Why/how does filter paper block/trap coffee oils?

[rayj]

When you taste 'normal' brewed coffee, do you find either a sour or a bitter taste? How about for the cold brew?

If neither, how would you characterize the taste?

 

[moriah]

Yes, most coffee has acidic flavor. Cold brew is what they use for iced coffee. It has a smooth, non-caustic taste. I would liken it to an espresso drink like a latte. There must be something in the way that Starbuck’s for instance, roasts it’s beans specifically for espresso. It’s much smoother than the drip coffee which is brewed in an urn.

 

[The Bill]

I have a feeling that once you get that it'll be exactly like a cloth filtered coffee, without the benefits of the paper filtered stuff... But anyway, please keep in mind that it's not only about filtering, but about food-rated filtering.

Yes, that's the exact point I'm working toward with this whole thread. I certainly wouldn't want to work with a filter material that has the properties I want on paper (lol) without being made with known food-safe materials and processes.

And the point is exactly that I'd like the ability to make coffee that tastes like and has the mouthfeel of cloth filtered with the same workflow as paper filtered.

It's not that I strictly prefer cloth filtered coffee over paper filtered, I like both for different reasons in different situations. And I'd like to be able to get the cloth filtered experience without the whole rigamarole of using my cloth filters.

Try making cold brew with cheese cloth. After it is “brewed”, heat the liquid you’ve produced. Because coffee is too acidic for me, I find that even brewing the traditional way with hot water and paper filter, still yields too much acid for my taste. Anyway, because there is 24 hour process involved in cold brew, the cheesecloth absorbs a very large amount of the unwanted substances we’ve been discussing. Like anything worthwhile, it takes time to make.

Cold brew is a whole different beast, to me. Warmed up or not. I'm not saying it's bad or that I don't like it, but it's an orthogonal option to the cloth/paper axis I'm about in this thread. If I do cold brew it'll be because of the ways in which it's uniquely different from other brewing methods.

 

[moriah]

Yes, that's the exact point I'm working toward with this whole thread. I certainly wouldn't want to work with a filter material that has the properties I want on paper (lol) without being made with known food-safe materials and processes.

And the point is exactly that I'd like the ability to make coffee that tastes like and has the mouthfeel of cloth filtered with the same workflow as paper filtered.

It's not that I strictly prefer cloth filtered coffee over paper filtered, I like both for different reasons in different situations. And I'd like to be able to get the cloth filtered experience without the whole rigamarole of using my cloth filters.

Cold brew is a whole different beast, to me. Warmed up or not. I'm not saying it's bad or that I don't like it, but it's an orthogonal option to the cloth/paper axis I'm about in this thread. If I do cold brew it'll be because of the ways in which it's uniquely different from other brewing methods.

Yes, that's the exact point I'm working toward with this whole thread. I certainly wouldn't want to work with a filter material that has the properties I want on paper (lol) without being made with known food-safe materials and processes.

And the point is exactly that I'd like the ability to make coffee that tastes like and has the mouthfeel of cloth filtered with the same workflow as paper filtered.

It's not that I strictly prefer cloth filtered coffee over paper filtered, I like both for different reasons in different situations. And I'd like to be able to get the cloth filtered experience without the whole rigamarole of using my cloth filters.

Cold brew is a whole different beast, to me. Warmed up or not. I'm not saying it's bad or that I don't like it, but it's an orthogonal option to the cloth/paper axis I'm about in this thread. If I do cold brew it'll be because of the ways in which it's uniquely different from other

Yes, that's the exact point I'm working toward with this whole thread. I certainly wouldn't want to work with a filter material that has the properties I want on paper (lol) without being made with known food-safe materials and processes.

And the point is exactly that I'd like the ability to make coffee that tastes like and has the mouthfeel of cloth filtered with the same workflow as paper filtered.

It's not that I strictly prefer cloth filtered coffee over paper filtered, I like both for different reasons in different situations. And I'd like to be able to get the cloth filtered experience without the whole rigamarole of using my cloth filters.

Cold brew is a whole different beast, to me. Warmed up or not. I'm not saying it's bad or that I don't like it, but it's an orthogonal option to the cloth/paper axis I'm about in this thread. If I do cold brew it'll be because of the ways in which it's uniquely different from other brewing methods.

If you like the taste of cloth filtered coffee, I can’t see how you can maintain that flavor while using another medium. The only solution I can figure is if you somehow tweek the process of brewing itself without changing the medium. Perhaps you can use several layers of cloth instead of one.

 

[BillTre]

You could always use no filter medium and completely remove that issue.

1. Brew your coffee with the grounds suspended in a container of heated water for some period of time.
2. Let the grounds settle out (or centrifuge them if you are in a hurry.
3. Pour off the supernatant (the coffee), leaving the grounds behind in the original container.
4. Enjoy.

 

[moriah]

You could always use no filter medium and completely remove that issue.

1. Brew your coffee with the grounds suspended in a container of heated water for some period of time.
2. Let the grounds settle out (or centrifuge them if you are in a hurry.
3. Pour off the supernatant (the coffee), leaving the grounds behind in the original container.
4. Enjoy.

This is how coffee is brewed in very traditional cultures in Africa. I think even Turkish coffee is brewed this way. However this is probably a bit limited as far as separating enough oil from the finished product.

 

[moriah]

You could always use no filter medium and completely remove that issue.

1. Brew your coffee with the grounds suspended in a container of heated water for some period of time.
2. Let the grounds settle out (or centrifuge them if you are in a hurry.
3. Pour off the supernatant (the coffee), leaving the grounds behind in the original container.
4. Enjoy.

However the idea of the centrifuge is brilliant, I must say.

 

[BillTre]

However the idea of the centrifuge is brilliant, I must say.

A bucket on a rope twirled over your head is a centrifuge.

 

[moriah]

A bucket on a rope twirled over your head is a centrifuge.

Your putting images in my head. Yeah but on that note, putting the brewed coffee in a jar and shaking it for a few minutes would probably have close to the same effect.

 

[Rive]

Your putting images in my head. Yeah but on that note, putting the brewed coffee in a jar and shaking it for a few minutes would probably have close to the same effect.

Centrifugal separation works, but for emulsions the required acceleration may be a bit higher than what can be provided by simple manual means...

Since it's already flirting with sci-fi, then maybe some ultrasonic magic?

 

[moriah]

Centrifugal separation works, but for emulsions the required acceleration may be a bit higher than what can be provided by simple manual means...

Since it's already flirting with sci-fi, then maybe some ultrasonic magic?

I agree with the bit about emulsion. I would try shaking the liquid and then filtering whatever is separated on top.

 

[symbolipoint]

You could always use no filter medium and completely remove that issue.

1. Brew your coffee with the grounds suspended in a container of heated water for some period of time.
2. Let the grounds settle out (or centrifuge them if you are in a hurry.
3. Pour off the supernatant (the coffee), leaving the grounds behind in the original container.
4. Enjoy.

Description of process would be like "French Press" brewed coffee.
( I do not drink coffee done that way; I use filter-drip through paper. )

 

[symbolipoint]

Maybe the answer or explanation to my original question is really too complicated. I could then just accept the fact (or my common experience) that brew time of African coffees using hot-water paper drip-filter takes much longer than brewing coffees of most other origins.

 

[sysprog]

Description of process would be like "French Press" brewed coffee.
( I do not drink coffee done that way; I use filter-drip through paper. )

This (https://www.bodum.com/us/en/1928-57-chambord) is among my favorite coffee brewing
devices:

 

[moriah]

This (https://www.bodum.com/us/en/1928-57-chambord) is among my favorite coffee brewing
devices:

View attachment 295058

A French press will deliver the most unadulterated flavors.

 

[symbolipoint]

Due to posts #44 and #45, I should try using or test using a french-press device. I tried once a couple years ago but did not like the method nor results so continued with filter-drip.