Tuesday, March 25, 2014

Living Up To Expectations, The Crucial Coffee #4 Permanent Filter Is Worth Getting!


The Good: Durable, Easy to clean, Comparatively inexpensive, Works well, Environmentally responsivle
The Bad: Handle is way too flexible/fragile.
The Basics: The Crucial Coffee #4 Permanent Coffee Filter is one of the best ways for coffee drinkers to reduce the cost of operating their coffee maker!


Ever since I reviewed the Melitta #4 Paper Coffee Filters (here!), I have been in the market for a permanent coffee filter. While Meitta makes a good product, I love the idea and environmental responsibility of a permanent coffee filter. After my wife bought me the disastrously bad Mr. Coffee Coffee Maker (reviewed here!), I was eager to return to using my beloved Hamilton Beach Brewmaster coffee maker (reviewed here!). As part of our renewed commitment to the superior coffeemaker, my wife and I decided it was time to buy a permanent coffee filter. We went with the Crucial Coffee #4 Permanent Coffee Filter!

A coffee filter is a generally necessary component in brewing coffee as the filter is what keeps the coffee grounds out of the pot of coffee and allows water to pass through the basket of the coffee maker. It is exactly what its name suggests, a filter, a semi-permeable membrane which allows liquids to pass through, but prevents solid matter from following. This allows hot water to soak coffee beans (ground up, of course) and take the essence of those beans and carry them in liquid form into the carafe below the coffee maker. This is, of course, the beverage we all know as coffee. If it weren't for the coffee filter, coffee makers would either get backed up as the grounds resisted going down the drip hole in the coffeemaker's basket and formed a dam or the coffee one attempted to drink from the pot would have coffee grounds swimming in it. A permanent coffee filter is made of metal mesh and plastic and is washable and reusable (simply dispose of the used grounds from the prior batch and wash out!) and cuts down on the environmental impact of using coffee filters.

The Crucial Coffee #4 Permanent Coffee Filter is a metal, gold, and black plastic cone filter designed for coffeemakers that brew eight to twelve cups of coffee. This is the only shape of filter designed to fit into the basket of my coffee maker. The Crucial Coffee #4 Permanent Coffee Filter comes individually boxed and, properly maintained, can last years. Since buying ours two months ago, the gold sheen has not even begun to wear off our filter, even with daily use.

The #4 permanent coffee filters is two inches wide at its base and four and a half inches wide at the curved top and they have an opening only at the top. This allows the water to enter through the open top and filter over coffee grounds placed in the filter without the grounds passing through the filter and into the basket of the coffee maker.

The Crucial Coffee #4 Permanent Coffee Filter is very easy to use. Simply open the basket to your coffee maker, remove the filter from the package and stick it in the basket! It’s that easy. Then add your coffee grounds to the permanent filter and brew your coffee.

The Crucial Coffee #4 Permanent Coffee Filter is easy to clean; knock out the used grounds and wash out the rest. This Permanent Filter can be put through the dishwasher as well.

The only detraction to the Crucial Coffee #4 Permanent Coffee Filter is the handle. There is a handle that swivels up at the top of the basket filter that is made of soft, cheap plastic. As it warms, it becomes flexible, so more often than not, it simply disconnects from the filter rather than allow one to easily pick the filter out of the coffeemaker’s basket. This is not enough of a detraction to make the Permanent Filter not worth buying; it remains a wonderful and worthwhile product!

For other coffee-related products, please visit my reviews of:
Cuisinart Grind Central Coffee Grinder
Proctor Silex E160B Coffee Grinder
Seattle’s Best Level Five Coffee

8.5/10

For other appliance reviews, please visit my index page on the subject by clicking here!

© 2014 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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