April 2023 - Wizard of Coffee

[ Summary ]Discover the best eco-friendly coffee makers and simple habits that reduce your coffee’s environmental footprint. From durable, zero-waste brewers to reusable pods, filters, and cups, this guide highlights sustainable products and practical tips to help you enjoy great coffee while minimizing waste, energy use, and long-term environmental impact. I was thinking the other day about ways to make my coffee eco-friendly. And the first thing that crossed my mind was determining which are the best eco friendly coffee makers.If you’re in a hurry, here’s a quick list:Secura French Press Coffee MakerBodum Pour Over Coffee MakerPresto 12-cup Stainless Steel Coffee MakerAfter trying out several sustainable coffee makers, I have some reviews to share. The recommended environmentally friendly coffee makers suggestions are followed by an overview of the environmental impact of drinking coffee and 6 tips for lessening the impact of your own coffee habit.I completely rewrote this post, and I want to remind you that if you buy anything after clicking any of the links on the site, Wizard of Coffee earns a commission. Wizard of Coffee is reader-supported. I did price checks manually for this post when I rewrote it, so the prices might have changed between the time I wrote this and the time you’re reading it.Reviews of the Top 5 Eco Friendly Coffee MakersBelow you’ll find succinct reviews of what I think are the best eco friendly coffee makers:1- Secura French Press Coffee MakerWhen I was young, I just used a Mr. Coffee brewer. My son was the one who turned me on to using a French press to make coffee. He’s a chef, too, so I pay attention to his suggestions.One of the perks of using a French Press is that you don’t need to add more paper filters to the landfill. Your French press only requires hot water and ground coffee.The Secura is a stainless steel coffee maker rather than a glass coffee maker, which makes it harder to break. In fact, you’d need to put some serious effort into trying to break or damage this coffee press, which means it should last practically forever.This one comes with a couple of extra screens and is easy to clean in your dishwasher. It’s available in multiple colors and sizes, so be sure to make your selections before ordering the Secura French press.When I checked prices on this at Amazon, the Secura French press was available for $20.10 unless you opt for the big 50 ounce one, which was available for $34.99. The prices went up if you chose one in a different color from silver, too.I also checked the price at Walmart, but it was $45 there, so Amazon is the better deal by quite a bit.2- Bodum Pour Over Coffee MakerYou can make 34 ounces of coffee at a time with the Bodum Pour Over Coffee Maker that I’m reviewing here. Amazon also has an option for a 51-ounce model, but it wasn’t in stock when I wrote this.Like the Secura French press, the Bodum doesn’t require paper filters — it uses a stainless steel mesh filter and a glass carafe. I’m not as crazy about glass as some people because I’m clumsy. But I have to admit that this is a prettier coffee maker and carafe than the French press.And, of course, the best thing about both these choices is that you can make a single cup of coffee without all the waste that comes along with using pods — which you should avoid at all costs if you care about the environment.Also, the Bodum Pour Over Coffee Maker is affordable for just about anyone. When I did my price check on Amazon, it was available for $18.63. I’ve spent that much on used drip coffee makers at the thrift store.3- Presto 12-cup Stainless Steel Coffee MakerI remember percolators from when I was a kid in the 1970s. I can’t remember the last time I saw one before I tried the Presto, but the retro feel of using a coffee percolator was pretty cool. This one is eco friendly because it uses almost no energy. And, since it’s stainless steel, it will last practically forever.You can brew a single cup of coffee with the Presto, but you can also brew as many as 12 cups at a time. The filter is also reusable — you don’t need paper filters to use the Presto coffee maker. This one brews a mighty fast cup of coffee, too — at a minute per cup, you’ll have a whole pot of coffee in just 12 minutes.When I checked prices at Amazon, this was available for $67.99.4- GROSCHE Milano Stainless Steel Stovetop Moka MakerThe Moka Maker from Grosche is a stainless steel stovetop coffee maker. If you like bold, rich cups of coffee, you’ll appreciate a Moka pot. One of the reasons this one is so environmentally friendly is because of its construction; it will probably last the rest of your life. And it’s almost impossible to break or damage. Most Moka pots are made of aluminum, which makes them easier to damage than this stainless steel product.And, of course, like all the coffee makers in this post, you don’t have any capsules or pods to dispose of.When I checked the price on this one at Amazon, it was available for $63, and it makes 6 cups of coffee at a time. That price can change at any time. Check the latest price by clicking here.5- Coletti Outdoors Coffee MakersThe Venn diagram of people who enjoy camping sees a lot of overlap between campers and people who care about the environment. So, it’s only natural that one of the recommended eco friendly coffee makers on this list should be an outdoor camping percolator. And this time, instead of recommending just one coffee maker, I’m linking to the entire store so you can choose the percolator that makes the most sense for you.You can check the latest prices for all of Coletti’s outdoors coffee makers by clicking here.Coffee and the EnvironmentCoffee is like anything else. It can hurt the environment. And, most of the coffee you drink in the United States is imported, which has an even bigger footprint, environmentally. The only places where they grow coffee in the United States are California and Hawaii.So, if you live in Kona, Hawaii, you have a head start toward reducing the environmental impact of your morning cup of coffee.But if you’re like me, and live in Texas (or basically any other state), you can’t avoid drinking imported coffee.And there are other sustainability issues related to drinking coffee.Was the coffee shade grown? What kind of brewer am I using? What about the actual cup I’m drinking coffee from?It’s a lot of many moving parts to keep up with if you care about the environment. What can you do to reduce the amount of harm your coffee habit does to the environment.Of course, using the environmentally friendly coffee makers I’ve already listed on this page can help minimize the damage you do to the planet. But I have other tips to offer in this section, too.These tip[s consider things like the amount of land it takes to produce your coffee, how much energy it takes to roast your coffee, and how much it costs to ship your coffee. Even your choice of creamer has an impact on the environment.You can make a few small changes to your coffee choices and have an impact on the environmental toll of your coffee. Every little thing helps.Tip #1 – Avoid Single-Use Coffee Pods or K-CupsYou can’t write about the environmental impact of a coffee habit without mentioning coffee pods. Basically, we’re talking about plastic cups that are prefilled with ground coffee to make that morning cup easy to make. But there’s a huge trade off when you use this type of pod.Coffee pods aren’t reusable or recyclable. Yuck.And single-use coffee pods make up about half of the home brewed coffee consumed in the United States. Nespresso alone made around 30 billion pods in 2017. Most of those headed straight to the landfill where they will take up to 500 years to decompose completely.Nespresso has taken a lot of push back from their consumers and has started a program that allows their customers to send back the used pods to be recycled.Is this good enough?It’s a start, but no, it’s not good enough. A better solution is to buy reusable pods that work just as well but don’t have the same environmental impact.And you get to grind your coffee fresh and broaden your roast choices all while helping the sustainability of your cup of coffee.Eco-Friendly Reusable Nespresso Pods – Capmesso Reusable Stainless Steel Pods (Set of 3)This set of 3 reusable pods will not only save you money, but they’re reusable for a lifetime. They might even outlive your coffee maker.The stainless steel design ensures the cream that Nespresso brewers are so famous for. The easy to follow directions make refilling them a breeze. This set fits most Nespresso and Breville machines. Just be sure that your model number is compatible before purchase.You can buy the Capmesso reusable pods on Amazon for under $40.00 with free shipping. That’s cheaper per pod than the disposable option.Eco-Friendly Reusable K Cups- DeliBru Reusable K Cups (4 Pack)This option for the K cup users out there is a no-brainer. The reusable K cup has been on the market for about 10 years, and they’ve come a long way. DeliBru has designed a sustainable, reusable, easy to fill option for a fraction of the price of the original reusable models.This 4 pack is dishwasher safe, easy to use, and durable, so you can stop buying the single use cups that are filling up out landfills.This 4 pack of reusable K cups have over 18,000 4.5 star reviews. You can buy the DeliBru 4 pack of reusable K cups on Amazon for less than $10.00 with free shipping.Tip #2 – Use Your Own CupConsider using your own to go cup. Single-use coffee cups are one of the biggest wastes in the specialty coffee industry.Almost none of the hot or cold cups you get at your local coffee shop are recycled or composted. Using your own cup is a simple step to reduce the waste of to go coffee. Some local coffee shops have started using compostable coffee cups, and that’s a step in the right direction, for sure. But your own cup is reusable, which is always better than compostable.If you’re looking for a great reusable coffee cup (hot or cold), I’ve written a whole post covering my top picks for your own eco-friendly coffee cup.Tip #3 – Make Your Own Coffee at HomeMaking your own coffee at home has lots of advantages. You can control the roast, the brewing options (do you want drip, French press, or cold brew?).And, best of all, you’re reducing waste.By making your coffee at home, you’re reducing the waste that comes along with large scale and even made to order coffee. There’s less of a rush, you only brew what you need, and you create less water and energy waste.Like most options for more eco-friendly coffee, this also saves you money. Why wouldn’t you want to increase the size of your bank account while also saving the environment? Especially if you can do so by making small changes.New to home-brewed coffee?I’ve written about how to brew just about any kind of coffee:How to Make French Press CoffeeHow to Make Cold Brew Coffee ConcentrateHow to Make Pour Over CoffeeHow to Make Coffee with a Moka PotHow to Brew Coffee with a Traditional Drip Coffee MakerHow to Grind Your Own Coffee BeansBest Water Temperatures for Coffee and The Golden Ratio for CoffeeTip #4 – Manually Brew Your CoffeeManually brewing your coffee means not using an electric machines, like espresso machines and drip makers. This reduces the water waste and the electrical pull to make your morning cup of coffee.Where does this leave you when you want a cup of coffee?Plenty of options are available to almost anyone looking to reduce the environmental impact of their coffee. Cold brew is your best bet; it doesn’t even require heating of the water to make your coffee. The only electricity your need is to grind your beans.Pour over and French press are also great options for this approach. They only require you to heat the water and grind the beans. You’d be surprised how much energy small kitchen appliances use. It’s also cheaper to take this approach to your home brewed coffee.But if you want to take a step further, you can buy a manual grinder. This one is my favorite and handy for making coffee while camping.Tip #5 – Switch to a Reusable Coffee FilterThis one is an easy choice for eco-friendly coffee. I love reusable coffee filters. My Bodum pour over carafe has one, and so does my drip maker. The obvious eco-friendliness of a reusable coffee filter is that you’re not creating more waste by using disposal coffee filters.You can find reusable coffee filters for every type of brewer you can think of — even a cloth reusable filter for a Chemex maker.Unless you’re worried about the debatable levels of cholesterol in coffee, there’s no reason to not use a reusable coffee filter. Goldtone is a great brand with a variety of gold mesh filters for most brewers. They’re dishwasher safe, and you’ll never have to scramble for coffee filters again.And it saves you money in the long run. The basic drip machine filter costs around $7.00, but you’ll never have to buy another one for the life of your machine.Tip #6 – Reuse Your Spent Coffee GroundsUsed coffee grounds are useful for things other than your trash. You can repair scuffed wood and even make a facial scrub out of them.The most obvious use is in your compost. Coffee grounds are high in nitrogen. This is one of the essential components to a fruitful garden and beautiful blooms.What other uses do you have for your spent coffee grounds?ConclusionWho knew that coffee could be so wasteful?By putting just a little effort into how you drink your coffee, you can contribute to a bigger cause — your impact on our fragile environment.Imagine the impact we could have if all of followed the above 6 easy ways to make our coffee choices more sustainable. Also, pick out one or two of the best 5 eco friendly coffee makers to start making your coffee with. That will make a huge difference.

Month: April 2023

5 Best Eco Friendly Coffee Makers