General Chat

Happened to look at the packet of filter papers for the coffee machine and was astounded to see that they were made in Japan.

British, or even European, manufacturing must be in a terrible state if we have to import a simple item like that from the opposite side of the World.

And the CO2 footprint to get it here must be considerable.

I’m told that kitchen roll is just as good but I haven’t tried it, and probably not from Japan.

It's time we produced more necessary goods in our own country! It makes more sense than being reliant on other countries and our carbon footprint would be more impressive.

Surely coffee filters aren't that complicated to produce. Maybe we need to start blacklisting foreign products.

Lizx

It seems ludicrous, I know, but maybe we do need to do it as there may be some quid pro quo arrangement that we are not privy to.

For instance, Japan does not have sufficient agricultural land to support its citizens so we, and other nations, are exporting foodstuffs to Japan as part of a trade deal perhaps. (Trump may have to watch his Ps and Qs there.). Hydroponics is probably going some way to alleviating Japan's problem but you can't grow, for example, sheep that need grazing land.

Other nations must also question why they buy British made products. Cars are a prime example. We produce a lot of vehicles that are made in the UK for overseas companies who have established manufacturing plants within our borders. These plants employ thousands of workers as well as supporting thousands of ancillary jobs.

Sometimes it seems like a merry-go-round but moving freight also keeps workers in jobs.

I have not checked the import/export situation for years but I have no doubt that the situation will operate in much the same way as it has done in the past.

It makes me hope that Boris will get Brexit right as if it all goes belly-up we be looking at job losses and price rises. If he gets it wrong we may be facing not only the wrath of Europe but the astute minds of Asia and the might of America.

Some years ago the company my sister worked for (an electronics company) would send items to Czech Republic for assembling PCBs because it was cheaper than having them done here in UK.
They still went bust though.

For years and years and years I have been buying paper coffee filters made in Germany by Melitta. They are easy to obtain all over Europe inc the UK.
Stockists include Tesco, J.S. and Waitrose.

It is an economically fallacious argument that any state should seek to be self sufficient in anything and everything. That is the core reasoning behind the WTO. We will all have a ringside seat at the attempts of Johnson & Co to succeed at six impossible things before breakfast.

Would muslin do the job?

I don't know about coffee filters because I don't drink coffee but muslin is usually pretty good to filter most things and it will wash and wash ad infinitum.

It all depends on the size and grade of the muslin but purpose made filters are cheaper. I used it for ages in the Middle East in places where Western fripperies were unobtainable at that time. I even had to roast the beans.

It is easy to get muslin squares in the UK.

Kitchen paper works if you are stuck. As a student a used newspaper - landlord's Telegraph worked fine with a cone and a jug.

By value coffee is the most traded item on the planet.
Sadly most of the tea and coffee traders such as James Ashby nr the Pool of London wharves have long gone displaced by flash apartments and offices.

Muslin has a multitude of uses doesn't it?

Anyone with grown children will remember muslin nappy liners. They are still sold but what has surprised me is that now available are bamboo nappy liners. My OH has a few pairs of socks with bamboo but nappy liners are a new one on me.

Oh - and our kitchen and family room floor is bamboo wood too - but that has been down for about 15 or more years. It still looks fine too so no excuse for replacing because I fancy a change. :-D

Are purpose made coffee filters really cheaper, or is it just 'cheaper' for the initial outlay?
Surely, as Sharron said, muslin, or, for that matter, cotton or linen, can be washed, and therefore would work out cheaper in the long run, and be more sustainable.
I'm not sure 'purpose made' filters are washable.

Apparently, you can also use kitchen towel and even toilet paper.

Is it only the 'Telegraph' that was suitable for filtering coffee - no 'Sun'?
Probably be useless today - too much plastic in the paper.