Should the filter capacity be matched to the brew amount?

Question

I understand the of course the filter must be able to contain at least the amount of grounds for the cups you intend to brew.

However, I am using an 8-12 cup machine even though I live alone and generally only make 2-4 cups in the morning (sometimes 6 if I take some to work). My filters are thus also that size. I use this coffee.

After a recent trip to India and having enjoyed filter coffee, I started paying a bit more attention to try to get closer to that style (hence the chicory coffee).

1. Compression appears to be key for this style of coffee. With a flat-bottom, 8-12 cup filter with only 3 tbsp of grounds, the grounds appear to be very loose (obviously).
2. I then try to stamp it down a bit with the tablespoon, but this makes the layer quite thin in my very non-expert opinion.
3. After the brewing is done and I dispose of the filter, I notice that there is a hole in the middle of the grounds where you can directly see the filter (no hole through the filter itself).

I'm not so picky about taste, but this made me think that perhaps such a wide filter may not be suited for the small amounts I'm brewing. Is this true?

Answer 1

I would agree with you. With the thin flat layer of coffee the hot water is just pushing a hole right through it. You are not getting nearly the contact time of a full size brew.

If it was conical or V shaped filter then it would better accommodate different size batches.

On that pot it does not look like you could just simply use a different filter size.