Hi

I had been avoiding Chemex natural filters for the two plus years I have been brewing with a Chemex. Many caution against using them, b/c of the off-notes of wet paper towels they reportedly impart.

I purchased a box out of necessity. I needed filters immediately and they were readily available.

Using them proved surprising in some way. I needed to wet them with more hot water then I did with the white squares. The wet paper smell dissipated after about 12 ounces of water. It never went away completely. However the wet paper smell never vanishes with the white squares either. Both have an odor although different.

I found the rate at which the water flowed through the filter and the draw-down to be noticeably quicker with the natural filters. After brewing, I could not detect a paper taste in the coffee, nor could my spouse. The filters felt thicker to the touch and were slightly easier to seat when dry, without popping out.

The biggest difference was that brewed coffee seemed smoother and more rounded and slightly fuller. This might work for some coffees and work against others.

In summary. I was surprised. If a choice was available, I would probably still use the white filters. However. I found enough merits that I would no longer reject them out of hand and I would need to think this through further based in the coffee. YMMV.

Jay