Brown is Better: The Scoop on Unbleached Coffee Filters
Posted on December 17, 2009 by diane
I’m a huge coffee lover. I start my day with coffee, drink it throughout the morning, and occasionally have the after dinner mug with dessert. I’ve been buying only organic fair trade beans for awhile now. Thinking I was doing my part and doing what was best for my body, I didn’t reailze one crucial factor I was getting wrong: I was still using those white bleached coffee filters. I just didn’t know any better! Consider me schooled, so let me drop some knowledge on you as well.
PROBLEM:
Chlorine used to bleach coffee filters releases dioxin, a poisonous toxin, into your coffee. The EPA says that using bleached coffee filters alone can result in a lifetime exposure to dioxin that “exceeds acceptable levels.” (Yikes!)
SOLUTION:
Look for unbleached or recycled filters or switch to a permanent nylon, stainless steel or gold-plated metal filter to save paper. The good news is that simply choosing the brown filters over the white ones at the supermarket is easy and costs the same! Here are some good filter options:
Unbleached Paper Coffee Filters by Greenfeet
Medelco Permanent Coffee Filter
