How to Brew Good Coffee With a Kitchen Strainer

Jake Bonneman All About Coffee | How To Brew It
3 minute read

Who knew that a kitchen strainer could be so versatile? Not only can you use it to sift, brew tea, and infuse herbs—you can use it to brew coffee as well.

If you've used reusable metal mesh coffee filters before, you may have noticed how visually similar they are to mesh kitchen strainers. (In fact, they can be more or less the same thing. Hey, they're probably all made in the same Chinese factory, right?)

So if you find yourself out of paper filters one day and you're looking for a quick and easy way to get your coffee fix—don't worry. All you need is your trusty, reliable kitchen strainer. Now where is that thing?

Does This Actually Work?

Yes! Making good coffee is an art as well as a science, but the good news is that, at the end of the day, making coffee doesn't always have to be that complicated.

While this method probably won't end up replacing your French Press any time soon, it's a very simple workaround brewing method—and only requires stuff that pretty much everyone already has in their kitchen.

And without further ado, here's how you can brew coffee with a kitchen strainer:

What You Need:

A kettle, coffee cup, pitcher, or bowl
(Optional) A coffee cup if you're not brewing directly into a cup
A kitchen strainer
Coffee beans (Or pre-ground coffee)

Instructions:

Heat water to just below boiling. (The easiest way may be to just let it boil and remove it from heat so it can cool for a minute)
Place the kitchen strainer on top of your cup (or other container).
Measure out your coffee grounds and place them into your kitchen strainer.
Slowly pour hot water over the coffee grounds, allowing them to bloom for about 30 seconds.
Remove the strainer and grounds after the coffee is finished brewing.

Tips:

Ideally, if you're grinding your own coffee beans, you want to use a fine grind consistency to prevent the water from passing through too quickly.
Of course, if you're using a strainer to brew coffee, there's a good chance you're not grinding fresh coffee beans as well, so don't worry too much about this—it can still work with the regular medium grind you'll find in most pre-ground coffees.
If your brewing vessel is too wide to rest the strainer on top of it, you can place the strainer so it rests securely inside. Just ensure that the kitchen strainer itself will not end up submerged once it's done brewing.

Don't let a lack of filters put a strain on your relationship with caffeine. Next time you're in a pinch and need to make coffee but don't have a paper filter on hand, rest easy—your strainer can handle it. Now go forth and caffeinate yourself.