Decaf coffee comes with its own quirks — especially when it comes to brewing. The decaffeination process changes how the beans behave, which is why we recommend a slightly coarser grind and a lower brew temperature (around 89 °C) for filter brews.
But what about filter paper?
Which one brings out the best in your decaf?
To find out, we tested four of the most talked-about V60 filter papers—with a clear focus on decaf. Our goal: to see which one delivers the best cup.
Filter Papers in the Test:
- CAFEC T-90 (Medium Roast) – Sizes 1 & 4
- CAFEC T-83 (Dark Roast) – Size 4
- CAFEC Abaca – Size 4
Note: We would’ve loved to include Sibarist—maybe next time!
Setup & Method
To keep things as consistent as possible, we used the following setup:
- Coffee: Sweet Momelo – Luz Helena Salazar (Decaf)
- Recipe: 15 g coffee to 250 g water
- Blooming: 45 g / 0:45 min
- Single Pour up to 250 g – kept intentionally simple to isolate the influence of the filters
- Tasting at room temperature
Equipment:
- Dripper: MHW 3Bomber Glass Dripper – Year of the Snake Limited Edition
- Libra: Acaia Lunar
- Mill: Fellow Ode Gen 2
The results at a glance
| Filter Paper | Extraction time | Sensory notes | Cup character |
| CAFEC T-90 (Size 1) | 03:10 | balanced, pleasant sweetness | Sweet & clean |
| CAFEC T-90 (size 4) | 02:45 | Highlights sweetness, round body, well-integrated acidity | Sweet & clean |
| CAFEC T-83 | 04:08 | Bitter, little sweetness, darker in tone | Bitter |
| CAFEC Abaca | 03:25 | Round body, clear, bright acidity | Bright & clean |
| Hario V60 | 03:27 | Restrained acidity, muted | Toned down |
Our impressions
✨ CAFEC T-90 delivered the most balanced cup with a delicate sweetness. Minor differences between size 1 and 4, but overall a similar cup profile.
🌿 CAFEC Abaca impressed with clarity and bright acidity—great for those who love freshness in their cup.
☁️ Hario V60 underperformed slightly—muted flavors and less defined acidity.
🌑 CAFEC T-83 tasted the most bitter and didn’t let the natural sweetness of the decaf shine through.
Conclusion: Which filter paper for Decaf?
If you’re after a sweet, clean, and balanced cup, the CAFEC T-90 is our top pick. To bring out bright acidity, go for CAFEC Abaca.
Both winners are now available in our shop .
Try them out—and let us know what you think!
📌 Disclaimer: This test is subjective, not statistically significant, and was conducted using a standardized recipe and grind size without individual optimization for each filter.
