Warning: I've been rinsing my Chemex filters wrong for 2 years

So I was over at a friend's place last weekend and he made coffee with his Chemex. He rinsed the filter like normal but then he kept pouring hot water through it until the paper was totally soaked and the water ran clear. I always just gave it a quick splash and dumped it out. My coffee always had this weird papery taste that I just blamed on the beans. When I tried his method on my own brewer the next morning it was like a totally different drink. Cleaner, brighter, no off flavors at all. I feel pretty dumb for not realizing sooner honestly. Has anyone else dealt with that paper taste or was I just alone in this?

3 comments

3 Comments

smith.elliot1d ago

...and here I was blaming my local roaster for months, thinking they were burning their batches. Even sent them a nasty email about it once. Turns out I was the problem, not them. Still haven't worked up the courage to walk back in there. So yeah, you're not alone. I used the rinse method from a YouTube video where the guy barely dampened the paper, and my coffee tasted like a wet cardboard box. Now I soak it like I'm trying to drown the thing. It's amazing what a difference it makes.

abby_morgan181d ago

Oh man, I had the exact same problem for like a year. I was rinsing my V60 filter for maybe two seconds and wondering why my light roasts tasted like I was licking a cereal box. Once I started actually saturating the whole filter and letting it drain fully before adding grounds, everything changed. It's such a tiny detail but it makes your coffee actually taste like coffee instead of a wet paper factory.

lucasw841d ago

Yeah that thorough soak is the hidden key, I swear some of those tutorial guys just do it for show and don't realize they're basically not doing anything at all. Once you really drench that paper and let it drain, the difference in the cup is night and day like you're actually tasting the beans instead of the filter.