I don’t know if you have noticed, except for some large chain brands, we rarely see trapezoidal filter cups in coffee shops. Compared to trapezoidal filter cups, the appearance rate of conical, flat bottomed/cake filter cups is obviously much higher. So many friends became curious, why are so few people using trapezoidal filter cups? Is it because the coffee it produces is not tasty?
Of course not, trapezoidal filter cups also have the extraction advantages of trapezoidal filter cups! Similar to conical filter cups, the name trapezoidal filter cup comes from the unique geometric shape design of this type of filter cup. It is a trapezoidal structure with a wide top and narrow bottom, hence the name “trapezoidal filter cup”. In addition, due to the shape of the filter paper used in conjunction with the trapezoidal filter cup resembling a fan, this filter cup is also known as a “fan-shaped filter cup”.
The first filter cup born in the world adopted a trapezoidal design. In 1908, Melitta from Germany introduced the world’s first coffee filter cup. As introduced by Qianjie, it is an inverted trapezoidal structure with multiple ribs designed on the inner side of the cup wall for exhaust, and a slightly smaller outlet hole at the bottom for use with fan-shaped filter paper.
However, due to the small number and diameter of the water outlet holes, its drainage speed is very slow. So in 1958, after hand brewed coffee became popular in Japan, Kalita introduced an “improved version”. The “improvement” of this filter cup is to upgrade the original single hole design to three holes, greatly speeding up the drainage speed and improving the cooking effect. Thanks to this, this filter cup has become a classic of trapezoidal filter cups. So next, we will use this filter cup to introduce the advantages of trapezoidal filter cup in brewing.
The filter cup has three key designs that affect extraction, namely their shape, ribs, and bottom hole. The ribs of the Kalita101 trapezoidal filter cup are designed vertically, and its main function is exhaust. And its external structure is wide at the top and narrow at the bottom, so the coffee powder will build a relatively thick powder bed in the filter cup. A thicker powder bed can widen the difference in extraction during brewing, and the surface coffee powder will receive more extraction than the bottom coffee powder. This allows different amounts of flavor substances to dissolve from different coffee powders, making the brewed coffee more layered
But because the bottom design of the trapezoidal filter cup is a line rather than a point, the powder bed it builds will not be as thick as the conical filter cup, and the difference in extraction will be relatively small.
Although there are three drainage holes at the bottom of the Kalita 101 trapezoidal filter cup, their aperture is not large, so the drainage speed will not be as fast as other filter cups. And this will allow coffee to be steeped more during the brewing process, resulting in more complete extraction. The brewed coffee will have a more balanced taste and a more solid texture.
Seeing is believing, so let’s compare the V60 with a trapezoidal filter cup to see the differences in the coffee they produce. The extraction parameters are as follows:
Powder usage: 15g
Powder water ratio: 1:15
Grinding degree: Ek43 scale 10, 75% sieving rate of sieve 20, fine sugar grinding
Boiling water temperature: 92 ° C
Boiling method: three-stage (30+120+75)
Due to the difference in pore size, there is a slight difference in extraction time between the two. The time for brewing coffee beans with V60 is 2 minutes, while the time for using a trapezoidal filter cup is 2 minutes and 20 seconds. In terms of taste, the Huakui produced by V60 has a very rich sense of layering! Orange blossom, citrus, strawberry, and berry, with prominent and distinct flavors, sweet and sour taste, smooth texture, and oolong tea aftertaste; The Huakui produced by using a trapezoidal filter cup may not have the distinct and three-dimensional flavor and layering of the V60, but its taste will be more balanced, the texture will be more solid, and the aftertaste will be longer.
It can be seen that under the same parameters and techniques, the coffee brewed by the two has completely different tones! There is no distinction between good and bad, it depends on individual taste preferences. Friends who like coffee with prominent flavor and light taste can choose V60 for brewing, while friends who like coffee with balanced taste and solid texture can choose trapezoidal filter cups.
At this point, let’s return to the topic of ‘Why are trapezoidal filter cups so rare?’! Simply put, it means stepping back from the environment. What does that mean? When the trapezoidal filter cup was invented earlier, deep roasted coffee was the mainstream, so the filter cup was mainly designed around how to make the brewed coffee richer, and the flavor expression of the brewed coffee would be slightly weaker. But later on, the mainstream of coffee shifted from deep to shallow, and began to focus on the expression of flavor. Therefore, the public’s demand for filter cups changed, and they began to need filter cups that can better display and highlight flavor. V60 is such a presence, so it received a good response once it was launched! The explosive popularity of V60 not only earned it its own reputation, but also greatly exposed the conical filter cup market. So since then, major coffee utensil manufacturers have started researching and designing conical filter cups, launching various new conical filter cups every year.
On the other hand, other shapes of filter cups, including trapezoidal filter cups, are becoming increasingly rare because few manufacturers have made any efforts on them. Either they are enthusiastic about the design of conical filter cups, or they are researching filter cups with unique and intricate shapes. The frequency of updates has decreased, and the proportion in the filter cup has decreased, so naturally, it is becoming increasingly rare. However, this does not mean that trapezoidal or other shaped filter cups are not easy to use, they still have their own brewing characteristics. For example, the trapezoidal filter cup does not require a high level of water proficiency from baristas like the conical filter cup because the powder bed is not as thick, the ribs are not as prominent, and coffee is extracted by soaking for a long time.
Even beginners can easily brew a delicious cup of coffee without being so proficient, as long as they set parameters such as powder amount, grinding, water temperature, and ratio. So trapezoidal filter cups are often favored by major chain brands, as they can shorten the gap in experience between novices and experienced masters, and provide customers with a stable and delicious cup of coffee.
Post time: Oct-15-2025