Debate: Should you rinse your filter paper before brewing or not?

I keep seeing people online argue that rinsing the paper filter is a waste of water and time, but I've been doing it for 5 years with my V60 at home in Portland. When I skip the rinse, I can taste a slight papery flavor in the cup, especially with lighter roasts. Am I just imagining this, or do you guys think it actually changes the taste enough to matter?

2 comments

2 Comments

hugo2382d agoMost Upvoted

Dakota nailed it with the Portland water thing. I'm down in LA where the water's harder, but I still rinse every time because even a hint of that paper taste ruins a good light roast. Try giving your filter a quick spray from your gooseneck, then dump that water into your mug to preheat it too. Kills two birds with one stone and you're not wasting anything. If you're really pressed for time just wet the bottom half of the filter, that's usually enough to knock the paper flavor out.

dakotacraig2d ago

I've been rinsing my V60 filters in Portland for about 4 years now, and your experience matches mine exactly. With lighter roasts especially, that paper taste is real - I notice it most when I rush through a morning brew and skip the rinse. Your mileage may vary, but take this with a grain of salt because water chemistry could play a role here. Portland water is pretty soft, so maybe the paper flavor comes through more compared to someone using harder water. I just run a quick stream from my gooseneck over the filter and toss the rinse water before grinding my beans.