Paper Coffee Filters vs. Gold-Coated Metal Filters
THE PERKS OF GOLD-COATED METAL FILTERS
Corby Kummer, author of the updated The Joy of Coffee (Houghton Mifflin, $16, www.amazon.com), prefers gold-coated metal over paper, which traps more sediment and more colloids. "Colloids are the things that look like rainbow-colored droplets skimming the surface of the cup—they add body and fuller flavor," he says.
Kummer claims that some paper filters (specifically, brown ones) add a cardboard-like overtone to coffee.
Metal filters, which cost about $16, can be reused for many years — an environmentally friendly choice.
THE PERKS OF PAPER FILTERS
Paper filters require no cleanup. They also trap more of the oils, so while the flavor won't be as strong, cleaning the coffee-maker won't require as much elbow grease.
The more sediment in the coffee, the faster it gets that on-the-burner-too-long flavor. So if you're someone who leaves the coffeepot on all morning, paper is the way to go.
You can now purchase white paper filters that are free of health concerns. (A 1988 study suggested that chemical bleaching produced cancer-causing dioxins.) Look for filters that are "oxygen-bleached."
