household
The best alternatives for coffee filters
Two layers of kitchen paper can replace a coffee filter in an emergency.
© Akira Kaelyn / Shutterstock.com
If you suddenly run out of coffee filters, you don’t necessarily have to do without your beloved brewed drink. These alternatives can help.
As early as the 18th century, household coffee was brewed using filters made from blotting paper, linen or reusable cloth bags. So why not fall back on tried and tested alternatives if the standard filters are missing in the household?
Paper handkerchief or kitchen roll
Both a suitable piece of kitchen roll and a paper handkerchief are good substitutes for coffee filters. It is important that unbleached and odorless cloths are used as far as possible. If one layer of paper is too thin, you can make coffee with two layers. They do not soak and do not tear when brewing.
A practical cloth
In memory of the old cloth bags made of linen or cotton, sufficiently large pieces of cloth can also be converted into coffee filters. The piece of fabric should be about 15 centimeters in diameter, then the flap of the coffee machine closes properly and nothing hangs over the edge. It is important that the fabric is clean, odorless and neither too thick nor too thin. While cotton tea towels are usually too compact, fabrics that are too thin should be inserted twice so that the water does not run through the coffee powder too quickly. Cloth bags that can be filled with coffee and tied up are also ideal. Like conventional tea bags, you hang them in the cup.
For the environment: do not use a coffee filter?
A close-meshed sieve completely replaces coffee filters and is also good for the environment. It catches the coffee grounds when you pour in the brewed coffee. Reusable coffee filters with fine-meshed fabric are basically good and sustainable alternatives to the standard filter bags that can only be used once. Another advantage: There is no longer any risk of standing there without filter bags.