- Disposable paper coffee filters are used with drip coffee makers. They come in sizes and shapes designed to fit standard coffee makers. Because paper coffee filters are disposable, they add to the world's trash problem.
- Some paper coffee filters are made with unbleached paper pulp. Unbleached paper coffee filters reduce the amount of chemicals used in the processing, and may reduce the chemicals that you consume when you drink your coffee.
- Metal coffee filters are made with very fine meshed screens, often of gold. They are commonly referred to as permanent coffee filters and are regarded as more earth-friendly than paper coffee filters because they are reusable.
- Less durable than metal coffee filters, plastic coffee filters are made of fine plastic mesh that is sized to fit specific coffee makers. Reusable filters for some single-serve coffee makers are made with plastic mesh.
- Cloth coffee filters, also called coladors or coffee socks, are designed to be used without a coffee maker. You simply strain the coffee through the colador into a pot or a cup, then rinse it clean.
