Should You Rinse a Paper Coffee Filter Before Brewing?

For a manual pour-over brewer such as a V60, you can rinse the empty paper filter with hot water before adding ground coffee. This helps reduce any papery taste and seats the filter in the cone. Empty the water from the server before adding the grounds.

Prepare the filter in three steps

Seat the filter

Choose the right filter size for your brewer. Open the paper and set it in the cone. Fold the seam first if the instructions for that filter call for it.

Wet the paper evenly

Set the cone on a heatproof server. Pour hot water slowly around the inside until all the paper is wet. Direct the stream at any pale patches that are still dry.

Empty the server

Let the rinse water drain through. Lift the cone carefully, empty the server and put the cone back before adding the grounds.

Does rinse water count toward the recipe?

No. If your recipe calls for 250 g of brewing water, measure that amount after rinsing. If your setup is on a scale, tare it after adding the grounds.

Common questions

Is rinsing the same as blooming?

Rinsing wets the empty filter, and that water goes down the sink. Blooming wets the coffee grounds first, and that water counts toward the brew total.

Does this apply to a moka pot?

These steps are for a cone with a paper filter. For a stovetop brewer with a metal basket, follow the steps in our moka pot guide.

Manufacturer’s brewing example. Hario’s V60 filter preparation.