Can Medical Face Masks Be Used to Brew Coffee? Netizens: Is This a Response to Lianhua Qingwen Coffee?

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The Shocking Trend: Using Face Masks as Coffee Filters

Recently, a post in a social platform coffee discussion section shocked netizens! From the photos, you can see that the poster used a face mask as a filtering tool to brew drip coffee, with the caption "Having a cup of coffee ☕️, with a unique taste."

This shocking and stunning image immediately sparked heated discussion among netizens in the forum: "You don't need to be this frugal!" "This is disgusting to look at" "It looks quite flavorful" "If we have Lianhua Qingwen coffee, why can't we have COVID-19 coffee?"...

Safety Concerns About Mask Coffee Brewing

Regarding using face masks to brew coffee, many netizens mentioned that masks have waterproof layers and adhesive layers, raising concerns about potential toxicity. Others noted that the waterproof layer wouldn't allow coffee to pass through, turning drip coffee into immersion coffee.

The original poster responded: The mask used was brand new but expired, and they had removed the mask's waterproof layer. Both the middle melt-blown fabric and the innermost non-woven fabric can achieve the effect of filtering coffee grounds.

The Origin of the Trend

This practice originated from another forum netizen who mentioned not long ago that throwing away expired but unused masks was somewhat wasteful. By simply removing the mask's waterproof layer, hanging it over a cup, and adding coffee grounds, you could brew with hot water as if using a drip bag.

Consequently, many netizens began "leading by example" to verify the feasibility of this claim. Regarding concerns about whether non-woven fabric becomes toxic when heated with hot water, some netizens shared that plasticizers are not added during the mask manufacturing process, so there wouldn't be issues with plasticizer leaching.

Expert Opinion on Safety

A medical expert mentioned in the article that the inner layer non-woven fabric of masks is polypropylene (PP), not a plasticizer. The expert stated: "Polypropylene PP can certainly be harmful to the body, but as long as you air it out after steaming, the harmful substances will disappear. They also mentioned that even if you come into contact with polypropylene PP released from non-woven fabric, the amount of harmful substances is actually very minimal. The amount of harmful substances in tableware we consume when dining out is higher than the polypropylene PP potentially released from steaming masks."

Final Recommendation

Despite this, we strongly do not recommend everyone try the method of brewing coffee with face masks. One reason is that the heating methods are different! The way hot water is poured is more concentrated in one position. Secondly, there's really no need—after all, coffee filter paper and face masks cost about the same, so it's better to choose reliable materials for coffee brewing.

When masks expire and you really don't dare to use them anymore, just throw them away! Even if they're clean and hygienic, don't casually try this, as not all masks have reliable quality...

Image source: Internet

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