Green Up Your Kitchen Java

Around the holidays it seems like the coffee pot is going non-stop. Or at my house year round (expert coffee addict here). In any case, it’s easy to green your coffee routine, no matter how often you brew a pot.

Your coffee maker:

First of all there’s your actual coffee maker. There aren’t exactly green standards set for coffee makers. That said, you can estimate your coffee maker’s energy consumption at The Department of Energy. Also, Inhabitat has an in-depth, and great post, GREEN YOUR APPLIANCES! Coffee Makers that will put you ahead of the curve regarding coffee makers. You can also try a French Press.

Your best bet for a green coffee maker is going to be in how you use it, not so much the appliance itself.

• Always unplug your coffee maker when it’s not in use.
• Put hot coffee in a thermos and set it on your counter, so you can unplug the pot.
• Opt for less bling – a coffee maker with bells and whistles, (i.e. timer) is cool, but must remain plugged in.
• Don’t buy crap. Yeah, that’s blunt, but a crappy coffee maker only ends up dumped in a landfill sooner. Buy a reputable brand.

Your filters:

Ok green step: Avoid chemicals by using unbleached coffee filters.

MUCH better green step: Use a reusable coffee filter. I’ve had the same basic reusable coffee filter for literally years. It’s in perfect shape. I have the Mr. Coffee GTF2-1 Basket-style Gold Tone Permanent Filter and I love it. I expect it’ll last many more years.

Reusable mesh filters like this one come in all shapes and style for various coffee makers too. There are also reusable coffee filters made of hemp – which eliminates the plastic issue with the mesh filters.

Green cleaning your coffee maker:

To clean your coffee maker it’s best to wipe it down daily with hot water – if you do this you won’t have build up in the first place.

To clean the innards of your coffee maker (get out the hard water build up) – run a pot of one part vinegar to two parts water through your pot a few times. Follow with a few clear water pots. I HATE the smell of vinegar so I always light a nice candle when I do this.

To clean your pot what’s key is doing it often. Wash it daily to avoid that brown stained look. You can run it through your dishwasher or hand wash it fast (plain old soap and water). For stains on the bottom, pour a little salt into the bottom of the pot, add about five ice cubes and swish that pot.

In the next post we’ll look at the beans going into your machine. Stay tuned.