I bought my wife a Keurig for Christmas which she absolutely loves. In fact, she loves it so much that she wanted me to start using it and get rid of my trusty but messy Mr. Coffee drip coffeemaker. No problem, but I like grinding my own beans fresh. So the solution was getting a reusable My K-Cup filter basket. I fell in love instantly, as every cup was fresh and delicious, rather than getting old and burned tasting in the pot.
That said, there was a minor problem. I'd been using it for about two weeks and kept noticing an oily, dark brown residue at the bottom of each cup. That tripped off a memory of a conversation I'd had with a ScoutMaster while we were enjoying camp coffee at Boy Scout camp with our kids. He mentioned that he always used a paper filter because they remove some harmful substance from the coffee. I'd forgotten what it was, so I did a little research. It turns out that the substance is called cafestrol which can raise serum cholesterol. While my cholesterol is good, I generally try to take the healthy path when given the option. The prepackaged K-Kup single use packs (usually 16 cups to a pack) come with a built in paper filter. I know this because I dissected one. But I still like fresh grinding my favorite blends like Caribou Coffee's Amy's Blend, as I have a stockpile of it in my deep freezer. So how do I resolve this problem of continuing to use the My K-Cup and yet filtering out the bad substance?
As an experiment, I took one of my Mr. Coffee paper filters and cut out a circular shaped section maybe 5 centimeters across and stuffed it down in the bottom of the My K-cup filter basket holder. Not the reusable filter itself, but the grey plastic filter holder (upper far left corner in the picture). I then ground and brewed a cup of Amy's blend. As you can see in the bottom center of the picture, the paper filter wad has the brown goop containing the cafestrol. There was no residue in the bottom of the cup, and the coffee was absolutely delicious. It is just a slight extra step, but worth it if you are concerned about your cholesterol levels.
Cheers, Ye Olde Bard
That isn't cafestrol. It is coffee grounds residue. The filter may help, but whatever passes without going through the filter still has the natural chemicals that allegedly raise cholesterol. A recent study just published proved that the difference is not as dramatic as stated. That filtered coffee raises cholesterol as well.
ReplyDeleteOne theory is that some filters may be more effective than others. Another is that the initial study was flawed.
In essence, drink coffee the way you like it. The chemicals are not harmful or unhealthy. If your cholesterol rises, your checkups will show it and you can try a filter to see if it improves for you.
Remember, all studies are not universal. They are based on percentages. You may not be bothered at all by the coffee. And you may be. But depending on a bit of paper to save your life is a shot in the dark and a major stretch of the imagination.