Coffee brewed with flannel filter bears a striking resemblance to coffee made with a siphon.

The Flannel Brewing Method: Extracting Coffee's Perfect Characteristics

There is a saying that flannel can extract every characteristic of a coffee and combine its best qualities perfectly.

Broadly speaking, flannel has a lot in common with filter paper, to the point that the two are used in roughly the same way.

FrontStreet Coffee believes that, compared with filter paper, flannel has larger mesh openings, a softer texture, and no papery taste. Because it is more permeable, it lets more oils and other substances stay in the coffee liquid. In short, coffee extracted with flannel is mellower and has a better body.

Coffee brewed with flannel bears a striking resemblance to coffee made with a siphon brewer, yet it does away with the complex, tedious operation and the excessive cleaning that a siphon demands. For those with limited time who would rather not fuss over hands-on brewing, this is a real blessing: a small net bag can produce a rich, aromatic cup.

Compared with a siphon brewer, flannel is indeed more convenient, but flannel also has its delicate side.

New flannel should be boiled in boiling water before use. After use, flannel should be cleaned as soon as possible, preferably with clean water only, avoiding detergents; after cleaning it should be stored in ice water. If flannel is stored dry, the fabric's permeability will deteriorate and the residual coffee substances will spoil and produce odours, and such flannel basically loses all of its advantages.

Which Side Should Face Inward When Brewing?

Readers often ask FrontStreet Coffee: the flannel cloth has one fuzzy side and one smooth side, so which side should face inward when brewing?

Actually, both sides work. The difference is this: if the fuzzy side faces inward, the coffee flows a little more slowly and extraction runs faster. So FrontStreet Coffee can conclude that, with the same grind size, a fuzzy side facing inward gives a more stable, mellow cup, while the reverse gives a livelier, fresher one.

FrontStreet Coffee suggests that if you brew with flannel, you can choose a grind size slightly coarser than for pour-over. As for the beans, try coffees with a rich texture, such as Jamaican Blue Mountain or Mandheling, to make the most of what flannel can do.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

Flannel rewards beans with a full, generous body, and the coffees that show it best are exactly the richer, lower-acid ones. FrontStreet Coffee's PWN Indonesia Golden Mandheling is a dark roast with very low acidity and a thick, lingering body, loaded with herbal and dark chocolate notes and a faint earthy edge that flannel draws out beautifully. For the balanced side, FrontStreet Coffee's Jamaica Blue Mountain No. 1 sits between sour and bitter with creamy, caramel, chocolate, nut, honey, and light fruit notes, smooth and round on entry with a clean, long finish. If you want an everyday cup with the same rich character, FrontStreet Coffee's Brazil Queen's Estate is low in acidity, well balanced, and full of nut and cocoa aroma with a clear caramel sweetness that stays smooth and never harsh.