For years, all we knew were the paper coffee filters that our parents used and tossed every morning. When we bought a new coffee maker for our own home recently, we got one of these, which we think are genius...
It's a very simple idea: The coffee filter is reusable. It's made of stainless steel, which allows water to pass through the grounds without altering the taste. Some people claim these mesh filters allow more of the coffee oils to get through, resulting in better flavor.
We just like the fact that we're not throwing out a paper filter every day. This one is a cinch to rinse out, although you can also put it in the dishwasher.
Our one question is why all of the versions we see are "gold toned." We can't find a good explanation as to why the stainless steel is a gold color. Maybe something to do with how the metal might react with the coffee grounds?
The filter above is for a Cuisinart coffee maker, and you can get it here:
We know Krups has reusable gold tone filters for their models. And we've seen hemp filters, made exactly like generic paper filters but reusable, on Amazon.
Who else uses these filters? Any favorites?
Related: How To Make Iced Coffee
(Image: Bed, Bath, & Beyond)
Soda Recipe: Homemade Ginger Ale
Recipe: Spring Fruit and Nut Tabouli
Good Food to Share 
The Big Book of Small, Cool Spaces 
Apartment Therapy Presents 
The Eight-Step Home Cure 
TW Salt Mill by Wil...
The Ultimate Used Furniture Cleaning Kit
Ana Creates a Community at Home
I have a Braun model from several years ago that has the reusable filter.
Its a bit of a pain.. I think it allows more coffee dregs through. I just cant bring myself to buy the disposable filters, though.
Though I prefer the taste, there have been studies linking unfiltered coffee to higher LDL cholesterol levels. The increase in cholesterol is believed to be caused by oils called terpenes that are found in coffee, but are mostly removed by filters.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6242467/
http://health.msn.com/health-topics/cholesterol/articlepage.aspx?cp-documentid=100110387
i have that for my Kitchenaid but I agree with crash that it lets to many dregs thru - my hubby won't drink it so I use it but also use a throwaway filter in it slightly more wasteful but we only use the big machine in winter otherwise we have a krups that makes one cup at a time, oddly enough we have a tiny filter for it and no dregs get thru. I don't know why as it is the same concept just smaller.
www.organicandnaturalmom.blogspot.com
Thanks to my (genetic) borderline-high cholesterol, I now use paper filters again instead of the mesh filter. If my levels were better, though, I'd give up the disposable filters in a heartbeat (no pun intended).
I used a reusable filter for a while, but I found that my coffee tasted better when I used a Chemex paper filter. The filter goes into the compost bin after I'm done brewing my coffee, so I don't feel too bad about the environmental implications.
I'm a coffee freak and a nurse.
I firmly believe in the idea that paper filters out the high-cholesterol oils in coffee, which are not only bad for you, but also contribute a significant amount of bitterness that GOOD coffee shouldn't have. There are good bitter tones that are supposed to exist, but paper filters catch the ones that shouldn't. Far and away, Chemex is best. My husband ditched his French press and switched to my Chemex and his total cholesterol dipped from 204 to 170 over the course of 3 months. Chemex filters are unbleached and biodegradable, too.
These mesh filters are bad for so many reasons. They are never really, truly clean, and because of this, your coffee will take on a slick, oily, stale, bitter taste. They are made of plastic, which is reactive at high temps and infuses your coffee with polymers. They also tend to restrict you to only one kind of medium-coarse grind - any finer and they clog. They ALSO restrict the "bloom" of the grounds because the copper mesh does not expand - kinda the equivalent to a "tea ball" for tea that never lets the leaves truly release their essence. AND they're breeding grounds for bacteria if left to sit.
i have one of these...but hubby and i use a paper filter in it every day.....they are hard to clean otherwise...and the taste is not so good after a few brews....
to each his own.
My Mom has a heavy cotton fabric filter. It needs to sit in something, but I've always liked it. It can be a bit messy and getting every last ground out is really close to impossible, but if you made a fabric insert or jacket for a filter like the one above, it would probably trap the oils and prevent the need for paper filters.
For the record - I use paper for the LDL cholesterol reasons. My Mom won't part with her fabric filter and I haven't made time to fashion my own.
Can't you throw the paper filters in with your compost, along with the coffee grounds?
I have one of these and it works great. Just don't... um.... forget to throw out the coffee grinds when you go away for the weekend or you'll have a mold forest waiting for you when you get home.
My mom has used one of these mesh filters for as long as I can remember... I always used paper ones until we recently got a Cuisinart coffeemaker which came with one of the metal mesh ones. I have noticed significantly more dregs, particularly in the second cup. And I had no idea about the cholesterol thing! I may go back to paper...
i compost my filters along with the grounds. the melitta unbleached ones work well for me.
We use a reusable filter. The current coffeemaker takes basket style filters which are a pain to find (means I have to go to the grocery store I dislike, and they only sell filters that are a smidge small). Washing everything regularly means the coffee tastes fine to the resident coffee addict.
We both have decent cholesterol readings. I guess regular exercise is a bigger factor for us than the kind of coffee filter we use.
If this coffeemaker ever breaks tho, I'm pushing for a better design.
Confession: Ok, I know the coffee gods will shun me for eternity for saying this, but... I... uh, reuse my paper filters. I use each filter twice, and I just... pile the new batch of coffee grounds.. on top of the previous day's. I know, I know! "Your coffee must taste bitter and old and horrid!" you are thinking. But really, I can't tell much of a difference, my mother (who drinks a pot a day) ALWAYS compliments me on how good my coffee tastes, and I use half the number of coffee filters.
Ultimately for me its a simple choice. The paper filters are biodegradable, cheap, and much easier to work with. I don't have to worry about cleaning the basket as thoroughly. I've had and still have a variety of mesh filters (french presses, one cup coffee makers, strainers, etc) and over time the holes get clogged and need considerable cleaning. When I'm done with the paper filter I can get rid of it and clean the basket quickly.
I had a French press for a while, but I never learned to make a really good cup of coffee with it. I went back to paper filters and make coffee for myself a cup at a time - much better.
And I hadn't known about the high-cholesteral oils, so there you are.