{"id":944,"date":"2017-03-05T20:38:23","date_gmt":"2017-03-05T20:38:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/buydontbuy.net\/?p=944"},"modified":"2019-01-06T09:58:50","modified_gmt":"2019-01-06T09:58:50","slug":"plastic-free-coffee-maker","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buydontbuy.net\/2017\/03\/05\/plastic-free-coffee-maker\/","title":{"rendered":"10 different plastic free coffee makers!"},"content":{"rendered":"

First, let’s be clear about what a “plastic free\u00a0coffee maker” really is …<\/h1>\n

Before getting into the various machines and gadgets that make plastic free coffee possible, let\u2019s define what a\u00a0\u201cplastic free coffee maker\u201d really is. If you just don’t care and want to skip this part, you can jump down to the coffee makers<\/a> on this page.<\/p>\n

So anyway, we are NOT talking about coffee makers that are plastic on the inside but stainless steel on the outside. Sure, they look nice in your kitchen, but that\u2019s not what you\u2019re after. Pretty much every coffee maker manufacturer sells models that are nicely wrapped in stainless steel, but a stainless steel exterior<\/em> isn’t going to make your coffee taste any better.<\/p>\n

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This very shiny coffee maker has a plastic water reservoir. THIS IS NOT WHAT YOU WANT!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Also, we are not talking about coffee makers that come with a stainless steel carafe. The main purpose of a stainless steel, and preferably double-walled, carafe is for keeping your coffee hot. That\u2019s why those shiny carafes are usually advertised as \u201cthermal\u201d or something like that.<\/p>\n

Assuming we’re talking about drip coffee makers, the plastic free coffee maker you really want is one that has a stainless steel water reservoir. Let me say that again in italics and all caps:<\/p>\n

YOU WANT A DRIP COFFEE MAKER WITH A STAINLESS STEEL RESERVOIR.<\/em><\/p>\n

(update: or a GLASS reservoir! scroll down to the OXO below and you’ll see what I mean)<\/em><\/p>\n

Yes, there might be plastic parts on the outside, and there might be plastic parts on the inside. This is literally unavoidable in modern drip coffee makers, but who cares! We\u2019re only concerned about the parts that have prolonged contact with water, and that means the reservoir.<\/p>\n

The reservoir is\u00a0where the water sits while it heats up, and logic dictates that that\u2019s where the plastic taste is coming from. In case you slept through high school chemistry … heat makes molecules go crazy. When water molecules and plastic molecules go crazy together, bad things happen because plastic molecules will sleep with just about anyone.<\/p>\n

I know, the coffee may flow through a plastic filter basket, but that basket is lined with a paper or Gold Tone coffee filter (Amazon link<\/a>). Also, the coffee spends minimal time in direct contact with the filter basket\u2019s plastic spout which seriously limits any molecular craziness that might taint your coffee. The water reservoir is definitely the culprit.<\/p>\n

As of right now, there are only a small number of automatic drip coffee makers in the known universe that have stainless steel (or glass) reservoirs, and they range in price from a steakhouse\u00a0dinner for two to an entire car payment.<\/p>\n

On the lower end of the price scale is the Bunn Velocity Brew line which will run you anywhere\u00a0from about $100 to $200. According to Bunn, all\u00a0of the Velocity Brew coffee makers have stainless steel water reservoirs (I asked them).<\/p>\n

The more expensive plastic free coffee makers I’ll be discussing here are the Bunn VP-17 (Amazon link<\/a> | read my full review<\/a>), the Behmor Brazen Plus\u00a0(Amazon link<\/a> | my\u00a0review<\/a>), and the OXO On Barista Brain 12 Cup Coffee Maker (Amazon link<\/a>).<\/p>\n

Honorable mention goes to the much-ballyhooed Technivorm Moccamaster (Amazon link<\/a>). The $300+ Moccamaster has a plastic water reservoir, but it drains into a stainless steel heating unit. Hence, it doesn\u2019t actually qualify as a “plastic free coffee maker” but, like the Bunns and the Brazen and the OXO, it\u2019s plastic-free\u00a0where it matters.<\/p>\n

Wait, you\u2019re broke? Don\u2019t fret! If\u00a0you’re short on Benjamins, there are other much cheaper options available as well. Those are covered down further down on this page.<\/p>\n

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Urban Dictionary: Benjamins are 100 dollar bills. The reason people call them Benjamins is because the face on the bill is of Benjamin Franklin who was a publisher, a philosopher, a scientist, and the first major American inventor.<\/em> (Also, you don’t have to spend a lot of these to get plastic-free coffee)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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Plastic Free\u00a0Coffee Maker #1: The Bunn\u00a0Velocity Brew line<\/h1>\n