Anyone who likes a good coffee and is also concerned about the environmental issue must have stopped to think about the impact of this daily habit. Asking how to make coffee at home as sustainably as possible is part of the way to reduce the ecological footprint, which increases with every paper filter you throw in or decreases when you wash your Italian coffee maker to make a new coffee. The use of the top rated 5 cup coffee maker is essential here now.
Understand what an ecological footprint
Before choosing which brewing method is best suited to mitigate the environmental impacts of your coffee, you need to buy the powder. Most coffee powders come in vacuum packages, which are made of metallized plastic, the problematic BOPP, which is difficult to recycle many brands even have an outer paper package. Ideally, from the point of view of flavor and packaging reduction, you should buy the coffee beans in bulk at specialty stores, fairs or grocery stores, and grind just in time to prepare the coffee.
- In powder or grain, give preference to places where you can take a reusable pot and ask the seller to put the product right there, avoiding any packaging. If this is not feasible where you live, prefer recyclable or returnable packaging. Aluminum (and only aluminum!) Coffee capsules may also be an option in this regard, but only if you commit to taking them to the collection station after use. In the case of ground coffee, give preference to dark and matte packaging, as the presence of light can compromise the quality of the coffee.
- Purchasing the bean version allows you to grind the coffee when brewing, preserving its properties and flavor, and enables you to grind the beans to the right thickness for the equipment where the coffee will be made. For this, however, it is necessary to buy a (more precise) hand grinder or an automatic coffee grinder always taking care to properly dispose of these utensils at the end of their life cycle.
In addition to packaging, the filter is another common waste generated by coffee drinking. Present in many methods, the coffee filter most often ends up in the ordinary trash, although it can be placed in the household composter.
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How to make coffee the most sustainable way
We list the pros and cons of some of the most popular coffee making methods in Brazil. Some of them are relatively new here, others just little known. Learn more about each method and choose the best option for you and the environment. Remembering that the ideal is to use mineral water to make coffee, but filtered water also works just not worth using tap water, because of the excess chlorine, which can leave a bad taste in coffee. Get details about some coffee extraction methods:
Paper strainer
Strained coffee with paper filter
Very common and practical, paper filter strainer coffee generates a large amount of waste, as we have already commented. In addition, a variety of coffee brewing equipment is required, such as the boiling milk jug, filter holder and thermos. One of the advantages of the method is that it allows you to make large quantities of coffee and fill a large (or several) thermal.