Thank Melitta Bentz for Your Coffee Obsession

Melitta Bentz was just your average housewife in Dresden, Germany—mother of two, apfelstrudel expert, and coffee enthusiast. But little did she know, her frustration with stained cloth filters and the endless battle of cleaning sludge-covered coffee pots would lead to a revolutionary invention.

One morning, after yet another failed attempt at brewing a clean cup of coffee, Melitta had had enough. She was tired of the mess and hassle of the old-fashioned brewing methods. As a solution, she grabbed a piece of paper, laid it over the perforated bottom of her brass coffee pot, and—voilà—a cleaner brew with no pesky sludge. No more wringing out cloth filters, no more scraping the bottom of her coffee pot! It was simple, elegant, and disposable.

In 1908, Melitta filed for a patent on her ingenious creation, and within two years, she was cranking out paper filters with her husband and sons. By the 1930s, her innovation had evolved into the now-iconic cone-shaped ceramic drip brewer, paired with the triangular-folded paper filter we use today.

Thanks to Melitta, coffee lovers around the world no longer have to deal with the mess of unfiltered coffee. Her invention sparked a revolution in the way we brew coffee—no matter where you are, that first cup of morning coffee owes a debt to Melitta Bentz, the unexpected genius who changed the way we drink our favorite morning brew.