The question of whether we still need to pre rinse filter papers is one of those coffee habits that has quietly followed the industry for decades. Often, the first step we are taught when learning how to make filter coffee, it's rarely questioned and is passed down during training as “that's just how it’s done.” Though as coffee has evolved, so has the need to re examine even the smallest steps in our workflow.
The paper taste argument
One of the strongest reasons for pre rinsing has traditionally been taste. Older, unbleached paper filters are known to carry a distinct papery or woody taste if not rinsed thoroughly. However, as noted by key industry figure James Hoffmann, this concern is outdated when using modern high quality bleached filter papers. In his testing of different filter papers, he has pointed out that many modern filters, like Spectrum, no longer carry any noticeable flavour, leading us to question whether pre rinsing is still even necessary.
Temperature and workflow
Another commonly cited benefit to pre rinsing is temperature control. Rinsing with hot water heats the vessel before use, helping maintain temperature during the extraction process. In a home setting, this can still be important when your brewer is only being used once or twice a day and is stored in a cupboard for the most part. But in a high volume café environment, equipment is often already warm from continuous use, and being stored next to other hot equipment like brewers, kettles and espresso machines. When your equipment is rarely starting from room temperature, the impact of pre rinsing is further brought into question.
After significant questioning towards the purpose of this practice, we must then look at its impact on workflow efficiency. Pre rinsing takes time, adds an extra step, and increases possible points of failure during service. In busy service periods, these seconds desperately matter and open up larger room for error. Removing the rinse step could streamline flow behind the bar, reduce bottlenecks, and simplify training for new staff. When multiplied across hundreds of drinks in a day, these small efficiencies compound into noticeable improvements across efficiency, productivity, and monetarily.
Ritual vs necessity
With all that said, pre rinsing is not completely without reason. For some baristas, the ritual aspect of the practice still serves a purpose. It’s a moment to preheat equipment, check drawdown clarity, and set focus before brewing. So we ask, are we rinsing because it improves the coffee, or because it feels like a familiar part of the process we were taught?
Rethinking inherited habits
Coffee is an industry built on constant refinement, yet it is also full of inherited habits that stay long after their original justification. Pre rinsing may be one of those practices now more rooted in tradition than requirement.
Ultimately, the decision comes down to circumstance. In specialty cafés prioritising speed and consistency, skipping the rinse could be a strategic, modern adjustment. In slower, more controlled brewing environments, it still has a place as a stabilising ritual.
But perhaps the more valuable takeaway is not whether we should rinse or not, it’s that we should keep asking why we do what we do.
