In March of 2018, the ebb Kickstarter campaign raised $18K to develop and manufacture the ebb Coffee Filter, a cloth based coffee filter made specifically for pourover coffee brewing.
I received my ebb Coffee Filter several months later, on September 28th, 2018. This is probably the first Kickstarter I have backed that has delivered on expectations on time and in the same year that the campaign was launched. Thank you, ebb!!
The version of the filter I received was designed for use with Chemex coffee brewers. The campaign created versions for other types of pour-overs but Chemex is the type I use.
The filter arrived on Friday in a small envelope. The filter package itself was also compact holding the cloth filter, a postcard with ebb Brew Guide for Chemex and instructions for use, and a CLOTHESFORCOFFEE coupon for discounts. Brew guides for other brew methods can be found on the Brew Methods website.
The material feels soft but sturdy. I expect it will stand up to multiple brews and wash cycles. Before I could use the filter, the instructions recommend boiling the filter in water for five minutes. I assume this is to remove any impurities from the manufacturing process. Once complete, I put the filter to dry, ready to make coffee the next day.
For the Chemex I have two recipes; one for use with a traditional Chemex paper filter and one for use with an Able Kone filter. The paper filter produces a clean cup with very little particulate matter. However, even though they are biodegradable and clean up is easy, I was not happy tossing these paper filters into the garbage.
I purchased an Able Kone filter — another Kickstarter — a few years ago. The Able Kone filter is a reusable metal filter but it does not produce as clean a cup as the paper filters; there is a little silt at the bottom of the cup and suspended in the coffee. I’m not certain but I assume the ebb cloth filter will produce a cleaner cup than both the paper filter and mesh filter.
I use the Press coffee app when making my daily brew. Over time, and with experimentation, I have created recipes for making coffee via Chemex, French Press and AeroPress. I have included a link to the brew recipe for the Ebb filter. You’ll need the Press coffee app to import from the link. It’s the same as my paper filter recipe but with the grind adjusted to 21 instead of 16. I expect I’ll tweak this to find the right balance between grind and brew time.
I always brew with the freshest beans I can find. I have been a member of a number of online coffee delivery clubs in the past but in the last few years, I have settled on obtaining fresh beans from a local brewer. I enjoyed trying different single original coffees from around the world but I wanted to support my local brewer whom I know personally.
I started with 45g of fresh ground beans. I use a scale to weigh the coffee and I use a Baratza Encore coffee grinder which I bought a few years ago. In a kettle, I heat water to between 91ºC (195ºF) and 96ºC (205ºF).
Before putting the ground coffee into the filter, I poured some of the hot water through the filter to wet the filter and warm the Chemex.
After putting the coffee into the filter, I reset my scale, I start the Press app timer and start pouring water; about twice the weight of the ground coffee. After 45 seconds, I continue pouring water in slow circular motion, making sure to saturate the grounds.
Ideally, the water should stop flowing through the grounds when the timer is complete.
I dumped the grounds into the trash and washed out my filter. It was stained by the coffee grounds and I expect this to darken with use.
The coffee was delicious with no hint of sediment. A clean cup.