When To Use A Cloth Coffee Filter?

There are many differences and impacts on flavour when it comes down to your coffee filter. Aji filters offer a unique experience and taste profile, with larger holes that allow more oils and coffee fines to pass through you are able to experience a heavier textural component to your coffee known as ‘body’.
As well as a thicker body your coffee will have an added creamy taste that appears differently depending on the coffee you are brewing with.

so when should you use a cloth filter?

We feel that this has more to do with individual preferences, so it ultimately depends on what you enjoy in your coffee. If you prefer a richer, creamier texture and a more robust body, then a cloth filter like the Aji filter is a great choice. On the other hand, if you prefer a cleaner, brighter cup with less body, you might opt for a paper filter. Experimenting with both types of filters can help you discover the nuances each filter brings to your brew and find the perfect match for your taste.

It’s also important to keep in mind that we have only mentioned taste, there are so many other variables and features that seperate paper filters from cloth coffee filters.

How does a cloth filter taste with washed coffees?

When brewing pour over coffee using washed coffees and Aji Filters the biggest difference on the taste of your coffee will be the body and that creaminess we mentioned before.
Depending on the origin of that coffee you may end up with a stone fruit or more noticeable floral notes but that creaminess and thicker body helps cary these more delicate notes and offers a more complex layered cup of coffee.

How does a cloth filter taste with Natural coffees?

Naturally processed coffees are known for having a heavier body, sweeter and increased fruity notes. This is largely due to the increased contact time of the coffee cherry and the coffee beans.
When brewing natural processed coffees with cloth filters such as the Aji Filter you may notice a slightly faster draw down and a much different taste compared to washed coffees.

From our experience we found that brewing natural coffees with cloth filters generally had less effect on the taste and was very similar to brewing with paper filters. As your pour over coffee cools and we were able to detect more subtle notes in our coffee we found that there was an increased textural component and found that the acidity was not effected.

How does a cloth filter taste with Extended fermented coffees?

We found that the biggest difference between cloth filters and paper filters was when we brewed with heavier fermented coffees.
Before we delve into the taste I just wanted to mention that most coffees go through some form of fermentation when processing (yes, even washed coffees), so for ‘extended fermented coffees’ I wanted to be super clean that we are referencing coffees that have been Carbonic Macerated, Anaerobic fermented, Infused coffees and coffees that have gone extended fermentation processes.

When brewing these types of coffees on paper filters you can typically expect an already heavier than usual body, a strong boozy element and a long lasting aftertaste that sometimes can present as bitterness.

We found that when brewing these types of coffees with Aji Filters the body was actually less present and these harsher flavours were slightly muted. My best guess as to why this might be occurring would be that the cotton is able to wick more oils than paper. This is only a hypothesis and we are unsure why this is the case.