How Many Coffee Filters Should You Use? (We’ve Got Your Answer)

How many coffee filters should you use? Let’s find out. A close friend once asked me how many coffee filters they should use, a question that left my face with a weird look. I mean, shouldn’t all people just use one coffee filter all the time? Well, in the name of curiosity and knowledge, we’ll answer that question front and center!

For the most optimal taste, one should opt to use just one coffee filter for their coffee. However, we may recommend using two or more coffee filters for those who favor more robust coffee.

Let’s break down the topic from the very definition of a coffee filter, its mechanisms, to its types. Let us take a step back as we take a microscopic view of a straightforward yet complex topic.

How Many Coffee Filters Should You Use? (Hint: Not More Than One)

Circling back to my close friend, they asked me about an article they read on the internet about using two coffee filters as a brewing method and how it was the best thing ever.

I don’t entirely agree with the statement, necessarily, but since everyone certainly has their own tastes, I digress. Here, we will explore the implications of using more than one coffee filter, the good, the bad, and the unexpected.

1. A Brew of Strength

No one can say how much coffee filter you should use, although I would say just one if you would ask me. However, the double filter brewing method is the correct fit for those who seek a more robust, bolder taste.

It is the perfect method, especially for those who view coffee as an energy drink (or something similar). In any case, if you find your preference in coffee to be strong and aggressive, then maybe the next time you ask how many coffee filters you should use, then perhaps try having two.

2. A Break in Taste

Despite its relatively higher caffeine content and more affluent, more robust taste, double filter coffee is not heavily preferred by the community.

Surprisingly, double filter coffee is not as preferred compared to single filter coffee because of its assertive and aggressive flavor, the very characteristic its target demographic prefers. Sometimes, things other people like don’t sit right with the preferences of others.

The position of double filter coffee bears a heavy resemblance to the Arabica and Robusta coffee debate. While Robusta is a more vigorous, more caffeine-infused coffee bean, the production and demand for Arabica stomp that of Robusta due to Arabica’s soft and mild flavor, a taste that more people prefer. 

Simply put, while coffee with higher caffeine content was valued before because of coffee’s practical uses, coffee that tastes great and feels great is set at more significance in the contemporary coffee scene. It is more evident today since coffee is treated more of a concoction, a drink one enjoys, not necessarily needs.

Double filter coffee simply cannot keep up with the taste and mellow nature of single filter coffee. Compared to other modern standards, double filter coffee simply tastes over-extracted, bitter, and highly aggressive.

So if you find yourself having a dislike of bitter coffee, then the next time you ask yourself how many coffee filters you should use on your next brewing session, then the answer to that question should be one.

3. A Time Beater

The brewing time is the catalyst variable that made the difference in taste between the single filter and double filter coffee. While single filter coffee is not the type of coffee that brews just like how the Flash runs, it still poses a significant difference in brewing time compared to double brewed coffee.

Simply put, since hot water needs to pass through the coffee grounds and two more rounds of coffee filters, the filtering process will severely impact the brewing time.

For a person wanting to take their time while brewing, the brewing time of double filter coffee will pose nothing of a threat. However, this minimal time difference may be of considerable significance to the rushing office worker.

Even though I don’t think of the time difference as a concern, I want to put it out here so that anybody who thinks the brewing time is significant will know such. 

4. A Machine Breaker

Most double-filter coffee is brewed using the pour-over method. However, for those thinking that the coffee machine is the perfect partner for double brew coffee, let me warn you right here and now– do not brew double filter coffee using your coffee machine.

Especially for those using a drip coffee machine, using two filters will significantly increase the brewing time, resulting in clogging and overflowing. If you must brew double filter coffee in any circumstance, it is better to use the pour-over method.

Why Does It Matter? Why Does Double Filter Coffee Make A Difference?

Who would know that by adding another coffee filter, you would be able to experience a new whole kind of coffee? Well, think of it this way, a no-filter coffee tastes exceptionally different than a single filter coffee, which means adding another coffee filter would have had much of an effect still.

But truth to be told, it is way easier to understand why a no-filter coffee tastes so much different from a single filter brew than a single filter brew tasting so different from a double filter one.

So why is that exactly? Why does the double filter coffee make a difference? And how can exploiting this rationale make you question yourself repeatedly about how many coffee filters you should use?

Looking back at the things we discussed earlier, we mentioned that time is one of the main catalysts on the difference in taste between single filter coffee and double filter coffee.

The reason behind this is because since the second filter covers some of the porous elements from the first filter, the hot water used for brewing will take a longer time to pass through the whole filter system. As a result, it will create a domino reaction that will make the hot water linger with the ground coffee a bit more, which results in more concentrated coffee.

The greater concentration of coffee makes everything stronger, from the taste, texture, and even caffeine content. However, just like how an overused tea bag can produce incredibly weak or bad tasting tea, over-extracted coffee grounds can result in significant consequences that you might need to be mindful of if attempting to brew weaker concentrations. 

Questions To Be Asked: The Filter Problem

What are the three types of coffee filters?

There are three types of coffee filters, the paper coffee filter, the cloth coffee filter, and the metal coffee filter. Each one has its purposes to which we will discuss later.

Let’s talk about the paper coffee filter; this coffee filter is readily available and is apparently, the most commonly used one. However, some people do not opt to use the coffee filter because it removes its oils.

The least common coffee filter, on the other hand, is the cloth coffee filter. Unlike paper coffee filters, they retain the oil, resulting in a more desirable cup of coffee. However, they do require a lot of time to clean as you may need to clean them every time you use them.

The last type of coffee filter is called the metal coffee filter. This easily cleanable and reusable coffee filter retains all the coffee oils as the cloth coffee filter does. However, metal coffee filters have a problem of their own as most of them do not carry the size of pores the other ones have, resulting in a grainier cup of coffee. 

Is it necessary to use a coffee filter?

Of course not! Before we started brewing our coffee with a filter, our ancestors drank them without one. Today, many people around the world prefer no-filter coffee, most of them originating from Indonesia.

Do the types of coffee filters matter?

Of course! Brewing with a paper coffee filter results in a more acidic cup, while the cloth and metal ones usually result in a sweeter cup.