Realistically a coffee filter is nothing more then a strainer for coffee grounds. There are filters made from steel and paper (more permanent coffee filters are made from steel). How ever coffee hasn’t always been made with a filter. In the 1700’s coffee was made mixed with ground beans and boiling water. The down side to all of this was that people got pretty tired of always having coffee grounds left at the bottom of their mug.

If you can believe it the first form of coffee filter used was a sock. Someone used their sock with coffee grounds in it, added boiling water and drank what was filtered off. It wasn’t until 1908 that Melitta Bentz of Germany finally came up with a paper filter alternative to the sock. She found the taste of coffee mixed with grounds

History Of The Coffee Filter
In the year 1908, paper coffee filters that are available nowadays came into being. A German - Melitta Bentz - found the taste of coffee too bitter and the sight of soaked coffee grounds all over inside her coffee cup too messy. She desperately wanted to filter out the grounds from the decoction. So she used her son's porous blotter paper to filter out the grounds from the liquid. And, thus, the paper coffee filter was born.

Metal Coffee Filters
The metal coffee filters that we see in use these days first came about in the 1800’s. What it did was simple, a fixed filter inside a kettle, the coffee grounds were placed in the permanent coffee filter, and then the hot water was poured over them. Even today these metal coffee filters are readily available in homes with an electric heating system, also a variety are now found in the average drip coffee machine. Being that drip coffee makers are now the most efficient we generally see them in most homes with a permanent metal filter if anywhere.

Types Of Coffee Filters
Coffee filters are made from a variety of different materials. Paper, gold, and cloth filters just to name a few of the popular forms that can be found. You might think, golf…a golf coffee filter? But yes, they last forever, and if you have the money to burn then why the heck not get one. Cloth filters are very environmentally friendly, how ever the clean up is a pain in the butt. The normal and most widely used coffee filter of all is the paper coffee filter. The same you can get at your local grocery store, and throw away or compost after use.

The question that needs to be answered for those that use coffee filters is that is it the preferred method for brewing your coffee or would you like the taste better in a non filtered method (i.e. French press). The answer is in the taste, and only you can figure that out.

Often times our kitchens are extremely cluttered with small appliances, cutting boards, plates, dishes and more. It can be a bit space savings to have a built in coffee maker that frees up counter space for other uses rather then a footprint of your coffee maker.

Of course there is a varying price range for built in coffee makers ranging from thousands to about a hundred dollars. It might seem impossible to imagine a built in coffee maker being worth thousands, but these models actually become a part of your home. Being plumbed in directly to your water, and electrical. All that’s needed to do each morning is add coffee and press on.

For most of these wired in coffee makers there is a basket that can be pulled out and coffee grounds added. Some of the units will have their own bean grinder as well for grinding fresh grounds each morning so you’re drinking the freshest cup of coffee each day possible.

Some Less Expensive Models Not Plumbed

Now for those of us that can’t afford to shell out the BIG BUCKS for a plumbed in coffee marker you can save your thousands of dollars and look to those that attach to the wall, or under cabinet models. If you’re stuck on having a built in coffee marker that is plumbed into your wall and hard wired check out the Brew Express model for around $450 that does the job.

For the most simplistic of built in coffee markers some actually fit into a box cut out of your wall where the coffee brewer is actually placed. Wires come out from around it and are plugged into your regular wall outlets, and the machine must be taken out of it’s nook each time coffee grounds or water must be added. For brewing the coffee maker is placed back in the nook . A more conventional and useful form of a built in maker is one that is attached to a bracket to raise it off your counter surface. This doesn’t require any special nook, holes etc.

Now if you have the money burning a hole in your pocket there are advantages to the expensive pre-wired and plumbed coffee makers. As mentioned they are generally self-filling, and add the exact right amount of water each time brewing is done. Since the only thing you need to add is fresh grounds making coffee is about as easy as possible. It also frees up an electrical wall outlet in your kitchen for other small appliances, some also have an additional wall outlet built into them to use since they are pre-wired into your wall.

Do your research before choosing a built in coffee marker. Comparative shopping sites are an excellent source of reviews, pricing and options for coffee markers before you make your purchase. They will also direct you towards the most cost effective place to make your purchase.