Who Invented The Coffee Filter: How One Woman Changed Coffee

There are few things worse than a poorly-extracted cup of coffee. Once upon a time, it was all too common to find oneself sipping a bitter, sour, or gritty cup. But in the early 1900s, one German woman set out to change all that. Read on to find out how Melita Bentz invented the coffee filter and changed the face of brewing forever.

Melitta: The Mother of All Great Coffee

The coffee filter and the drip coffee machine are inseparable. From humble bodegas to Michelin-starred restaurants, drip coffee and paper coffee filters are seemingly always within reach. And if you’re just starting your coffee journey, these two elements are probably where you’ll start.

Coffee enthusiasts have many methods of making coffee, but a good filter brew is the most accessible route into specialty coffee. And it wouldn’t be possible without Melitta Bentz, one of the first women ever to receive a patent for her work.

Who Invented the First Coffee Filter?

A German housewife named Melitta Bentz invented the paper coffee filter in 1908 (1). She ripped some blotting paper from her son’s notebook, added coffee grounds and hot water, and in doing so, spawned a revolution in home brewing.

Are you fascinated by science and how paper coffee filters are made? Watch the Science Channel’s excellent explainer.

Sweetening A Bitter Brew

Germans traditionally brewed coffee by boiling water, measuring in finely-ground coffee, and letting it steep. The brew was then filtered through sieves to remove the grounds. 

Electric burr grinders weren’t readily accessible to the average consumer, however, so the coffee was inconsistently ground. Coffee fines either passed through holes in the sieve into the mug or prevented brewed coffee from passing through. 

To add insult to injury, after enjoying the poorly-extracted coffee, coffee connoisseurs would have the frustrating task of cleaning up coffee grounds from their copper coffee pots.

Melitta Bentz was frustrated. She punched holes into the bottom of a copper pot, added a sheet of paper to the bottom, and unknowingly created the world’s first pour over set-up.

The Rest Is Delicious Coffee History

Melitta received the patent for her coffee filters in June 1908. The Bentz family quickly turned the humble coffee filter into a full-fledged business (2).

By December of 1908, Melitta Bentz had formed a company, M. Bentz, which is now the Melitta Group (3). The Melitta Group is now an internationally recognized household name, selling all things coffee, from beans to brewers – and, of course, some of the best filters for coffee.

Final Thoughts

A little passion, persistence, and ingenuity can spark a revolution. Melitta Bentz, a Dresden housewife, took matters into her own hands to devise what is, arguably, one of the most important inventions in the history of coffee.

Which filter coffee method do you enjoy? Drop us a comment below, chat with us in our Home Grounds Facebook group, or tag and follow us on Instagram. We’d love to hear from you!