Coffee Filter Cone

Getting water to flow well through a filter cone is a fine balance. If the surface of the cone is too smooth, there is not enough space between filter paper and cone for the liquid to flow. If the surface is too uneven, water will form into drops between the paper filter and cone and flow will be slow. Somewhere in between is the perfect balance - a slightly uneven surface that allows a quick flow of liquid in the narrow gap between filter paper and cone.These porcelain 1x2 size filter cones seem to have that balance. I have owned a couple of plastic cones, made by Randwyck of Maastricht, for many years. Those, like most plastic cones, are heavily ridged inside. These porcelain cones, as can be seen from the product photograph, have slight ridging inside which works very well. Liquid drains through these porcelain cones much faster than through the plastic ones. I estimate that making a large mug of coffee, I can fill the mug through this heavy porcelain filter cone in half the time it took with a plastic one, where flow slowed to a trickle as the mug filled.The cones are of a substantial piece of porcelain and are made by the established manufacturer William Bartleet and Sons. Compared to plastic cones, the porcelain is very easy to keep clean.End result, a lovely mug of coffee, quickly made. Unless you have a particular need for a plastic filter cone because of the risk of breakage, these are well worth the extra expense.

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This item arrived this morning and I was enjoying my first large mug of coffee within ten minutes of the postman handing it over. It's large enough to make one normal sized cup of coffee with one 'pouring'. If, like me, you prefer a mug then it will need topping up after most of the first 'pouring' has dripped through. There are three holes in the base of the cone so it doesn't take too long to discharge into the mug. Of course it can be used with any brand of coffee unlike some machines that need special coffee bags, or whatever, which can be limiting. Being porcelain, it's dead easy to clean. If you wash it straight after use a good rinse under the hot tap should normally be sufficient. The porcelain is quite heavy duty and has a robust feel to it. However, I have just ordered a second one as a a backup in case of breakages (I'm partly paralysed and can be a bit 'butterfingery' sometimes), and also to speed things up if I have visitors (I live alone). I wouldn't have ordered a second one if I hadn't been delighted with this one. Highly recommended. Off now to make another mug - Mmmm!

I wanted a way to make real coffee cheaply and quickly at work and this cone seemed to offer the solution. Although it is just the size I wanted, I didn't realise that being ceramic, it benefits from being pre-warmed to prevent it cooling the coffee. This made it impracticable for use at work. I now use the cone at home where I have more time to pre-warm it and use a plastic version for work. Another problem I found is that for me the coffee filters through too quickly and consequently delivers weak coffee. I found that by blocking two of the three holes, the filtering was slowed down enough to extract the maximum flavour. Also, being ceramic, it needs to be treated with care. Drop it on a hard floor and it will break.

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I wanted a filter cone that wasn't plastic and was pleased to find this one but some of the reviews put me off ! People were saying the holes were too big so the water goes through without extracting all the flavour but I think it depends on your technique and know how.After 2 weeks of trying to make up my mind whether to get a cheap plastic one or ceramic I finally ordered one with the intention of blocking a couple of holes to slow down water flow but it turns out it really isn't necessary, you just need to fold over the sides of the filter with the pressed seals !This makes the filter paper fit the cone much better and slows the flow of water ! It is a very necessary step in making coffee with a cone, most people just stick the paper filter into the cone without preparing it, this not only allows water to flow through too quickly, it risks the cone splitting at the sealed edges, you need to fold the sealed edges over !Second, don't flood the cone with water, you need to pour a little in slowly to dampen the coffee then let it sit for about half a minute. This gives the coffee a chance to soak up some water and let the flavours start to develop. Next half fill the cone with water and you'll see it slowly starts to soak through and drip into the cup and allows the coffee grounds to sink to the bottom again. Never flood or fill the cone with water, when the cone is empty check the cup and add more water to the cone, with practice it gets easier to judge, if you check what is coming out of the coffee grounds now you'll see it has almost no colour or flavour.Something else to remember is to warm the cone first so it doesn't soak up too much heat and cool the water, there are a few ways to do this but the easiest is probably to pour a little hot water through it before you put the paper filter in.Filter cones are one of the simplest ways to make coffee and all you need to do is rinse the cone afterwards, a ceramic cone is perfect for this !

In Summary:-Big enough for 1 large mugNo possibility of plastic contaminating your cuppaI think its best to pre-warm it, but that means your mug is pre-warmed too.Good speed of filtering... not too slow or fastWill fit most mugs (from about 65mm to 95mm on inside of mug)Size 1/2 filters fit a treatCleans easily, only really needs a quick rinse under the cold tap.Nice quality. I hate mass produced plastic cr*p that breaks after 3 uses, so what if it costs a few quid extra.Best of all... my morning coffee now tastes even better!Good to thoroughly recommended something for a change!