Eco-friendlier - Non-Plastic Coffee Makers

If you're looking for more economical and eco-friendly choices for making coffee, take heart. When we decided to replace our old electric, drip coffee maker we did a bit of research in an effort to find a coffee maker that was non-electric and contained no plastic. We found two options; French press and Chimex glass drip type and love them both. .

The French Press maker works well and makes great coffee and is attractive. You simply put coffee grounds into it, pour hot water into the top and literally press it through the filter. The flavor is wonderfully rich and this method is fast and easy. You do have to use some energy to heat the water, but I still believe it's less than using an electric one. The French press also takes up much less counter space and is very attractive. It's a great choice for camping or power failures.

A few negative reviews of this product show how many people do not read instructions. They specifically tell you that the water should be very hot but NOT boiling and to keep the spout pointed away from you while pressing the coffee. Follow these directions and you'll be a happy camper.

The one caveat to French Press coffee is that there is some concern about non-filtered coffee raising LDL (bad) cholesterols and/or homocysteine levels, which are not good for our hearts, but the jury is still out on this. As with anything, moderation is the key, so keep this in mind.

CHIMEX classic drip coffee maker is our favorite. Again, it's non-electric, non-plastic and is beautiful, nearly functional art.

Making delicious coffee is as simple as placing the filter in the top, placing the grounds into the filter and pouring in very hot (not boiling) water. It takes a wee bit of extra time if you want a full pot as you have to wait a moment for some of the water to drip through before adding all of it, but it's a small price to pay for delicious coffee.

Again, the Chimex takes very little counter space and is very attractive. It does require filters and Chimex sells un-bleached filters. It contains no plastic parts, so no worries about any leaching into your coffee. You could take this one camping, but be very careful as it is glass.

I highly recommend both the French Press and the Chimex!