Looking for an immersion brewer with zero water-plastic contact points and is also paper filtered.

September 18th, 2023, 9:23 am

I'd like to get into immersion brewing but I have these two hard sticking points. I do not enjoy coffee oils, so I insist on using a brewer with a paper filter. And I'm not OK with using any brewer where near-boiling water comes into contact with plastic, even if it's minimal like in the Hario Switch or glass Clever (I realize my insistence on no water-plastic contact probably induces eye-rolling in some, but it is a boundary I've set nonetheless).

What are my options? The only one I've been able to come up with is the Goat Story Gina basic, which is not easily available in my country. Just curious if any other options exist that meet this criteria.

Thanks!

#2: Post by **Jeff** » September 18th, 2023, 9:40 am

French press with circle-cut papers. Any non-plastic container to steep in and your choice of filtration, such as a non-plastic dripper or lab filter.

Almost anything with a seal or pliable seat is going to have plastic. Most of the o-rings and seal materials, though labeled synthetic rubber, are "plastic".

#3: Post by **Sal** » September 18th, 2023, 10:23 am

The siphon brewer (also called Vacuum Coffee Pot) is an immersion brewer and most come with zero plastic, except maybe in the handle which will not come in contact with water. I have never used a paper filter, but the cloth filter that many of the siphon brewers use is fine enough and takes most of the coffee oil. I imagine you can use a large circular paper filter instead of a cloth filter.

I love a siphon brewer and coffee it brews. I have a Yama 5 cap siphon brewer I occasionally use for entertaining my guests. I also have a Hario Miniphon for my own ultimate 1cup brew enjoyment. I would use it every day if it was easier to use and maintain. It is a bit cumbersome to make coffee with it and maintenance and cleaning are pain. I always wanted to have an All-glass Cona siphon brewer, but I have not invested in the rig yet. My feeling is that the Cona glass filter will not be able to separate oil like a cloth or paper filter though.

https://www.amazon.com/Cona-coffee-make ... B07MWDRGL8

#4: Post by **jpender** » September 18th, 2023, 10:42 am

Don't siphons have a gasket/stopper? I guess it depends on one's definition of "plastic" and what the stopper is made out of.

If I were of the mind to avoid all plastic I'd do what Jeff suggests: brew in a glass jar and then decant the liquid through a paper filter held by a glass, metal, or ceramic filter cone. I'm not sure that paper filtration by itself (without the coffee bed) is as good a filter of the dipertenes and lipids that some people want filtered out of their coffee. But it's cleaner than merely decanting.

It seems like it should be feasible to make a Clever style device without any plastic. Attention would have to be focused on a leak-proof seal that didn't have any sort of polymer. Probably you'd have to engineer your own.

#5: Post by **yakster** » September 18th, 2023, 10:57 am

The gasket on a siphon doesn't make contact with the brew water. It is at the top of the neck of the funnel and seals with the top of the base. I use a glass filter rod with a metal mount and chain to keep it in place and provide a nucleation point for water vapor to prevent any possibility of superheated water. The glass rod would let oils pass, you'd want to make sure a paper filter holder doesn't have any plastic in it.

#6: Post by **Sal** » September 18th, 2023, 10:58 am

jpender wrote:Don't siphons have a gasket/stopper? I guess it depends on one's definition of "plastic" and what the stopper is made out of.

Yeah, it depends on what "plastic" means. If the definition is petroleum-based polymer, then most of the gaskets used in modern siphons are made of silicone which is not petroleum-based. But it is a synthetic polymer nonetheless. Old-fashioned siphons use rubber gaskets, I think. The gasket does seal the gap between the upper chamber and the lower part, but during brewing, water does not come in contact with the gasket. Maybe a small part of the gasket may get exposed to heat and steam during the boiling part though.

#7: Post by **yakster** » September 18th, 2023, 11:07 am

You might search for a gasketless siphon.

Cory DCU/DCL Coffee Brewer - Gasketless Vacuum Pot

Because the serving temperature of a siphon is close to it's brewing temperature you could use a glass rod and filter the result through a paper filter cone while cooling the coffee for drinking.

#8: Post by **Sal** » September 18th, 2023, 11:15 am

Adding to the French press idea, what I often do is brew coffee in a Bodum Chambord French Press and just filter it through paper. I like the bold flavor of French Press, but I hate fine grits that end up in a cup. I use a regular Hario paper filter for this, but maybe Cafec Abaca (not Abaca+) may be quicker to draw down.
See this: https://www.reddit.com/r/pourover/comme ... ?rdt=60633

#9: Post by **jpender** » September 18th, 2023, 12:18 pm

yakster wrote:The gasket on a siphon doesn't make contact with the brew water. It is at the top of the neck of the funnel and seals with the top of the base. I use a glass filter rod with a metal mount and chain to keep it in place and provide a nucleation point for water vapor to prevent any possibility of superheated water. The glass rod would let oils pass, you'd want to make sure a paper filter holder doesn't have any plastic in it.

Oh I see. It creates a seal so the air+vapor pressure will build. But I think that means that there is still contact via the water vapor which could be a concern for some people. If you're worried about trace amounts.

#10: Post by **yakster** » September 18th, 2023, 3:06 pm

The Balance Coffee Siphon gadgets might not have any plastic parts in contact with the brew water. Not sure if they accommodate a paper filter without modification.