Yes. It rinses out the papery taste and preheats the brewer. With thick filters (Chemex) it makes a significant difference, with thin ones (V60) it's subtler. Takes 10 seconds and prevents that cardboard aftertaste.

Should I rinse the paper filter with hot water first?

Yes. It rinses out the papery taste and preheats the brewer. With thick filters (Chemex) it makes a significant difference, with thin ones (V60) it’s subtler. Takes 10 seconds and prevents that cardboard aftertaste.

Why that is

Paper filters are made of cellulose — plant fibers that are either bleached or left unbleached during manufacturing. Both variants can impart a slight off-flavor to the coffee, often described as papery, cardboardy, or woody. This flavor is particularly strong with unbleached (brown) filters.

Rinsing with hot water dissolves these flavor compounds before the coffee is brewed. You place the filter in the brewer, pour hot water through it, and discard the rinse water that collects below. It takes 10 seconds and removes the vast majority of the papery taste.

How big the difference is depends on the filter:

Chemex filters are significantly thicker than other pour-over filters. The papery taste is strongest here — without rinsing, you will taste it in the cup. Rinsing is essentially mandatory for the Chemex.

V60 filters are thin. The papery taste is more subtle. Experienced coffee drinkers will taste the difference, while casual drinkers often won’t. Still, it’s highly recommended because rinsing simultaneously preheats the brewing vessel.

Kalita Wave filters fall somewhere in between. The scalloped structure offers more surface area — rinsing is definitely worth it.

The second benefit of rinsing: Preheating. The hot rinse water warms up the pour-over cone, carafe, or cup. Without preheating, the brewing temperature drops faster during the pour — the cold vessel draws heat away from the water. A preheated setup keeps the temperature more stable and the extraction more even.

A third benefit: The moistened filter clings better to the walls of the brewer and doesn’t slide around. In a V60, this ensures a more even extraction, as water cannot seep past the filter down the sides.

In practice at Green Wall Coffee

At Sophienstraße 27, we rinse every filter before every pour — without exception. For us, it’s as routine as washing our hands. I tell guests: If you change just one thing about your pour-over routine, rinse the filter. It costs nothing and brings a lot of value.

Related questions

• How to brew Hario V60 correctly?
• What is the difference between V60, Chemex, and Kalita Wave?
• What does “blooming” mean in filter coffee?

You can find more depth on this topic in the article V60 Pour-Over Guide. Or come visit us at Sophienstraße 27 — Mon–Fri 8am–5pm, Sat 10am–5pm.