# Things done to products to meet public expectations **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 2, 2011, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-done-to-products-to-meet-public-expectations/584089 "2011-06-02T15:34:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 10
**Author:** ![typoink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecb155/32.png) [@typoink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/typoink)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2011, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-done-to-products-to-meet-public-expectations/584089/181 "2011-06-13T02:46:53Z")
> [@Brown\_Eyed\_Girl](#): > > I’ve never heard of chemicals from unbleached filters leaching into coffee, nor have I ever tasted the filter in the coffee. > > But do yourself a favor and get a permanent metal filter and ditch the paper ones. You’ll end up with much more flavorful coffee since the aromatic oils won’t be absorbed by paper. It’s more economical and less consumptive of environmental resources. If you don’t believe you can taste filters, try pouring boiling water through the filter and tasting the resulting water. The chemex ones are very thick paper, and leave a distinct taste. That said, rinsing pretty much completely solved the issue for me, and leaves excellent-tasting coffee. I’ve used metal filters, and like 'em fine, but when I’m drip-brewing I tend to prefer paper. It results in a little smoother brew, and substantially reduces the cholesterol content. If I want all them oils, I’ll generally turn to a French press or moka pot before grabbing a permafilter for my Chemex or Aeropress. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![EvilTOJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee59a6/32.png) [@EvilTOJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EvilTOJ)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2011, 5:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-done-to-products-to-meet-public-expectations/584089/182 "2011-06-13T05:25:59Z")
> [@Dallas\_Jones](#): > > Oregon is the number one producer of Christmas trees in the nation and none of them are dyed. The fir species grown here hold thier color and needles for a long time and are shipped all over the country. I had a Nordland fir last year that was still green and holding it’s needles for several months after I threw it on the burn pile. And I cut it myself so I am sure nobody added any dye to it I’ve also had Christmas trees that I cut myself from the farm thrown in the backyard and they stayed green for three months before turning brown. That’s why I thought it strange that anyone would ever have to dye or paint Christmas trees green. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2011, 6:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-done-to-products-to-meet-public-expectations/584089/183 "2011-06-13T06:20:57Z")
> [@Koxinga](#): > > I imagine food colorings will contribute a lot to this thread, e.g., all colas must be brown I think most people here will remember [Crystal Pepsi](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crystal_Pepsi), which was sold beginning in 1992. It was a colorless, caffeine free cola which was only sold for a short time. If I remember correctly, its commercials in the United States were accompanied by the Van Halen song “Right Now.” Coca-Cola also marketed a clear cola of their own, [Tab Clear](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tab_Clear). It, too only lasted on the market for a few months. Curiously, it was only sold in cans, so you would only notice it was clear if you poured it into a glass. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2011, 6:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-done-to-products-to-meet-public-expectations/584089/184 "2011-06-13T06:28:03Z")
> [@WhyNot](#): > > Y’know, I’ve heard (and repeated) before that oranges aren’t really orange on the exterior, that they were named for the color of the interior, and that they’re colored before they hit market. And yet…when I google images of orange tree, [there are an awful lot of orange oranges still on the tree](http://www.google.com/search?q=orange+tree&hl=en&client=firefox-a&hs=Cx1&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&biw=1252&bih=548&prmd=ivns&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=8ZTpTZ-MHOHf0QHx5d20AQ&ved=0CEoQsAQ). So what’s up with that? I can certainly walk out my back door here in Tucson and pick **orange** oranges from a tree. ---
**Author:** ![constanze](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f9ae1b/32.png) [@constanze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/constanze)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2011, 9:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-done-to-products-to-meet-public-expectations/584089/185 "2011-06-13T09:08:19Z")
> [@typoink](#): > > As to the former, the claim (seemed to be) that the bleaching process removed some (natural?) compounds found in the paper. So potentially a little bit of bleaching agent may be outweighed by a larger bit of existing compounds. No judgment on veracity, but it doesn’t sound impossible. > > I’ve used multiple brands of unbleached filters. I’ve noticed a subtle flavor that reminds me of a brown paper bag. > > I currently use unbleached Chemex filters, and I rinse them before use. While rinsing them, I very definitely SMELL that brown paper bag odor and have no trouble believing it could impart flavor on a liquid passed through it. That said, since I started prerinsing, I’ve yet to notice any unpleasant flavor. I thought there might be different production between the US and Germany, but when I look at Melitta US, the filters come in white and brown, too. The [German Melitta page](http://www.melitta.de/Melitta-Filtertueten-Original-981.html#)tells me about being FSC-certified and coming in bleached and unbleached. > [@Melitta](#): > > Melitta® Filtertüten® naturbraun oder weiß: Ein Unterschied, den Sie zwar sehen, aber natürlich nicht schmecken können. Denn die Eigenschaften beider Filterpapiere sind vollkommen gleich. Naturbraune Kaffeefilter sind ungebleicht, weiße Kaffeefilter sind nur mit natürlichem Sauerstoff gebleicht. Alle unsere Kaffeefilter sind selbstverständlich kompostierbar. > > _Melitta filters natural brown or white: a difference, which you can see, but of course can’t taste. Because the attributes of both filters are completly same. Natural brown filters are unbleached, white filters have been bleached only with natural oxygen. All our filters can be composted of course._ (Translation by me) Now, given that Melitta\* has an enormous reputation at least here (you know, she invented the coffee filter back a hundred years ago), I think people would complain if there was a noticeable taste between white and brown/ bleached and unbleached. I’ve never heard of your brand, but personally, a name like Chemex doesn’t inspire confidence in me that they are doing things right. - I don’t want to advertise Melitta here, but the coffee drinkers I know buy the cheaper store brands, which I don’t know if they are available in the US; also, store brands are not expected to have top-level quality like a name brand, although in blind tests many are quite good. ---
**Author:** ![Bam\_Boo\_Gut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8c91f0/32.png) [@Bam\_Boo\_Gut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bam_Boo_Gut)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2011, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-done-to-products-to-meet-public-expectations/584089/186 "2011-06-13T13:48:08Z")
> [@Omar\_Little](#): > > You must live outside of the US. I know of no glass beer bottles in the US that are re-used, they are all thrown away. That’s sad. Here in the Caribbean there’s a refund on the empties. ---
**Author:** ![gatorslap](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gatorslap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gatorslap)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2011, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-done-to-products-to-meet-public-expectations/584089/187 "2011-06-13T15:50:29Z")
> [@Bam\_Boo\_Gut](#): > > That’s sad. Here in the Caribbean there’s a refund on the empties. There’s a refund here too, if you take them to a recycling center. But I don’t think any get reused. ---
**Author:** ![Bosstone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@Bosstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosstone)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2011, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-done-to-products-to-meet-public-expectations/584089/188 "2011-06-13T16:10:31Z")
> [@cochrane](#): > > I think most people here will remember [Crystal Pepsi](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crystal_Pepsi), which was sold beginning in 1992. It was a colorless, caffeine free cola which was only sold for a short time. If I remember correctly, its commercials in the United States were accompanied by the Van Halen song “Right Now.” The squickiness of which was lampooned brilliantly by SNL with Crystal Gravy. That’s what I remember instead of Crystal Pepsi when I think of “Right Now.” Shudder. 😛 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-done-to-products-to-meet-public-expectations/584089.md?page=9)