January 16, 2011

Nel Drip Coffee/ネルドリップコーヒー

I had run out of paper filters for coffee, and I had kept forgetting to buy new ones, so I decided to try the nel filter that I got more than five years ago. "Nel" stands for flannel.
コーヒー用の紙フィルターがなくなり、新しいのを買い忘れてばかりなので、5年以上も前にもらったネルフィルターを試してみることにしました。「ネル」とはフランネルという意味です。

One side of the fabric is raised.
布の片面が起毛しています。

You can use the filter with either side out.
どちらを外側にしても使えます。

Before the first use, you must boil the nel filter in water with some coffee grounds for 10 minutes or so.
ネルフィルターは初めて使う前に、コーヒーの出がらしを入れたお湯で煮沸する必要があります。

I didn't have any coffee grounds, so I used some ground coffee beans instead.
コーヒーの出がらしはなかったので、挽いたコーヒー豆を使いました。

I have an elegant coffee pot, but only its spout is shown below.
素晴らしいコーヒーポットも持っているのですが、注ぎ口だけお見せします。

The mirror surface of the pot would reveal almost everything in the kitchen!
ポットの鏡面でキッチンの殆ど全てが見えてしまうので。

Three cups of coffee brewed in the server:
サーバーにできた3杯分のコーヒー:

A nel filter makes mild coffee!
ネルフィルターではマイルドなコーヒーができます!


Caution: Once starting to use it, you must keep the nel filter in a container with cold water in it, and store it in the fridge. You must not dry it.
注意: ネルフィルターは、使い始めたら、水の入った容器に入れ、冷蔵庫に保管する必要があります。乾燥させてはいけません。

3 comments:

  1. So the filter is stored in water through it's lifecycle? Is this sanitaric (molding?)? Never seen this kind of filter for coffee before (and we are a coffee drinker nation, at home we use an automatic coffee machine: grinding, brewing all in one, no need for filter bags). While runnig out of filterbags a paper kitchen towel /tissue works fine too.

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  2. Kiki: Yes, it should never be let dry, and I forgot to mention another caution: Change water regularly, say, once per day. This won't be a problem if you are a daily drinker of coffee.
    There are other cautions as well, such as avoid using dish soap or detergent when washing it.

    I think that most Japanese drink instant coffee at home. Some use electric coffee machines (without a grinder). But, there are some coffee geeks who prefer other brewing methods. Nel dripping is one of them.
    Here is one good article about coffee brewing in Japan, if you are interested:
    http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/fg20100326d1.html

    I have tried a paper oil filter, but the resultant coffee tasted bad. I guess a kitchen towel will work better.

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  3. Hiroyuki-san: Nothing could be more horrible for a coffee geek than early morning and the automatic machine refuses to work properly because of some malfunctioning components. I own a french press (bodum) as back-up version. My husband used the kitchen paper towel method quite often as university student (no time for shopping filterbags / other hobbies) so it is proofed.

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