I hate to be the bearer of even more bad news, but that salvation creating appliance on your countertop needs to go.
Unfortunately, most drip coffee makers contain plastic parts and tubing, which means they have most of the issues mentioned above.
I’m not saying run out now and replace it with an alternative listed below, I mean you have used for years, a little while longer is probably not going make a huge difference. Just keep this information in the back of your mind when it IS time to replace your coffee maker.
On the other hand, this information might have grossed you out enough to send you running to the store to replace your drip coffee maker. If this is the case, cool your jets for a couple of minutes and read about some great alternatives on how to brew your coffee toxin and mold free.
Try something new
french press
The French press works by steeping coffee grounds and hot water (heated by a separate device like a kettle) together in a glass beaker.
Once the coffee is done steeping, a metal mesh filter is pressed to the bottom of the beaker which separates the coffee grounds from the liquid coffee destined for your mug.
The metal mesh filter allows the natural oils found in coffee and fine particles to pass through it giving the coffee a thick body.
In my opinion, there is nothing better than using a french press for brewing high-quality coffee. It tastes so much better coming out of the French press than a drip coffee maker. Anytime I get my hands on coffee that isn’t Folger’s or Maxwell House, I pull out the french press so I can fully enjoy my favorite time of day with great tasting, high-end coffee.
Why don’t I use it all the time? Well, I got out of the habit of using it after I had my now 2-year-old. I didn’t want to have to wait for a kettle to boil and then for the coffee to brew. I needed coffee as instantly and easily as possible so I dusted off my trusty ole drip coffee maker and have been using it ever since. Also, it only brews about 2 cups at a time, and I needed more than that to get me through the day.
Another reason is that I usually buy what coffee is on sale, generally one of the two brands mentioned above. I find if I use inferior coffee with the French press, it just tastes gross. I reserve the French press for high-quality coffee instead.
One thing to note about the French press is that the glass beaker used for brewing the coffee is fragile and if not cleaned with care, can break in a sink full of dishes. Trust me, I have lost more than one french press by being careless and dropping it in the sink or mistakenly piling dishes on top of it.
So if you have a bag of high-end coffee in your cupboard right now, go out and find yourself a French press and easily brew a couple of cups of delicious toxin-free coffee. You won’t regret it!
percolator
This throwback to the ’60’s is making a comeback in the coffee brewing game. I have never used or seen one in real life, as I was born a little later than that and my parents are not coffee drinkers. Having done a little research, I learned how it works.
The coffee percolator works by continually cycling boiling water (from the stove) through the grounds using gravity until the desired strength is reached.
One main drawback of the percolator is that if left boiling for too long, the brewed coffee may continue to cycle over the coffee grounds, resulting in a bitter-tasting coffee.
If you are a coffee aficionado and have the time to spend experimenting with achieving your desired strength of coffee, I say give this a try. When done correctly, it brews delicious coffee.
However, if you want your coffee yesterday, or just was a simple way to brew it, I would pass on this method and go with the French press instead.
stovetop
Also referred to as the Moka pot. It is a little Italian made espresso maker.
Having never seen or used one of these myself, I did some research to understand how it works.
To me, the Moka pot seems to be a cross between the French press and the percolator.
This is how it works:
- Fill the bottom of your pot with freshly boiled water (from a kettle)
- Fill the filter basket with coffee grounds which is fitted into the middle section of the pot (above the boiling water)
- Screw on the top spout portion of the pot
- Set the whole pot on the stove on medium heat
- As water in the bottom chamber starts to boil, the pressure pushes a stream of coffee slowly through the upper chamber
- It’s done brewing when you hear a hissing, bubbling sound
The Moka pot does not make a huge pot of coffee, but remember, it is espresso, so this smaller amount should provide quite a jolt of caffeine.
If you like espresso, give this method a try. It seems pretty straight forward to use and fun to prepare.
manual drip (pour over)
Again, I had not heard of this method before researching safer coffee brewing methods. Honestly, I had no idea I was such a coffee newb!
Pour over brewing involves pouring hot water (from a kettle) over and through the grounds to extract the coffee flavors into your cup or pot. It involves a cone and filter that fits on to your vessel of choice.
This method takes a little longer to brew given its sole dependence on gravity, but from what I hear on the internet, it is well worth it.
Manual drip seems pretty basic, but there are a lot of nuances that go into brewing that perfect cup of joe. You control all of the factors in the pour over method such as the temperature of water and coarseness of coffee, so take some time and mess around with this when you have some extra time on a weekend and figure out how you like to brew your coffee according to your own tastes.
Vacuum
I’m not going to lie, this method looks cool. As a former lab geek, it is immediately intriguing to me. So what is it?
It is a coffee maker (also referred to as a siphon) that uses vapor pressure and vacuum to produce coffee.
The vacuum method functions similarly to the Moka pot, with water in the lower chamber that is heated enough to expand up through the neck, to the upper chamber where the coffee grounds are located.
Once the coffee has finished brewing, the heat is removed, the pressure drops, and gravity pushes the coffee back down to the lower chamber through a filter so the grounds are kept away from the finished product. You pour your coffee out of the lower level chamber.
This method is definitely for coffee lovers who have a flair for style and great tasting coffee. Vacuum brewing may not be for everyone, but I think we can all appreciate the science behind it and how awesome it would look on your countertop!
Top 5 Non-Toxic Coffee Making Methods – Clarify Green
I hate to be the bearer of even more bad news, but that salvation creating appliance on your countertop needs to go.
Unfortunately, most drip coffee makers contain plastic parts and tubing, which means they have most of the issues mentioned above.
I’m not saying run out now and replace it with an alternative listed below, I mean you have used for years, a little while longer is probably not going make a huge difference. Just keep this information in the back of your mind when it IS time to replace your coffee maker.
On the other hand, this information might have grossed you out enough to send you running to the store to replace your drip coffee maker. If this is the case, cool your jets for a couple of minutes and read about some great alternatives on how to brew your coffee toxin and mold free.
Try something new
french press
The French press works by steeping coffee grounds and hot water (heated by a separate device like a kettle) together in a glass beaker.
Once the coffee is done steeping, a metal mesh filter is pressed to the bottom of the beaker which separates the coffee grounds from the liquid coffee destined for your mug.
The metal mesh filter allows the natural oils found in coffee and fine particles to pass through it giving the coffee a thick body.
In my opinion, there is nothing better than using a french press for brewing high-quality coffee. It tastes so much better coming out of the French press than a drip coffee maker. Anytime I get my hands on coffee that isn’t Folger’s or Maxwell House, I pull out the french press so I can fully enjoy my favorite time of day with great tasting, high-end coffee.
Why don’t I use it all the time? Well, I got out of the habit of using it after I had my now 2-year-old. I didn’t want to have to wait for a kettle to boil and then for the coffee to brew. I needed coffee as instantly and easily as possible so I dusted off my trusty ole drip coffee maker and have been using it ever since. Also, it only brews about 2 cups at a time, and I needed more than that to get me through the day.
Another reason is that I usually buy what coffee is on sale, generally one of the two brands mentioned above. I find if I use inferior coffee with the French press, it just tastes gross. I reserve the French press for high-quality coffee instead.
One thing to note about the French press is that the glass beaker used for brewing the coffee is fragile and if not cleaned with care, can break in a sink full of dishes. Trust me, I have lost more than one french press by being careless and dropping it in the sink or mistakenly piling dishes on top of it.
So if you have a bag of high-end coffee in your cupboard right now, go out and find yourself a French press and easily brew a couple of cups of delicious toxin-free coffee. You won’t regret it!
percolator
This throwback to the ’60’s is making a comeback in the coffee brewing game. I have never used or seen one in real life, as I was born a little later than that and my parents are not coffee drinkers. Having done a little research, I learned how it works.
The coffee percolator works by continually cycling boiling water (from the stove) through the grounds using gravity until the desired strength is reached.
One main drawback of the percolator is that if left boiling for too long, the brewed coffee may continue to cycle over the coffee grounds, resulting in a bitter-tasting coffee.
If you are a coffee aficionado and have the time to spend experimenting with achieving your desired strength of coffee, I say give this a try. When done correctly, it brews delicious coffee.
However, if you want your coffee yesterday, or just was a simple way to brew it, I would pass on this method and go with the French press instead.
stovetop
Also referred to as the Moka pot. It is a little Italian made espresso maker.
Having never seen or used one of these myself, I did some research to understand how it works.
To me, the Moka pot seems to be a cross between the French press and the percolator.
This is how it works:
The Moka pot does not make a huge pot of coffee, but remember, it is espresso, so this smaller amount should provide quite a jolt of caffeine.
If you like espresso, give this method a try. It seems pretty straight forward to use and fun to prepare.
manual drip (pour over)
Again, I had not heard of this method before researching safer coffee brewing methods. Honestly, I had no idea I was such a coffee newb!
Pour over brewing involves pouring hot water (from a kettle) over and through the grounds to extract the coffee flavors into your cup or pot. It involves a cone and filter that fits on to your vessel of choice.
This method takes a little longer to brew given its sole dependence on gravity, but from what I hear on the internet, it is well worth it.
Manual drip seems pretty basic, but there are a lot of nuances that go into brewing that perfect cup of joe. You control all of the factors in the pour over method such as the temperature of water and coarseness of coffee, so take some time and mess around with this when you have some extra time on a weekend and figure out how you like to brew your coffee according to your own tastes.
Vacuum
I’m not going to lie, this method looks cool. As a former lab geek, it is immediately intriguing to me. So what is it?
It is a coffee maker (also referred to as a siphon) that uses vapor pressure and vacuum to produce coffee.
The vacuum method functions similarly to the Moka pot, with water in the lower chamber that is heated enough to expand up through the neck, to the upper chamber where the coffee grounds are located.
Once the coffee has finished brewing, the heat is removed, the pressure drops, and gravity pushes the coffee back down to the lower chamber through a filter so the grounds are kept away from the finished product. You pour your coffee out of the lower level chamber.
This method is definitely for coffee lovers who have a flair for style and great tasting coffee. Vacuum brewing may not be for everyone, but I think we can all appreciate the science behind it and how awesome it would look on your countertop!