Filter and cafetière: where to start

Filter coffee passes hot water through the grounds; a cafetière steeps them, then you press. Neither takes much equipment, both start from the same ratio, and both reward two habits: weighing the coffee and grinding it for the method.

The ratio

As a guide, 15 g of coffee for a 250 ml cup, which is 60 g per litre of brewing water; for a litre, 60 g is the starting point, with room left for the grounds. Try 14 g to 16 g per cup for filter, 14 g to 17 g for a cafetière. Weigh the coffee rather than spooning it, because a spoonful changes weight with the grind. Then adjust one thing at a time. An estimate at a typical dose. Your machine, grind and recipe will move it. The figures and the reasoning are in How much coffee to use.

The grind

A cafetière wants a coarse grind and filter coffee a medium one; the fine grind made for espresso suits neither. Choose ground coffee whose product page lists filter or the cafetière among its uses: the Vergnano Original tin and the 100% Arabica MOKA tin list both, while the plain 100% Arabica tin and the Decaffeinato tin are ground for espresso machines. We do not grind to order, so beans have to be ground at home: Hario’s Skerton, Slim+ and Canister hand grinders have ceramic conical burrs, which Hario say transfer less heat than metal ones. They are on the Hario brand page, and the FAQ has the grinding answer.

The cafetière

Warm the jug, add the coffee, pour water just off the boil over it, stir once and put the lid on with the plunger up. As a starting point, steep for four minutes, then press slowly and pour into cups or a jug. If the plunger resists, do not force it; check the grind before the next brew.

Filter and pour-over

Rinse the paper filter with hot water and discard that water. Add the coffee and pour water just off the boil in stages: a little to wet the grounds, a pause, then the rest in two or three pours. For a small pour-over, three to four minutes from the first pour is a starting point; the time varies with the brewer and the batch. If the taste and the timing suggest an adjustment, a slightly finer grind slows the flow and a coarser one speeds it up. A drip machine does the pouring for you; the ratio is the same.

Cleaning

Empty the grounds and wash the jug, the plunger filter or the dripper after use, as the maker advises. Keep opened coffee sealed in a cupboard; How to keep coffee fresh at home has the detail.

Which coffee

Among the beans whose product pages list filter or the cafetière: Caffè Vergnano’s Riserva Torino 100% Arabica and Riserva Torino Nobile, the Mille 1000, Kimbo’s Aroma Gold and Illy’s Grani tin. Among the ground tins, the Vergnano Original and the 100% Arabica MOKA tin both list the cafetière. The Coffee Finder has a filter answer and a cafetière answer, and narrows the range for either.

Reviewed 7 September 2026.