Here is a question we get in the shop almost every week, usually from someone holding a bag of very good coffee and looking slightly annoyed: why does my pour over taste different every single morning?
Nine times out of ten it is not the beans, the grinder or the water. It is the filter. It is the cheapest thing in the whole setup, it is the part nobody thinks about, and it quietly controls how fast water moves through your coffee — which is another way of saying it controls how your coffee tastes.
This guide covers every filter type we stock, which brewer takes which, and the two-minute habits that make any of them work better.
Why the filter matters more than it should
Three things are going on inside that piece of paper.
Thickness sets the flow rate. Thicker paper resists water more, so the brew runs slower and the coffee sits in contact with the water for longer. That is why a Chemex is brewed with a coarser grind than a V60 — the paper is doing part of the work that grind size normally does.
Fit decides whether the water goes through the coffee at all. If the filter is a few millimetres oversized it folds against the brewer wall, and water finds that channel instead of pushing through the coffee bed. You get a weak, sour cup and no obvious reason why.
Shape decides how evenly the bed extracts. A cone concentrates coffee at the bottom, so the water passes through different depths on its way down. A flat bottom keeps the bed even, which is more forgiving of an untidy pour.
None of this is exotic. It just means the filter is a brewing variable, not a consumable to grab at random.
V60 filters: size 01 or size 02?
This is the single most common question we answer, and the answer is simpler than people expect.
Size is about brew volume, not quality. Both sizes filter identically.
| Size | Brews | Typical dose | Top opening |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | 1–2 cups, up to about 360 ml | 10–15 g | ~11.5 cm |
| 02 | 1–4 cups, up to about 600 ml | 15–30 g | ~13.5 cm |
How to check which you own: the size is moulded or printed on the base or handle of the dripper. If yours has no marking, measure the top opening against the table above.
If you genuinely do not know, buy 02. It is the size most V60s sold are, it brews a single cup just as well as four, and it is what nearly every recipe you find online assumes. The filters are not interchangeable — an 01 filter will not line an 02 dripper, and an 02 filter forced into an 01 folds over and channels.
We stock two options, both in size 01 and 02, both 100 per box, and both available in bulk cases of 10 and 20 boxes:
- Hario V60 Paper Filters — the genuine Japanese original, made by the company that designed the brewer.
- CurioBox Premium V60 Paper Filters — our own, at the same price per filter, compostable and BPA-free with no intentionally added microplastics.
Browse both in V60 Filters.
Chemex: the one filter you absolutely cannot substitute
Chemex bonded filters are roughly 20–30% heavier than a normal cone filter, and that is deliberate. The extra thickness strips out oils and the finest particles, which is what gives Chemex coffee its famously clear, almost tea-like character.
It also means nothing else works. A V60 filter will not line a Chemex vessel, and a thinner paper flows far too fast for the grind size the brewer is designed around.
One detail worth getting right: when you fold a square Chemex filter, you end up with three layers on one side and one on the other. The three-layer side goes against the pouring spout. That is what keeps the air channel open. Get it backwards and the brew stalls — it is the single most common Chemex mistake.
Kalita Wave and flat-bottom brewers
The Kalita Wave filter has 20 ridges that hold the paper off the dripper wall, which keeps heat more stable and stops water running down the sides. Combined with a flat bed and three small drain holes, it makes the Wave noticeably more forgiving than a V60 — the geometry controls the flow, so a slightly untidy pour still lands you a good cup.
That forgiveness is why a lot of cafés brew Wave rather than V60: it stays consistent across a shift and across different staff.
Sizes are 155 (1–2 cups) and 185 (roughly 2–4). Flat-bottom brewers like the Orea take their own 185 flat filters. In all cases: never put a cone filter in a flat-bottom brewer. It collapses and blocks the drainage.
AeroPress
AeroPress micro-filters are thin discs that sit in the filter cap. They hold back grounds and fines so the cup comes out clean rather than muddy like a French press, and they flow fast enough not to fight the plunge.
Two things people do not always know: you can double up two filters for an even cleaner, more tea-like cup, and a pack of 350 is about a year of daily brewing. It is the rare accessory you buy once and forget about.
Drip coffee machines
If you brew with a filter machine, you almost certainly need a size 4 cone — the standard for most 8 to 12 cup machines. Smaller machines usually take size 2.
Look for oxygen bleached rather than chlorine bleached paper, and for consistent thickness. Cheap papers vary batch to batch, which quietly moves your brew time around and makes a machine that used to taste fine start tasting flat.
Cold brew is the exception: use felt, not paper
Everything above is about paper. Cold brew is the one place we would tell you to avoid it.
Paper strips out coffee oils. In a hot pour over that is what you want — it is where the clarity comes from. In cold brew it removes exactly the body and roundness you are brewing for. That is why the Toddy system uses a reusable felt pad: it lets the oils through, and the result is the full, sweet, low-acid cold brew the method is known for.
If you use felt, rinse it immediately after brewing and store it wet in a sealed bag in the fridge. A felt pad left to dry out goes hard and holds stale oils.
White or natural paper: does it matter?
Barely, and probably not in the way you would guess.
White filters are oxygen bleached, not chlorine bleached. They taste completely neutral once rinsed.
Natural filters are unbleached and slightly more textured. They carry a little more paper character, so they benefit from a longer rinse.
Both filter identically. Choose on preference, and if you pick natural, just rinse it properly.
Always rinse the filter. Here is why it actually matters
This takes ten seconds and it is the highest-value habit in this entire article.
- It washes out papery flavour. Obvious, and real — more so with thick or unbleached paper.
- It preheats the dripper and the server. This is the part people miss. Pour 94 °C water into a cold ceramic dripper sitting on a cold glass server and you lose several degrees instantly. You carefully chose a temperature and then threw it away.
- It seats the filter against the ribs, so water goes through the coffee rather than around it.
Rinse, tip the water out of the server, then brew.
How long does a box last, and what does it cost?
One filter per brew. So a 100-filter box is roughly three months for one person brewing daily, or about a week in a café serving a dozen pour overs a day.
Per cup, a V60 filter costs about 22 to 24 fils. Set against 15 g of speciality coffee, the filter is a rounding error — which is exactly why it is worth buying the right one rather than the cheapest one.
If you brew every day or you run a café, buy the 10 or 20 box case. It is the same price per filter and you stop reordering every couple of months.
Quick reference
| Your brewer | Filter you need |
|---|---|
| Hario V60 or any 60° cone dripper | V60 filter, size 01 or 02 to match the dripper |
| Chemex | Chemex bonded filters only — half circle for 3-cup, squares for larger |
| Kalita Wave | Wave filters, 155 or 185 |
| Orea and other flat-bottom brewers | Flat bottom 185 filters |
| AeroPress | AeroPress micro-filter discs |
| Drip coffee machine | Size 4 cone papers for most 8–12 cup machines |
| Timemore Pegasus | Pegasus filters, 01 or 02, white or natural |
| Cold brew | Felt pad, not paper |
Frequently asked questions
Can I use a V60 filter in a Kalita Wave or a Chemex?
No. A cone filter collapses in a flat-bottom brewer and blocks the drain holes, and it will not line a Chemex vessel. Match the filter shape to the brewer.
What happens if I use the wrong V60 size?
An 01 filter in an 02 dripper does not reach the top, so water spills over the edge and bypasses the coffee. An 02 filter in an 01 dripper folds over on itself and channels. Either way the cup comes out weak and sour.
Do I have to rinse the filter every time?
For pour over, yes — it takes ten seconds and it preheats your equipment as well as removing paper flavour. For an AeroPress it matters less, because contact time is short.
Are paper coffee filters recyclable?
They are compostable, which is better. Used filters and coffee grounds go into a home or garden compost together with nothing to separate. If you do not compost, they go in general waste — there is no plastic liner.
Are cheap generic filters really worse?
Often, yes, and not because the paper is bad. They are frequently cut a few millimetres off the standard, and made from heavier stock that slows the flow. Neither is a disaster on its own — but together they mean the recipe you read online no longer produces the result it describes, and you will spend weeks blaming your grinder.
Can I reuse a paper filter?
You can rinse and reuse an AeroPress disc a few times. For pour over, no — the paper clogs with fines and oils, and the flow rate changes on every use.
Still not sure?
Send us the make and model of your brewer and we will tell you exactly which filter it takes. In the meantime, browse the full range in Coffee Filters, or go straight to V60 Filters if you already know you need 01 or 02.
Our own CurioBox range is where we put the things we could not find done properly elsewhere — starting with filters that fit, compost, and cost the same as the alternative.
CurioBox delivers coffee equipment across Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah and the rest of the UAE. VAT invoices available for café and office accounts.
