Swissgold Cone-Shape Coffee Filter

Pretty Much Perfect

I own two of these, for a Melitta Clarity and Presto Scandinavian Design coffee makers. The difference in taste between these and paper filters is unimaginable. It’s not the same as French pressed coffee: not as thick mouthfeel, brighter. The SwissGold filter is fine enough that there is very little sediment, a problem cheaper (Krups) knock-offs suffer badly from.

The filter has an indented rim to let you pick it up, rather than a handle. This lets it fit into more machines, at the cost of making it less convenient to remove while hot from machines that don’t have a detachable filter holder (both of mine do, so it’s kind of moot for me).

One thing the write-up doesn’t mention is that there is an extension ring hiding in the box under the little cardboard bit the filters sits in. I have never needed it, but I imagine there are coffee machines where it would help.

GREAT – GREAT AND THEN SOME!

I purchased one of these and used it for over three years before the dishwasher bounced it around one-too-many times and split the filter media in several places. Still, over three years, I saved a little money over paper filters and kept a lot of paper out of the waste stream.

SwissGold is THE premier maker of non-disposable products. The mesh is just the right size for keeping your morning joe from getting “muddied” yet allows more of the true aromas and tastes to filter through. A paper filter traps a lot of these and prevents the true “coffee” from presenting itself. I use fresh roasted beans, ground coarse, from all over the world and if I forget to clean my gold filter and resort to using a paper one, there is a distinct taste difference. If you find yourself in this position, use a brown or unbleached paper filter, unless you want chlorine-tasting brew.

There is no doubt that the mesh in this product is somewhat fragile. To prevent damage, just wash it by…

Filter failure

We purchased this filter after owning a previous metal filter (different brand) that lasted for over 5 years. This filter developed cracks in the metal fabric within a few months and it became almost unusable after about 5 months. Also found that the plastic extender ring did not fit snugly and often fell off. The distributor says that the filter is very sensitive, and the cracks are from tapping the filter against the lid of the garbage can to get the grounds out. Since that’s the only way to remove wet grounds without washing them all down the drain, this filter is clearly too sensitive for me. Anyone who uses the tap technique should not purchase this item.

Click to Editorial Reviews