Today we return to talk about filter coffee, an extraction method alternative to our beloved espresso.

As Italians we are often led to think that the only coffee worthy of being drunk is espresso, simulating it in some way at home with the traditional bialetti moka pot.

Many ask me “which coffee should I choose to have the cream in the moka like at the bar?”. There is no such method and getting that result is simply impossible!

For the simple fact that an espresso coffee is not prepared with the moka, that is a metal filter coffee with very different characteristics. So trying to imitate espresso at home with a mocha is impossible, given the completely different equipment.

I will make an article dedicated to the difference between espresso and moka.

Now, back to us: why this belief that espresso is the only noteworthy coffee? Is filter coffee really just dirty water?

In this article I will answer these questions!

Is espresso really the best method to extract coffee?

No!

I say “No” not because I am against espresso, but only because one method does not exclude the other and therefore there is no better method than the other.

It’s a bit like saying “red wine is better than white wine”… it doesn’t make sense as a sentence, because they are two wines with different characteristics, not comparable and above all one does not exclude the other.

To combine with meat you’d go for a structured red wine is preferred, while for a drink on the beach you’d rather opt for a nice fresh white.

The same goes for coffee!

There is no method that is better, there is no coffee that is tastier, there is no “real” or “fake” coffee, there are only different drinks with different characteristics and results in the cup, to be consumed on several occasions or moods.

So let’s try to open our minds, let’s try and experiment, let’s try and understand the soul of filter coffee, let’s grasp its aromatic nuances, its merits and let’s fall in love with it!

I’m not saying this to force you to like filter coffee, but only because from experience, when a person tries a filter coffee for the first time extracted in the correct way, with the recipe, the tools and the right coffee, he immediately changes his mind. I’ve seen it happen many times: you take a small sip and turn up your nose a little, you take another sip and, opening your eyes wide, you look at it and say “but it’s delicious!”.

Just be careful of one thing: many have written to me “I’ve tried it over and over again but it’s not as good as you say, it’s really dirty water…”

This is another problem: whoever prepared it may have done it wrong and by choosing a poor quality coffee… this however applies to any type of coffee. If the operator is not trained and does not know what he is doing, he will prepare a filter coffee just as badly as an espresso.

So is filter coffee really good or is it just dirty water?

This topic came to my mind after a friend of mine asked me verbatim: “But those long American-style coffees that you show and advertise as good, are they really or is it just marketing?”.

I was a bit stunned, because first of all I don’t sell tools, but I do sell coffee.

So I don’t care if my customers buy coffee from me to prepare it in espresso, mocha pot or filter. In the sense: I still sell it even if none of them appreciate filter coffee.

Having said that: why then should I lie about its goodness?

If I communicate continuously and show different ways of drinking coffee or different tools for its preparation it is only and solely because I love my sector and I love coffee.

We are so used to focusing only on our espresso culture that we have never tried anything else.

This is a big pity.

It’s a shame as we don’t know what we’re missing out on, as we’ve never tried anything different, let alone the quality of the coffee itself purchased.

In fact, with our espresso routine makes us a bit flat.

Consuming it mainly at the bar, we only ask for “a coffee” without worrying about what we are really drinking and its characteristics.

But when you need to start preparing a filter coffee at home you must first of all find out about the different tools and recipes and then about the correct coffee to buy. This is already an excellent exercise for discovering the world of coffee a little more and experimenting with many different flavours.

This is the reason why in the communication on the profiles of Caffè Ernani I insist as much on the espresso as on the filter coffees!

The advantages of Filter Coffee