[Sleepy_Sentry]

The Aeropress manual says that the disposable filters are reusable, but does anyone do that? I often make two or more Aeropress brews a day and feel guilty using a new filter for each one, so I rinse off and reuse the filter. I haven't noticed a difference in taste with my coffee but then again my taste buds aren't very sensitive.

I even tried putting one through the dishwasher first. It cleaned the filter very well, but I don't recommend this because you could get the taste of dishwasher soap in your coffee.

[bigmike787]

I pulled out my Aeropress this weekend. I hadn't used it in awhile, so I said what the hell. I personally wouldn't reuse a filter, but if it works for you then by all means do it.

[Denieru]

I reuse my filters a couple of times, just rinse it under your tap with water until the grounds are gone. I think it tastes a bit better.

[JoeSponge]

We re-use like the Dickens (don't actually know what that means!)

At home, we re-use until my wife sneaks a new one in... probably once every couple weeks -- but it's a low-use install... maybe 16-20 uses per week.

At work, we re-use until somebody finally flips out and puts a new one in. Once a week would make about 40 uses.

I hand wash, and always keep the same side towards the coffee -- although it turns out it's more by coincidence than any Asberger's kind of thing... I just happen to open it using the same hands, and when I pop it out, it's always facing the same way. Rinse w/ hot water, light "scrub" with the free hand, just enough to flush the whole surface, then back in the press.

I also had a chance to use a synthetic felt filter made by a friend. 2" circle of 5 micron poly felt (McMasters). It is an amazing thing. Tight enough so there's less drip-through than the paper filters, porous enough so even with an extremely fine grind, there's little back-pressure. I highly recommend, and I'd still be using them today if I could cut good circles. We used the last for months and months - literally. Washing by hand, by hand with detergent, and by dish-washer. The last may have been its downfall... my uses the hotter-than-the-sun sterilization cycle and heat dry, and that might just have been too much over time. I still take it out on occasion and gaze at it fondly. Oh, side note, the weave actually lets some nice oils through -- they usually get blocked by the paper filters. I personally believe that it's un-washed built-up oils on the paper that eventually give it funky-vintage smell... just sluice it off better or use a drop of degreasing dish detergent once in a while.

So... be brave, remember, every time you re-use, a kitten angel gets it's wings -- but don't let that stop you.

Oh, and we're still on the original 300 filters that came with the AP -- so we're averaging more than a week or two through each. We've been using it for years.

[billtzk]

I bought a stainless steel filter disc for my Aeropress on Amazon. It works great, and it's almost infinitely reusable.

It does let a bit of sediment through, so if you like a perfectly clean cup, the paper filters are better for that.