How Does Coffee Brewing Work With an IKEA Funnel?
A 3.99 yuan IKEA funnel became a talking point in coffee brewing after a competitor used it as a dripper in a competition, reached the finals, and placed sixth. The food-grade PP funnel, heat-resistant to 100°C, was quickly bought up by coffee enthusiasts as an affordable competition-style dripper. In practice, though, many users report a slow flow rate and over-extraction.
Testing points to one main cause: the filter paper sits too tightly against the funnel wall, restricting flow. The fix is choosing a paper that does not seal against the sides, so water can pass at a steady rate. The competitor's point was that gear matters less than understanding the basic principles behind competition coffee and dripper design.
Recently, a funnel priced at just 3.99 yuan from IKEA unexpectedly went viral in the coffee community. The reason? A competitor used it as a filter in a coffee brewing competition, made it to the finals, and finished sixth. After the event aired, this funnel was quickly snapped up by coffee enthusiasts, becoming an affordable "competition-grade dripper" for everyone. Front Street also got one to try, but found that many bloggers were complaining about its slow flow rate and tendency to over-extract. After multiple tests, the root cause was identified: the filter paper fits too tightly against the funnel. This article will analyze the background of this funnel's sudden popularity, its material characteristics, and explore what kind of filter paper it should be paired with to perform properly, while also reviewing the basic principles of dripper design.
This competitor's original intention was simple: he hoped people wouldn't just focus on the equipment, but also pay attention to the fundamental principles behind brewing. In the end, he made it all the way to the finals and took sixth place. Although the results also depend on bean quality, because the "filter" he used was so unusual, everyone's attention was still focused on that funnel.
After the show aired, this IKEA funnel, priced at just 3.99 yuan, was immediately snapped up by the coffee community. After all, it became a "competition-grade dripper" that everyone could afford, so Front Street didn't hesitate to spend a fortune to buy one (didn't even blink at checkout
), just wanting to personally test just how capable this "competition-grade dripper" really is.
(IKEA's official material description states: made of food-grade PP material, heat-resistant up to 100°C.)
However, if you've searched for related reviews, it's not hard to find that nearly half of the bloggers are complaining about this funnel being hard to use. The reason is that the flow rate is absurdly slow during use, making the coffee extremely prone to over-extraction.
After repeated testing, Front Street concluded: this situation mainly occurs because the filter paper used fits too tightly against the funnel, which slows down the flow rate!
What filter paper should the funnel be paired with?
In the article "The Four Major Differences Between Drippers" published a couple of days ago, Front Street explained in detail that most drippers are designed with raised ribs or recessed grooves, the purpose being to leave gaps between the filter paper and the dripper wall, giving the coffee liquid more room to flow.
The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.
