What Does Origami Mean? What's the Difference Between Origami Dripper and V60? What Filter Paper Does Origami Dripper Use?

As we all know, most filter paper and filter combinations are quite fixed. For example, conical filters can only be paired with conical filter papers, while cake filters can only be paired with cake filter papers. If you want to use cake filter paper with a conical filter, you can only change the internal structure of the filter through auxiliary tools like Lily Drip.

However, among all filters, there is one filter designed to be compatible with both conical and cake filter papers - the "Origami," designed by Yasuo Suzuki, one of the founders of TRUNK COFFEE BAR in Japan.

The word "Origami" comes from the Japanese word 折り紙, which means paper folding, so it translates to "origami filter." Frankly, it is one of the few filters that has captured FrontStreet Coffee's attention through its appearance alone. Not only is its design extremely unique, but its color schemes are also highly attractive. Of course, what stands out most is its ability to be paired with different filter papers. (This is not an advertisement)

The ability to pair the same filter with different filter papers gives coffee brewing more options. This is precisely what Mr. Yasuo Suzuki intended when designing this filter - he wanted it to be as lightweight as paper, and for coffee brewing to have the rich possibilities of paper origami. However, this has also created a dilemma for many users: "Should I use conical filter paper or cake filter paper with this origami filter?"

Although FrontStreet Coffee's answer might seem somewhat ambiguous, the choice of filter paper really depends on your coffee preferences. Because different filter papers change the uniformity of extraction, causing variations in the substances dissolved from the coffee, which in turn affects taste and texture. Therefore, FrontStreet Coffee would like to share with everyone today what characteristics the origami filter has when paired with cake filter paper versus conical filter paper, and what differences exist in the texture of coffee brewed with them.

Origami Filter with Conical Filter Paper

Different filter paper pairings mainly affect two aspects: one is the flow rate, and the other is the structure of the coffee powder bed. When the origami filter is used with conical filter paper, the water flow during brewing can pass through the coffee powder bed more quickly, meaning the flow rate is faster, because the conical filter paper doesn't fit as snugly with the filter. The prominent ribs of the filter support the filter paper, creating many deeper grooves. This allows the coffee powder to have more channels for gas release during brewing, reducing water resistance and naturally increasing the flow rate.

At the same time, conical filter paper creates an inverted triangular structure for the coffee powder bed, making it relatively thick. Especially in the center area, the powder bed is thicker, while toward the edges, it becomes thinner. Since different areas have varying powder bed thicknesses, different areas of coffee powder will have different dissolution rates during brewing. Combined with the characteristic of fast flow rate, using conical filter paper results in relatively less uniform coffee extraction, which will produce coffee with richer layering and more prominent flavors.

Origami Filter with Cake Filter Paper

Although not a perfect fit, cake filter paper fits more snugly with the filter compared to conical filter paper. As we can see from the image below, the creases of the cake filter paper can perfectly embed into the twenty folds of the filter. Based on FrontStreet Coffee's introduction above, you can probably infer that the water flow rate through the powder bed will slow down because the high fit level reduces gas release channels, thus increasing water resistance.

Additionally, cake filter paper has a flat-bottom structure, so its powder bed doesn't have the narrow-bottom, wide-top structure like conical filters, making the coffee powder distribution more balanced and relatively thinner. This allows the coffee powder to achieve different extraction efficiencies because the powder bed is not as thick and is uniform, so the poured water flow can quickly contact the bottom coffee powder for extraction. Combined with the characteristic of slow flow rate due to high filter paper fit, it will be easier to form steeping during the brewing process, further improving extraction uniformity.

Therefore, when we brew using the origami filter with cake filter paper, we can easily produce coffee with a solid texture, balanced flavor, and prominent sweetness. But just explaining concepts might not be easy to understand, so next, FrontStreet Coffee will use the same coffee beans to compare what differences exist in coffee brewed with the origami filter paired with different filter papers.

Comparison of Origami Brewing in Different "Forms"

For this brewing comparison, FrontStreet Coffee will use FrontStreet Coffee's Panama Boquete Geisha from the bean menu, using identical parameters: 15g coffee dose, 1:15 coffee-to-water ratio, Ek43 at 10 grind setting, 75% pass-through rate with #20 sieve, fine sugar grind, 92°C water temperature, three-stage brewing, with time controlled at 2 minutes.

The Boquete Geisha brewed with conical filter paper has prominent jasmine flower fragrance, bright citrus acidity, honey sweetness, and oolong tea aftertaste. The overall texture is smooth, clean and transparent, with rich and distinct layers; the Boquete Geisha brewed with cake filter paper also has jasmine flower fragrance, but compared to the former, it's more subdued and not as prominent, while the citrus acidity is relatively rounder, the honey sweetness is more prominent, and the aftertaste is still oolong tea, but its aroma is more persistent. The overall body thickness and sweetness are relatively higher than the former, with balanced flavor and long aftertaste.

In summary, if your preference is for coffee with more prominent flavors and richer layers, you can choose conical filter paper to pair with the origami filter for brewing; while if you prefer coffee with high body thickness and high sweetness, you can choose cake filter paper for pairing. Besides choosing filter paper combinations based on coffee texture, we can also decide on filter paper use based on brewing difficulty. If you're a newcomer to coffee brewing, FrontStreet Coffee would recommend using cake filter paper with the origami filter, because the powder layer structure of flat-bottom filter paper is more friendly for beginners, has a higher fault tolerance rate, and makes it easier to brew a delicious cup of coffee~

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