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Non Toxic Coffee Makers
Coffee is hot, acidic, and for most, it’s a daily exposure— making a toxin-free set-up important. The healthiest filters, French presses, affordable manual brewers, and machines.
Simply Good Coffee makes the best non toxic drip coffee maker because no plastic ever touches your water, grounds, or coffee. As far as I know, a plastic free drip coffee machine that works well has never existed before. Even the piping is stainless steel, and their diagram of the internal components offers the kind of transparency I love. It’s on the spendier side, but since coffee is a daily exposure, a healthy set-up is worth it.
Mostly plastic free, the Aarke is really pretty, and is made primarily with stainless steel and glass, though like every other drip machine out there, the filter basket is lined with plastic— it is Prop 65 -approved BPA free, at least. And, the tubing inside is made with food safe high quality silicone that has LFGB certification, better than a cheap or uncertified version. With its stainless steel water tank and glass carafe, it’s still certainly healthier than most drip machines, and a good less toxic option if you’re a drip coffee and design person.
Espresso
Drip
The Gaggia is a more affordable espresso machine that comes second to the ECM in terms of how much plastic it contains— it has a plastic water reservoir, but the tubing that routes the hot water is metal. Generally, espresso machines actually have a health advantage from an exposure perspective— you can potentially be less worried about them than other brewing methods because the contact time between hot or acidic coffee or water and the machine components is so short. The Gaggia gets great reviews and is a good choice for a non toxic home espresso machine.
Every espresso machine contains some plastic (thanks to Tom’s Coffee Corner who opens them up to inspect) —in the tubing, the gaskets, or the water tank. The model that comes the closest to being totally plastic free, including a glass water reservoir and partial stainless steel tubing, is spendy and sold out almost everywhere, but for the sake of perspective, I wanted to include it. This is a link to some still available through eBay.
A classic! The Moka Express doesn’t require any filters, and their classic model is made of aluminum, so it’s very affordable and the coffee heats up quickly (yes, I think aluminum is safe, and you can read more in my guide here.) They also now have a very pretty stainless steel version, if you are worried about aluminum and my guide doesn’t change your mind ;)
Aeropress now makes this totally plastic free espresso maker. It’s manual, and fast— making coffee with it takes about 2 minutes. Super easy, tech-free, and is made entirely of glass and stainless steel. Great if you like espresso but not the machine set up, or if you want a French press alternative. (I recommend their reusable stainless filter over their paper ones, available here on Amazon or their site directly.)
French Press
Mueller Stainless Steel French Press
I slightly prefer stainless steel over glass french presses because they require absolutely zero plastic components, they don’t break (so you don’t have to replace them, making them sustainable), and they keep your coffee warm. This one is made by Mueller, a German company, and can be purchased through Amazon. I used it for a long time before I figured out I was sensitive to nickel and it’s very high quality and satisfying! An affordable non toxic way to make coffee.
If you’re sensitive to the nickel in stainless steel (most people aren’t, but you can read my steel guide here), or like the aesthetic of glass, I like Zwilling’s French press best— it’s double walled, so your coffee still stays warmer than other glass models, and there are zero plastic components. It gets great reviews, and if you’re looking for an even more affordable option, IKEA has a similar one.
Manual Espresso
For pourover, I prefer glass over plastic (obviously), and over ceramic. Ceramic can be just fine— but you do have to consider the health of the glaze (you can read more here on my coatings guide.) Chemex pourovers are made of strong borosilicate glass, and have been rated super highly for decades. I also appreciate their wood handle rather than relying on a silicone sleeve. Simple and straightforward! I recommend using this with different unbleached filters or a stainless steel one (listed next) rather than theirs, for more material transparency (paper processing is intense!)
I love the simplicity of this. Made of stainless steel, it rests directly on your mug, and doesn’t require a separate filter because the mesh is so fine. An inexpensive, healthy, and sustainable way to brew a cup of coffee.
Pourover and Non Toxic Coffee Filters
A stainless steel coffee filter that fits into your pourover set up is great because it’s reusable, and even more sustainable than non toxic paper filters. This link takes you to a bunch of them that comes in different shapes and volumes— search based on your brand or size for compatibility.
Non Toxic Paper Coffee Filters
Like toilet paper, coffee filters can contain chlorine bleach, PFAS, and other unsafe additives. Each one represents a small exposure, but exposures are cumulative, so I prefer going the safe route because I drink coffee every single day. I use the If You Care brand for many of my cooking and baking needs, and their coffee filters are fantastic, too. They’re totally chlorine and PFAS free.
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