r/PlasticFreeLiving • u/Ok_Bluebird_2988 • 3d ago
Question Coffee machine recommendations
Hey everyone,
I am looking for an automatic coffee maker that has a plastic-free hot water path.
Just to get it out of the way: I know people are going to suggest a manual Chemex, a French press, or a stovetop Moka Pot. Honestly, I just don't want to spend the time making it manually every single morning. I need the convenience of a plug-in machine, but without all the plastic components heating up.
Right now I'm looking at a few different options and could use some real reviews:
Caraway: They claim no plastic touches the water or grounds (all stainless and glass), and it looks really nice on the counter. But it's $495 and super new, so I don't know if it's actually reliable or just good marketing.
BUNN VP17-1: A total tank, but I'd have to buy a separate stainless steel funnel to replace the plastic one it comes with. Is it overkill for a home kitchen? Also heard it uses quite more power aka electricity than a normal home machine.
Ratio Six: Heard great things about the coffee flavor, and if I get the stainless dripper upgrade, the water path is just glass, stainless, and silicone.
Moccamaster: The copper heating element is great, but the plastic reservoir and basket still kinda worry me. Does the plastic contact affect the taste or ruin the point of trying to go plastic-free?
Has anyone tried the new Caraway machine yet? Or should I just go with the modified Bunn or the Ratio?
Let me know what you think or if there's another automatic machine I missed. Thanks!
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u/julianradish 2d ago
You can get an old school metal plug in percalator. Inside it's all metal. Plastic only on the base and handle. Plug into a timed outlet or plug adapter for the automatic start in the morning. It keeps it warm which also means it continues brewing the same grounds unless you remove them.
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u/Ok_Bluebird_2988 2d ago
I read into it but people complained of bad taste a lot in subreddits :(
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u/MoistPoolish 10h ago
The taste is more than fine, even really good. Just like anything else you have to dial in the water to coffee ratio.
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u/Slow-Specific3745 3d ago
Don’t hate me but…as someone who loved a classic drip coffee pot, I switched to a pour over and I think it takes me the same time.
Filling coffee filter with ground coffee = same time for both methods
For pour over…Switch kettle to boil a few mins before and then boom you can pour over the hot water
The longest wait time is the initial bloom, which you basically saturate the grinds in water and let some bitterness steam out for like 30 seconds
And then actual pouring takes another minute if that (first and second pour)
I got a stainless steel pour over which has a flat base, for 15 bucks and I place it on a large mason jar
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u/Confusednurse_1 3d ago
Seriously. I thought I would hate it but it’s actually quicker than dealing with a whole pot and a machine. Clean up is extremely easy since I brew right in the cup. My electric kettle is already heating water when I walk downstairs in the morning. I don’t have to worry about descaling which is my personal hell. I love it pour over!!
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u/Ok_Bluebird_2988 2d ago
Any pour over you recommend I was looking into HARIO v60? And do I need gooseneck kettle and what else do you use - I get my coffee pre ground from a local coffee shop.
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u/deedeedeedee_ 2d ago
so im not the person you replied to and also no expert (my partner is the coffee enthusiast in our household) but we have a hario v60 and a cosori stainless steel gooseneck kettle, and i also actually find it quick and easy to make! i can make coffee directly in my travel cup in the morning, to take to work. we use undyed paper filters and throw them with the used coffee grounds into the compost
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u/Ok_Bluebird_2988 2d ago
Last question do you have any ratios? I would love to fill my 2 x 500 ml tumblers so any proportions you would recommend?
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u/deedeedeedee_ 2d ago
yes! i use the ratio my partner gave me: 15g of ground coffee to 250ml of hot water (like the other comment said, you do like three ish pours in total). it turns out really nice, i like it way more than the takeout coffee i was getting before. i have to say that I've never made any larger amounts than this at once, but i assume you could double it to make 500ml at a time (one for each tumbler)? if you're wanting to make 1L of coffee at a time then i can definitely see why the coffee machine is practical for you, but maybe the pourover is still a workable idea :)
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u/deedeedeedee_ 2d ago
ive also seen this mentioned on the subreddit a few times, there was another couple of posts someone did about it showing that some of the insides are a bit more silicone than stainless steel but i can't find them, maybe it's worth looking into for a pricier option, people seem to like it https://www.reddit.com/r/PlasticFreeLiving/s/Qh3i6mUNp8
lastly i know you said no french press but ikea has a zero-plastic one which is 1L just in case you rethink that, it might do all the coffee you need in one go :) i find the pourover particularly simple because there's almost no clean-up, but seeing as you're making a few cups at once, def worth looking into all the other options too!
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u/Ok_Bluebird_2988 2d ago
Thank you - you are the best 😇 and yeah we make coffee in one go so having a coffee machine made sense for us - we are volume drinkers lol 🤭 but thank you for all the insights I really appreciate it so much.
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u/Slow-Specific3745 2d ago
I use this pour over from Amazon with number 2 cone filters LHS Pour Over Coffee Dripper... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07MX87HH9?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share
And bodum gooseneck kettle!
Personally for me, I don’t even measure the grams lol I just eyeball it but maybe measure it the first time so you generally know the amount
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u/julianradish 2d ago
I use a metal pour over filter with an electric kettle. You don't really need the gooseneck if you already have something that can pour water.
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u/Great-Usual-2687 1d ago
Same here. We have the Miir carafe and use a metal filter with a paper filter inside. Our electric kettle is the same size, and heats up fast. It takes maybe 2-3 min to pour it over while we make breakfast or get mugs out. The coffee is great, it is only slightly more work than a maker, and no plastic. Oh, and the carafe keeps the coffee warm for a second cup without the burner that makes it bitter.
I’ve never been a coffee snob, but now machine coffee tastes like shoes.
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u/minimalisa2 3d ago
Simply Good Coffee. Bought recently from Costco for $230.