Paper filter or metal filter? If you’re an AeroPress fan who cares about sustainability — or just wants to try something different — it’s a question worth exploring. We put three of the most popular AeroPress metal filters to the test, compared them against the traditional paper filter, and found a clear winner.
The Sustainability Question
The AeroPress is quickly becoming a favorite home brewing method for coffee aficionados worldwide, as highlighted by the increasingly popular AeroPress World Championship. But for those concerned about sustainability, the reliance on paper filters is a sticking point.
AeroPress inventor Alan Adler claims to have used a single paper filter up to 80 times, and you can typically get around five uses before noticing a taste difference. Still, we think it’s worth exploring more sustainable, reusable options.
The Three Contenders
We chose three of the most common metal filters available online:
- Cafe Concetto Fine Filter Disc — the most expensive at around $22
- Able Disc Fine — mid-range at roughly $19
- CoffeeSock Mesh Filter — the cheapest at only about $8
Unboxing and First Impressions
Cafe Concetto arrives in raw cardboard packaging that fits the sustainable vibe, but the disc itself is wrapped in plastic — an ironic miss. The filter is copper-colored, quite thick, and doesn’t bend easily. It features fewer but larger holes compared to the Able Disc.
Able Disc Fine has more colorful, imaginative packaging. The disc is thrown straight into the cardboard box with no plastic whatsoever — a win for sustainability. It’s silver, thinner, more flexible, and has more holes that are smaller than the Cafe Concetto’s.
CoffeeSock Mesh is the budget option. Unfortunately it arrives in plastic packaging. This filter is different from the other two — instead of a single sheet of metal with punched holes, it uses a fine mesh material (metal gauze).
The Test: Same Recipe, Four Brews
For a fair comparison, we used the same recipe for all four brews: a variation of the winning AeroPress World Championship recipe by Wendelien van Bunnik, adapted for a single cup with a short bloom phase.
The method: 16 grams of coarsely ground coffee, inverted AeroPress, 60 grams of water for a 30-second bloom, then 40 more grams of water with 20 vigorous stirs. Cap it, wait 40 seconds, press slowly, then dilute with 120 grams of water.
The Results
Paper filter (control): Tasted exactly as expected — clean, balanced, our baseline.
Able Disc Fine: Noticeable fine sediment in the drink and grounds visible on the bottom. Surprising given the relatively coarse grind. However, the taste brought out more fruity notes. The amount of sediment was the worst of the three metal filters, despite having the smallest holes.
Cafe Concetto: Some sediment floating at the top, but this filter didn’t allow much grind through to the bottom. Tasted pretty much as expected.
CoffeeSock Mesh: Very impressively, this filter let through absolutely no sediment whatsoever — almost as clean as the paper brew. Tasted great.
The Verdict
One encouraging finding: the metal filters don’t noticeably influence the taste of the brew. The coffee tastes just as good as with paper.
We were particularly disappointed with the Cafe Concetto and the Able Disc for letting sediment through. The Able Disc was the worst offender, which is surprising given its smaller holes.
Our pick is the CoffeeSock Mesh Filter, for two reasons: it was the cheapest at only about $8, and it let through absolutely zero grounds. If you go with either of the other two, consider using an even coarser grind to reduce sediment.
One caveat worth noting: none of the World Championship AeroPress baristas have ever used anything except the paper filter. So if you’re training for competition, you might want to stick with paper.
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