brewing recipe has become established in the Specialty Coffee Community: 12 grams of coffee, brewed with 200 ml of water at a temperature of 93°C. The brewing time should be between 2 and 4 minutes. You control the brewing time with the grind size of your coffee grinder. If the filter coffee tastes too thin, grind finer. If it tastes too bitter, grind coarser. Find the sweet spot.

Choose good coffee beans for your filter coffee

At Beanwatch, we love good filter coffee and want to share our passion with you. We light-roast our coffee beans, which preserves their natural sweetness and clear flavor notes.
Fincamigos Filterkaffee Verpackungen in einer Reihe auf orangenem Marmorstein

Many roads lead to a freshly brewed filter coffee

Whether it's your grandma with a hand filter, intellectuals with a French press, or hipsters with an Aeropress, there are many great ways to make a delicious cup of filter coffee. You're sure to find your method too.

Handfilter mit Wasserkocher, Dripper, Kaffeekaraffe und Waage vor Zürichseefenster

Pour-over filter

The simplest setup for brewing filter coffee is the pour-over method. It requires filter paper, a holder for the paper (dripper), a carafe or cup to collect the brewed coffee, and, of course, hot water from the kettle. We also recommend using a coffee scale to control the quantity and brewing time.

Eine Chemex mit Filterpapier in einer Midcentury Büroküche

Chemex

The Chemex looks like something from a chemical laboratory, but has little to do with one. Extremely popular in the USA since the 1950s at the latest, it is both a dripper and a coffee carafe. The filter paper is significantly thicker than with other methods, which gives the cup more clarity.

Kaffee wird gerade in einer Siphon gebrüht

Siphon

The siphon is the showman among filter coffee methods, complete with spectacular lighting effects. First, the heat causes the water to evaporate into the upper chamber, where the water mixes with the ground coffee. A vacuum is created in the lower chamber, which pulls the liquid, the brewed coffee, back down.

Filterkaffeemaschine Mokkamaster auf einer Midcentury Küchenzeile

Drip coffee machine

With a filter coffee machine, you save yourself a kettle and some manual work. These machines are not popular with experienced brewers because water temperature, flow rate, and water distribution can rarely be controlled. Nevertheless, good devices can achieve usable results in the cup.

Frühstückstisch mit einer French Press im Fokus

French Press

With the French press, also known as a coffee press or coffee plunger, coarsely ground coffee is steeped directly in hot water and, after a few minutes, pressed down with a metal filter. This preserves oils and body in the coffee.

Eine Aeropress im Beanwatch-orange presst gerade gebrühten Kaffee in eine Kaffeekaraffe

Aeropress

With an Aeropress, hot water is pressed through ground coffee. Even though the inventor claims it produces an espresso-like drink: it is a unique coffee beverage, most closely related to pour-over coffee.

Filter Coffee FAQs

Exactly how you like your filter coffee is, of course, a matter of personal preference. But as a good starting point, we recommend using 60 grams of coffee per litre of brewing water.

For a standard 250 ml cup, that works out to around 15 grams of coffee.

As you can see, your best friend when brewing filter coffee is a coffee scale. It allows you to measure both your coffee dose and water precisely, helping you keep the ratio consistent and achieve repeatable results every time.

We strongly recommend investing in a coffee scale that not only measures coffee accurately to the gram but also allows you to track brew time.

Coffee beans vary in origin, density, moisture content, and roast level. A scoop of our Colombian Fincamigos coffee, for example, cannot be directly compared to a scoop of another coffee. And that's before we even consider whether your scoop holds the same amount of coffee as ours.

That said, if you prefer measuring your filter coffee with scoops, consistency is key. Always use the same scoop and the same number of scoops. Three teaspoons of coffee typically equal around 15 to 21 grams. We recommend weighing your coffee at least once to find out how many grams of a particular coffee fit into your spoon. As a general guideline, we recommend 60 grams of coffee per litre of water.

Keep the amount of water consistent as well, ideally between 250 and 300 grams per cup. Then adjust the grind size until you find the sweet spot where the coffee tastes best. If it tastes too bitter, grind a little coarser next time. If it tastes watery or overly acidic, grind a little finer.

Filter coffee is ground much coarser than espresso or Café Crème. While ground espresso feels almost like flour between your fingers, ground filter coffee is more comparable to sand or fine sea salt.

Finding the ideal grind size is easier than you might think, because it ultimately comes down to your personal taste. Use a coffee scale to ensure you're always pouring the same amount of water over the same amount of coffee. As a starting point, try 12 grams of coffee with 200 grams of water. A temperature-controlled kettle helps you keep the brewing temperature consistent at 93°C.

Taste your filter coffee once it has cooled slightly. If it tastes too bitter, grind the coffee a little coarser next time while keeping all other variables, such as dose and water temperature, the same. If it tastes watery or overly acidic, grind a little finer.

After two or three iterations, you'll start approaching the so-called sweet spot. That's the point where you've brought out the very best your coffee beans can offer with your particular brewing setup.