Melitta Pour-Over
How to brew with a Melitta cone: a 20 g recipe, grind, folding the filter, what 1x2 and 1x4 mean, and the story of Melitta Bentz and her 1908 paper filter.
Contents
- Method
- The short version
- How does a Melitta cone work?
- What do you need?
- How much coffee and water should I use?
- What grind size should I use?
- How do you brew with a Melitta, step by step?
- What do Melitta 1x2 and 1x4 mean?
- A short history of Melitta
- Melitta vs other pour-overs
- How do you clean a Melitta cone?
- Melitta vs other brewers
- Words in this guide
- Questions & answers
How do you make coffee with a Melitta cone?
Fold the seams of a Melitta paper filter, set it in the cone on your mug, add ground coffee and pour water just off the boil. A good 1x4 recipe uses 20 g of coffee to 320 g of water at about 93°C, poured in stages over about 3:30. Melitta Bentz of Dresden patented her paper coffee filter in 1908, the start of filter coffee as we know it.
At a glance
- Ratio
- 1:16
- 20 g : 320 g
- Grind
- Medium-fine (table salt)
- Water
- 93 °C
- Brew time
- 3:30
- approximately
- Difficulty
- Beginner
Method
Fold the filter
Fold the bottom seam and the side seam of a Melitta paper filter in opposite directions, so it sits snugly in the cone.
Rinse and warm
Set the filter in the cone on your mug or carafe and rinse it with hot water. Pour the rinse water away.
Add the coffee
Add 20 g of coffee, ground medium-fine, and shake it level.
Bloom30 s
Pour a little water, just off the boil at about 93°C, to wet all the grounds and wait about 30 seconds.
Pour in stages2:00
Pour the rest in two or three stages until you reach 320 g, keeping the water below the rim of the filter.
Let it drain1:00
Let it drain completely, finishing at around 3:30, then lift off the cone.
The Melitta cone is the pour-over that started it all. In 1908, Melitta Bentz, a housewife in Dresden, patented a way of brewing coffee through paper, and the company she founded still makes cone-shaped drippers and paper filters today. It’s simple, cheap and forgiving: fold a filter, add coffee, pour. Here’s a recipe, how to fold the filter, what 1x2 and 1x4 mean and the story behind it.
The short version
- The original paper-filter coffee, patented by Melitta Bentz in 1908.
- A good recipe: 20 g coffee, 320 g water at about 93°C (1:16), finishing around 3:30.
- Grind medium-fine; Melitta’s own instructions say finely ground.
- Fold the filter’s seams so it sits snugly in the cone.
- 1x2 and 1x4 are filter sizes: 1x2 for small cones, 1x4 for larger cones and filter machines.
How does a Melitta cone work?
A Melitta is a cone-shaped dripper that holds a paper filter. You put coffee in the filter and pour hot water over it; the water drips through the coffee and the paper into your mug or carafe. The paper holds back the grounds and much of the coffee’s oils, so you get a clean, light-bodied cup. Melitta’s own Aromapor paper is divided into three aroma zones, each with a different number of pores.
What do you need?
- A Melitta cone that fits your mug or carafe
- Melitta filters in the right size (1x2 or 1x4)
- Coffee and a grinder, or pre-ground filter coffee
- A kettle, and scales if you want to be precise
How much coffee and water should I use?
A good starting recipe for a 1x4 cone, from Gota’s Melitta recipe:
| Amount | |
|---|---|
| Coffee | 20 g, ground medium-fine |
| Water | 320 g, at about 93°C |
| Ratio | 1:16 |
| Time | About 3:30 |
The 1x4 can also brew bigger batches, for example 30 g to 500 g for two or more cups.
What grind size should I use?
Medium-fine. Melitta’s own instructions simply say “finely ground coffee”. If it drains very slowly or tastes bitter, grind a little coarser; if it rushes through and tastes thin, go finer.
How do you brew with a Melitta, step by step?
- Fold the filter: the bottom seam one way, the side seam the other.
- Set it in the cone on your mug, rinse it with hot water and pour that away.
- Add 20 g of coffee and shake it level.
- Bloom: pour a little water just off the boil and wait about 30 seconds.
- Pour the rest in stages until you reach 320 g, keeping the water below the rim of the filter.
- Let it drain, finishing at around 3:30.
Brew mode on this page times each stage for you.
What do Melitta 1x2 and 1x4 mean?
They’re filter sizes. Melitta says it introduced its “1x” filter system in the 1960s: you only had to pour water once, so a 1x4 filter poured once made 4 cups. Today the numbers work as sizes:
| Size | Height (Tingstad) | Typical use |
|---|---|---|
| 1x2 | About 100 mm | Single-cup cones, small brewers |
| 1x4 | About 125 mm | Larger cones and filter machines |
| 1x6 | About 150 mm | Large filter machines |
Use the size that matches your cone: a filter that’s too big or too small can fold over or tear.
A short history of Melitta
- 1908: Melitta Bentz of Dresden files for a patent on her paper coffee filter on 20 June; it’s granted on 8 July. She founds the Melitta company with her husband Hugo the same year.
- The story goes that her first filter was a piece of blotting paper from her son’s schoolbooks, in a pot she’d pierced with a nail. It’s a lovely detail, but accounts differ, so treat it as family legend.
- 1932: Melitta introduces cone-shaped filters, the shape still used today.
- 1960s: the “1x” filter system arrives.
Melitta vs other pour-overs
| Melitta | Kalita Wave | V60 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shape | Wedge-shaped cone | Flat bottom | Cone |
| Filter | Melitta paper (1x2, 1x4) | Wave filters | V60 cone filters |
| Forgiveness | High | High | Lower |
How do you clean a Melitta cone?
Lift out the filter and grounds and throw them away, then rinse the cone. Follow the care instructions for your cone’s material.
General guidance only. Take care pouring hot water, and follow the instructions that come with your cone.
Melitta vs other brewers
- Kalita Wave: a flat-bottomed, forgiving pour-over.
- V60: a cone with one big hole and more control.
- Chemex: thick filters and its own carafe.
- Automatic drip coffee maker: the machine version of filter coffee.
Explore every pour-over in the pour-over chapter.
What you’ll need
Words in this guide
Questions & answers
Who invented the Melitta coffee filter?
Melitta Bentz, a housewife in Dresden, Germany. She filed for a patent on her paper coffee filter on 20 June 1908, it was granted on 8 July 1908, and she founded the Melitta company with her husband Hugo that year.
What do Melitta 1x2 and 1x4 mean?
They're filter sizes. Melitta says its 1x filter system, introduced in the 1960s, meant you only had to pour water once: a 1x4 filter poured once made 4 cups. Today 1x2 is the smaller size, often used for single-cup cones, and 1x4 the larger one for bigger cones and filter machines.
How do you fold a Melitta filter?
Fold the crimped bottom seam one way and the side seam the other, then open it into a cone. It sits snugly in the dripper and is less likely to tear.
How much coffee do you use in a Melitta cone?
A good starting point is about 1:16 by weight, for example 20 g of coffee to 320 g of water. Use more coffee for a stronger cup.
What grind is best for a Melitta?
Medium-fine. Melitta's own instructions call for finely ground coffee; if it drains very slowly or tastes bitter, go a little coarser.
What are Melitta's aroma zones?
Melitta's Aromapor filter paper is divided into three aroma zones, each with a different number of pores, as part of how the paper controls the flow.
Sources
- Filters (FAQ). Melitta
- Melitta 1-cup pour-over coffee brew cone. Melitta
- Melitta Bentz. Wikipedia
- Melitta. Wikipedia
- Coffee filter. Wikipedia
- Three pour standard: Melitta 1x4 recipe. Gota
- Guide: coffee filter. Tingstad
General guidance only. Not medical, food-safety or professional advice. Always follow your equipment's own instructions.