Yeah, actually, your plastic coffee pod may not be great for the climate

[rangerrebew]

Yeah, actually, your plastic coffee pod may not be great for the climate
January 21, 20238:01 AM ET
JULIA SIMON

 
You may have come across news headlines about coffee this week, like this one from the BBC: "Coffee pod carbon footprint better for planet than filtered brew."

The stories are about a short article published earlier this month that says single-use coffee pods may be better for the climate than other forms of coffee preparation.

The coverage by social media and news outlets came as good news to lots of people who have single-use coffee makers, since they've heard for years that the disposable metal and plastic capsules in their machines harm the environment. Columnist Matthew Yglesias tweeted out: "Vindication".

The problem is, the positive take on coffee pods and the climate might not be true.

Despite the hype, it's hard to know how solid the conclusions are in the article that blew up online this week. That's in part because the article isn't a formal study that has been peer-reviewed, which means it hasn't been vetted yet by other experts in the field. The article's lead author, Luciano Rodrigues Viana, a doctoral student at the University of Quebec at Chico

https://www.npr.org/2023/01/21/1150530714/yeah-actually-your-plastic-coffee-pod-may-not-be-great-for-the-planet

[rangerrebew]

 

[Smokin Joe]

Duh.

I have two electric grinders, and a couple of hand crank ones which still work if the power is out.

They have given years of service and have years left.

If I want one cup, I grind less, or make a full pot and drink less.  I never really got the pod thing.

[EdinVA]

So animals, white men, internal combustion engines, plastic, "fossil" fuels, Christmas decorations and now pods.. it would be a shorter list of what is not bad...

[Gefn]

I got a Keurig from my mom. I used it a couple of times, then put it in the hall closet. I liked my old Mr Coffee coffee maker.

When my doc told me to cut down my coffee consumption, I brought out the Keurig. It’s fine for one cup a day.


Almost everyone I know has and uses one of these things

[Cyber Liberty]

Didja all know K-Cups are NOT recyclable?  True.  It takes a LOT of heat to melt them.

[Cyber Liberty]

I got a Keurig from my mom. I used it a couple of times, then put it in the hall closet. I liked my old Mr Coffee coffee maker.

When my doc told me to cut down my coffee consumption, I brought out the Keurig. It’s fine for one cup a day.


Almost everyone I know has and uses one of these things

I have a 12-cup coffeepot that has a K-Cup brewer attached.  Sometimes I want an extra cup of the dark stuff.

[catfish1957]

Kaboom....

Too bad for all those left wing Millennials who  love their K-Cups.

Pucker up Butter-Cup.  Brew your joe with grounded baskets like the rest of us.  /s

[The_Reader_David]

French press.  No need for a fancy (or simple) machine, just a kettle (which you should have anyway for tea), a coffee grinder and the french press itself. 

Personally, I grind my coffee much finer than most French press advocates -- something I picked up on a brief sojourn in Australia, where French presses are the normative way to make coffee, but all the ground coffee comes fine ground.

[Hoodat]

Who was it again who gave us this self-centered approach to drinking coffee?  Oh, that's right.  Liberals did.  The same people who popularized drinking store-bought water out of plastic bottles.  The very same people who have littered an entire planet with disposable face masks.

[catfish1957]

French press.  No need for a fancy (or simple) machine, just a kettle (which you should have anyway for tea), a coffee grinder and the french press itself. 

Personally, I grind my coffee much finer than most French press advocates -- something I picked up on a brief sojourn in Australia, where French presses are the normative way to make coffee, but all the ground coffee comes fine ground.

I go a much simplier route in my java routine, A Bunn with Community Dark Roast in almost Espresso strength.

It's a caffeine jolt like no other.

[Hoodat]

French press.  No need for a fancy (or simple) machine, just a kettle (which you should have anyway for tea), a coffee grinder and the french press itself.

I have something similar, but it's called a Freedom Press.  Stainless steel.  Made in Germany.

[Hoodat]

A Bunn with Community Dark Roast in almost Espresso strength.

Sounds like a Louisiana thing to me.

[Smokin Joe]

French press.  No need for a fancy (or simple) machine, just a kettle (which you should have anyway for tea), a coffee grinder and the french press itself. 

Personally, I grind my coffee much finer than most French press advocates -- something I picked up on a brief sojourn in Australia, where French presses are the normative way to make coffee, but all the ground coffee comes fine ground.

I grind mine to powder, and use a Black and Decker (used to be $20) drip coffeemaker, unbleached filters. It does not get as hot as the Bunn or Mr. Coffee machines, so bitter oils aren't cooked out of the grounds. I also use distilled water.
Working with a Dark Sumatra from Coffee Bean Direct, I get a robust, smooth, very low acid cup of coffee that hits the spot. (No, I don't have any connections to any of the listed companies, except as a customer).

[Hoodat]

Percolated coffee tastes best, but it is hard to find a good percolator (with the glass knob) these days.

[catfish1957]

Sounds like a Louisiana thing to me.

Yep, as a youngster those chemical plant operators said it would put hair on the chest of young engineers.   

[mountaineer]

I grind mine to powder, and use a Black and Decker (used to be $20) drip coffeemaker, unbleached filters.

When we lived in another town, we used to get some very nice espresso beans at a place that roasted them right there, and we'd grind them fine, like you said. Used a regular drip maker, and it was delicious.

[Kamaji]

Those plastic coffee pods don't make any sense whatsoever except from the perspective of extreme convenience.  Quite honestly, if one can't be bothered to go through the process of making a real pot of coffee, just put some dried coffee in a cup and pour the hot water over it.  Taster's Choice!