# Plastic Free coffee maker? french press?



## DevaMajka (Jul 4, 2005)

I recently realized that it's probably not a good thing that my coffee maker is completely plastic- even the part that the coffee sits in. I imagine it's not a great thing to have hot coffee sitting in plastic for a half hour before my 2nd cup. lol

Dp is buying me a coffee maker for Christmas, and of course is leaving it up to me to pick it out.









Is there such thing as a drip coffee maker that is plastic free? If not, a french press would be plastic free, right?

What would I need to know about buying a french press? Would I also need to buy an electric kettle? Would a regular stovetop kettle work? Would a regular pan work?


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## Dar (Apr 12, 2002)

Our Franch press does have some plastic, but not on any of the parts that ever touch the coffee... those are glass and metal. They make all metal ones, too. French press coffee tastes much better than drip, too, imo.









We have a regular stovetop teakettle that we boil the water in, and they we pour it into the press. A pan would work; it would just be a little harder to pour...

Dar


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## melissa17s (Aug 3, 2004)

Our Bialetti moka is totally metal except the handles, which do not come in contact with the coffee.

You will find variation in different types of coffee makers. I find French presses gritty, and some people like that. I like the mokas because they make espresso, and you can add hot water to have an Americano (basically similar to drip coffee) or steam some milk to have a latte. You have to season the moka so it does not taste metallic, but otherwise it is the best cup of espresso.

I think many of the home espresso machines do not contain plastic parts, but they get very expensive (around $200-500 for a good machine).


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## gmvh (Nov 26, 2003)

We have a Capresso drip machine that has a stainless carafe. The container you initially pour the water in is plastic, as are the other inner workings of the machine, but like I said, the carafe is steel. I don't drink coffee but my husband has been pleased with the machine for the five or six years we've had it.

My sister has a porcelain manual drip set up that they like. I believe you can buy just the cone part and they've then figured out how many times to refill it to fill a glass lined carafe they already had. I believe they are very happy with this system.

Good luck!


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## DevaMajka (Jul 4, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *melissa17s* 
Our Bialetti moka is totally metal except the handles, which do not come in contact with the coffee.

Very interesting! Can you use it with regular coffee? Would I just add the normal amount of water and coffee? Or would I have to make esspresso, then add more water later? (do I sound like a doofus? lol)

So it sits on the stove, is that correct?

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Dar* 
Our Franch press does have some plastic, but not on any of the parts that ever touch the coffee... those are glass and metal. They make all metal ones, too. French press coffee tastes much better than drip, too, imo.









We have a regular stovetop teakettle that we boil the water in, and they we pour it into the press. A pan would work; it would just be a little harder to pour...

Dar

Thank you! perfect. Does the water have to be a certain temperature? Is it easy to screw it up?

I'm looking up the porcelain drip as we speak...

I'd love to hear any other suggestions/opinions!


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## Dar (Apr 12, 2002)

The French press is very easy! The water is supposed to be just under boiling, but we're not so picky and it always works. Put the coffee grounds in the press and pour the water in, then wait a few minutes, then put the lid on and push the plunger down.

The only problem we have is dropping and breaking the glass container, so we finally got one that comes with a rubbery slipcase... I think it's Bodum's Young Life? You could also do stainless steel, but that's more more $. Ours was $20, but a simply glass press is $10-$15.

Small children in our life have loved to do the pushing part, FWIW.

Dar


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## Ruthla (Jun 2, 2004)

I didn't even think of this when buying a coffee maker!

Mine has plastic parts, but the caraffe itself is glass, and that's the part that the coffee has most contact with.


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## DevaMajka (Jul 4, 2005)

Yeah, I was wondering how big of a deal it would be if the coffee was only in contact with plastic for a short time. The one I have now, it sits in plastic.
I could get a regular 4cup coffee maker at Sears for $20 with a glass carafe. (I only drink a cup or two a day).

I guess it's between that and a french press...hmmm...

My original goal was a plastic free Christmas- lol


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## hottmama (Dec 27, 2004)

I've had french presses for a few years and when confronted with a regular electric coffee maker, find them very confusing now that I have forgotten how they work.








A french press is so easy, you just put the coffee in it, boil water on the stove, pour the water in (we boil it and it works fine), wait a few minutes, and push the press down. It makes much better coffee than an electric coffee maker IMO.


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## mamadelbosque (Feb 6, 2007)

We have a french press thats thermal, I forget where its from (possibly lehmans... like the other half of our kitchen stuff







, but its all-metal interior, with just a plastic lid. Its nice cause' unlike most othe french press's its not glass and therefore can't break (I've broken two in the past...


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## MamaJamie (Oct 14, 2007)

Another vote for the french press! I love mine for coffee and it can also be used easily for loose leaf tea. It's just nice to not have a big huge coffee maker taking up all that space on the counter when a nice little french press does the job. Of course, they are rather small, but if you only have a cup or two a day, it'd be perfect!


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## Ruthla (Jun 2, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Deva33mommy* 
Yeah, I was wondering how big of a deal it would be if the coffee was only in contact with plastic for a short time. The one I have now, it sits in plastic.
I could get a regular 4cup coffee maker at Sears for $20 with a glass carafe. (I only drink a cup or two a day).

I guess it's between that and a french press...hmmm...

My original goal was a plastic free Christmas- lol

That's the kind I have- the 4 cup coffee maker so I don't waste coffee.


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## mamavegan (Nov 30, 2006)

We have a french press and I use it daily. I absolutely love it. Ours is the bodum chambord. It's inexpensive, easy to clean, and super charming.









The only thing is now I want a burr grinder, because the grinders where we get our coffee are not all that great.


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## Thalia (Apr 9, 2003)

I have a French press and love it. If you are buying one, however, make sure you take it out of the box to check and make sure the base is glass. I bought one to use for tea instead of coffee, and it turned out the base was polycarbonate.







:


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## cloudswinger (Jan 24, 2005)

If you only need a cup at a time(coffee is better fresh, after all), Vietnamese people use a single serving coffee maker. It's like a french press and drip combined. It can be found in many asian markets for about 5 bucks.

http://www.ineedcoffee.com/04/vietnamese/


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## sora (Oct 7, 2006)

I use French Press. They make BEST COFFEE, claimed by an expert!
Don't buy one with plastic top. You can buy one without plastic. I bought a nice one in Wienners.
Don't buy Bodum - The glass broke quite easily.


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## EdnaMarie (Sep 9, 2006)

I beg to disagree that french presses make the best coffee.

Turkish coffee is the best. Though, it does take considerable skill to make and it's hard to get that grind that fine in a home grinder. You brew it in a special copper pot with a wooden handle. I love it. It is like espresso only richer, but less harsh.

Re: the Bialetta: what kind of metal?


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## cloudswinger (Jan 24, 2005)

Directions for brewing Turkish coffee:
http://coffeegeek.com/guides/turkishcoffee

And the pot and grinder can be found on ebay for very reasonable prices. I'm looking at them myself. What started me on this was really the Turkish tea pots though.


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## Jodie (Jul 18, 2002)

What about a percolator?
We have one under the cabinet and are considering using it and ditching our coffee pot.


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## Dar (Apr 12, 2002)

Turkish coffee makes me feel ill... which is too bad, because it makes for some awkward social situations.

I love french press, though... and I love Saudi coffee, which I'm told has more caffiene than the "burnt" American stuff...

dar


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## His Own (Oct 14, 2006)

I don't like coffee, but my husband loves it. He has about every type of coffee maker known to man. The bialetta is all metal, but is only used to make espresso, not regular coffee. For regular coffee, the French press is really nice, and I like that it's much less hassle to clean than a big coffeemaker. It is also tiny and cute and has a small counter 'footprint'. Nice little tool!


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## melissa17s (Aug 3, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Jodie* 
What about a percolator?
We have one under the cabinet and are considering using it and ditching our coffee pot.

Percolators ruin coffee. They heat too hot and too long.
We have had the single serving over the cup metal filters similar to the Vietnamese, and they make a nice cup with out a plastic. It would be a good consideration for the one-two cup a day range.

Our Bialetti is the dama version, which is likely aluminum. They also have stainless steel versions. If I do not want an espresso, I just add hot water for an Americano, which is more or less similar to drip. Other companies besides Bialetti also make the same kind of brewing system; it is called a moka.


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## Angierae (Aug 17, 2004)

We have a Stainless Steel Frieling French Press. We love it! Its so pretty and works so well--tastes awesome. DH got it a lot cheaper than on that link, though.


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## beemama (Mar 19, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Mahtob* 
Re: the Bialetta: what kind of metal?

aluminum, damn.

We're in the market for another coffee maker,our blasted mr.coffee bit the dust- we have a french press & I really don't like the sediment... it works, tho.


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## beka1977 (Aug 1, 2004)

Chemex!

http://www.chemexcoffeemaker.com/Coffeemakers.htm


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## beemama (Mar 19, 2004)

That looks nice, the filters are spendy but I wonder if reg. filters could be modified.
I'm also glad you posted that because I just re-read melissa17's post & saw there were stainless versions of the bialetta.
Yay, options! Off to look.


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## SoHappy (Nov 19, 2001)

We got one of these insulated stainless steel Bodum presses when they were on sale for $29.99. They're on sale now, too, but not so cheap.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...pr_product_top

There is some plastic on the plunger, but the rest is stainless. It's really nice. If you remember to warm it up with hot water before you use it, it stays hot for quite a while.


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