Best Nontoxic Coffee Makers and Tea Kettles
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When our coffee maker bit the dust earlier this year, I was determined to replace it with a nontoxic option. Ditto for our beloved stainless steel tea kettle which had become increasingly difficult to keep clean.
From a toxicity standpoint, the trouble with most coffee makers (and coffee pod machines) is when hot water comes into contact with plastic parts. Hot plastic leaches chemicals into that steaming hot cup of joe. No thanks!
Fortunately, there are some great nontoxic coffee makers and tea kettles available. If you’re in the market for nontoxic coffee makers and tea kettles, you’ll want to consider these options.
Looking to detox your kitchenware? Here are a few more suggestions:
- Pack a Plastic-Free Lunch
- Best Nontoxic Food Storage
- How to Freeze Food in Glass Jars
- Best Nontoxic Baby Feeding Gear
Best Nontoxic Coffee Makers
and Tea Kettles
1. Glass French Press
A French Press is a great option if you’re making only a few cups of coffee in the morning. It doesn’t require electricity and the water must be heated separately before adding to the press. And it won’t keep the coffee hot. I’m not a coffee drinker (this is what I drink instead), but I hear the flavor from a French Press is pretty awesome. You can also use a French Press to brew hot tea!
We bought this French Press for camping. It also came in handy when our coffee machine broke: we used it until we could research and order a replacement. And when hosting overnight guests who prefer decaf coffee in the morning, Mr. Native Texan uses the French Press to make regular coffee for himself.
If we went with a French Press for our main method of coffee making, I’d get this one.
2. Stainless Steel Coffee Percolator
We chose a stainless steel percolator to replace our old coffee maker. It’s the same concept: add ground coffee and water, plug in, turn on. Filter not required. A percolator will keep your coffee hot until you unplug the unit, and I think it looks pretty cool on the kitchen counter. Oh, and it’s super-affordable.
3. Glass Tea Kettle
Our former tea kettle was stainless steel. I really loved it! Depending on who you ask, stainless steel is a safe option for boiling water. The problem was trying to keep the kettle clean. It was difficult to reach inside, and impossible to see all the nooks and crannies.
We chose a simple and very affordable glass kettle this time around. It’s much easier to clean, and I’m confident the glass material is safe for heating water.
More options:
The three options listed above are ones I’ve personally used and would recommend. The following list is based on my research.
4. Glass Pour Over Coffee Maker
You’ve probably seen this beautiful coffee maker on display at coffee shops or even at the Museum of Modern Art in NYC. Coffee fans rave about it, it’s completely nontoxic, and it looks pretty cool.
Like the French Press, water must be boiled separately, then poured over the grounds. Apparently this is slightly time consuming but worth it for the flavor. And clean up is a cinch.
5. Cast Iron Tea Kettle
I use a lot of cast iron cookware in my kitchen. Cast iron is also a great option for a tea kettle if you don’t mind the weight. And the handle gets hot. If you’re into cast iron, here’s an affordable kettle and a high end option.
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We ditched toxic coffee makers a while ago and have gone through three glass french presses and now use a stainless steel french press as well as a glass pour over. We love the flavor of both, especially since Steve has taken to purchasing raw organic beans and roasting them and grinding them as needed.
That sounds delicious, Heather! ☕
I was just about to order a replacement for my electric percolator (I have the same Presto you featured here which is dying after 3.5 years) but I came across new info that the bottom cup and nut that holds the water stem are made from aluminum. Ugh! Aluminum is reactive to acids, such as tomato sauces and coffee, and not healthy for ingestion! The hunt continues for an all stainless percolator.
We had the exact glass tea kettle pictured (the Whistling Kettle), and it was broken within a week. While glass provides safety vis-a-vis toxins, they are much more prone to breaking and cracking. Even the ones with tempered glass are still prone to this. They say to use only on low and medium heat, but it’s hard to gauge how much heat is too much, and it’s not very useful if you can’t use them at higher temperatures.
Strange! We’ve had our glass kettle for almost two years and use it daily. We even heat it on high (though you’re not supposed to). We’ve had zero cracking or breakage.
after doing much, much ,much searching for a non plastic/non aluminum coffeemaker I bought the Bunn VP17-1 and I love it!! I also bought the optional Bunn stainless steel replacement funnel to replace the plastic one that comes with the unit. This is the smallest fully stainless steel unit available. it has only one warmer plate. google it for an image. bunn deserves kudos for their product. its not the prettiest unit but it is built like a tank and i expect to will it to my kids when i die. there are replacement parts sold everywhere for it.
I am very pleased with the unit! makes great coffee and its very fast and very easy to use! We flip the power on bar on that its connected to , it takes 10 min to heat the water up and the coffee is done in about 90 seconds (1/2 pot)!. We could leave it powered on but it will waste electricity keeping the water at the right temperature. We make anywhere from 1 large cup to 1/2 pot of coffee. Every coffee make is different. It took me a couple of brews to determine the amount of water and coffee for a 1 cup and and 1/2 pot coffee. cleanup is easy as the funnel has a steel wire liner inside that keeps the coffee filter from sticking to the funnel. next time you go to mcdonalds , tim hortons etc note they have a bunn. Not the low end crappy plastic consumer models that bunn has but the stainless commercial units. the vp17-1 is the only consumer/commercial unit that is not plumbed directly into the water supply. its a pour over.
we had the “stainless steel” presto percolator for years it was a messy cleanup, coffee was ok not great (likely due to the high temperature the coffee is subjected to). I later discovered that the tank was aluminum (alzheimers with your coffee anyone?) so it had to go. i wonder how many of the other percolators use aluminum or plastic to cut down on the cost? The VP17-1 cost more but it will last!
Wow, thanks for this info, Mike!
I’m on the same search but can’t find anything besides stove top percolators .. have you had any luck?
I am also on the hunt to finding a healthy alternative to heating water for coffee…who knew it would be this difficult. It’s heating water people. I was excited to find your website and I quickly looked into all of the products that you have listed. I was shocked to see that the cast iron kettle you are recommending actually has enamel on the interior. Not sure if you were aware. To make things more difficult, I am also looking for a healthy tea kettle that is Made in USA. I am starting to think that my best alternative is to quit coffee altogether.