Stainless Steel Brewing Cones...Do We Like Those?

[JohnD18]

Recently I was in a coffee shop, a very good one btw, and they brew pour-overs via a stainless steel cone . Any opinions on these? My cup was brewed well enough with it and tasted great.

 

[peterjschmidt]

It was probably the Able Kone you saw.

The Kone is a great filter. Remember with a pourover setup, you have to take the pour rate into consideration. Too fast a pour and you don't give the coffee a chance to extract properly; same with an inconsistent or haphazard pour. Some filter holders try to accommodate that by the number of holes they have in them. Chances are, you saw the Kone matched with Hario V60's or perhaps a Chemex, which is how I use mine, and both those require a slow, accurate pour - that's why you typically see the Kones mated with a gooseneck kettle.

I like any kind of filter with a screen/mesh/metal better than a paper filter, as I like more oils in the coffee, and paper seems to 'clean' tasting for my likes. The paper is easy for cleanup, while the metal filters are more of a pain.

If you liked the cup you had at the coffee shop, and are willing to deal with the cleanup and learn to pour accurately, you should look into doing something like that for yourself at home.

 

[JohnD18]

Hi Peter,

Thanks for the feedback. I had not thought about the paper absorbing the oils, that's a great point. I also feel like it is more economical and environmentally friendly, too which are both a plus from a business and a marketing standpoint.

It was probably the Able Kone you saw.

The Kone is a great filter. Remember with a pourover setup, you have to take the pour rate into consideration. Too fast a pour and you don't give the coffee a chance to extract properly; same with an inconsistent or haphazard pour. Some filter holders try to accommodate that by the number of holes they have in them. Chances are, you saw the Kone matched with Hario V60's or perhaps a Chemex, which is how I use mine, and both those require a slow, accurate pour - that's why you typically see the Kones mated with a gooseneck kettle.

I like any kind of filter with a screen/mesh/metal better than a paper filter, as I like more oils in the coffee, and paper seems to 'clean' tasting for my likes. The paper is easy for cleanup, while the metal filters are more of a pain.

If you liked the cup you had at the coffee shop, and are willing to deal with the cleanup and learn to pour accurately, you should look into doing something like that for yourself at home.

 

[thCapn]

I'm about to start selling at a farmers market and will be using paper for simplicity of use. I'd consider the Kone if I had a fixed storefront. Coffee professionals may be able to notice the differences but I know that our standard consumer cannot.

 

[namballe]

I like any kind of filter with a screen/mesh/metal better than a paper filter, as I like more oils in the coffee, and paper seems to 'clean' tasting for my likes. The paper is easy for cleanup, while the metal filters are more of a pain.

totally agreed on the ss filter. there's a big difference in taste (imo) compared to traditional paper filters. thanks for the explanation Peter.

 

[amirza]

Any cheaper alternatives to an Able Kone (for chemex)?

If anyone can provide a comparison between the Able kone and cheaper cone metal filters for the chemex that would be very helpful indeed.

 

[wmark]

One consideration for business settings. The cones take 5 minutes or so to make a coffee. What do you do if you have a lineup ? Personally, I am not waiting 15 minutes for a coffee