Plastic brewers, ie Tricolate

Coffee preparation techniques besides espresso like pourover.
dsc106
Posts: 546
Joined: 4 years ago

#1: Post by dsc106 »

I'm sure this has been discussed, but, I am wondering peoples takes these days on high heat + plastic exposure. Even Tritan plastic such as that in tricolate can have issues, so while it looks like a great brewer I am hesitant to add a plastic device exposed to boiling water for long durations to my workflow.

The question to me is amplified with a device like this. An aeropress and even a clever has a short contact time but with tricolate, brew times can be 6-10 minutes and there is additional exposure as you even pour through plastic.

Am I over thinking it? Do others have concerns about plastic brewers? It seems plastic brewers are wildly popular so perhaps it's not really an issue?

Currently I'm using glass v60, steel Kalita, steel e61 machine so don't know how to feel about an all plastic tricolate. Definitely interested in the brewer otherwise.

bobR
Posts: 99
Joined: 6 years ago

#2: Post by bobR »

I personally think this is a very difficult question to answer. You will get different opinions even from so called experts. Certainly there are some plastics worse than others and you can make some reasonable judgements but I try to stay away from as much plastic as possible and more so at elevated temperature. But I understand that I have a very conservative stance that many won't agree with. There are so very many good brewers made of glass, ceramic or stainless that avoiding plastic is easy. The world needs less plastic.

DamianWarS
Posts: 1379
Joined: 4 years ago

#3: Post by DamianWarS »

dsc106 wrote:I'm sure this has been discussed, but, I am wondering peoples takes these days on high heat + plastic exposure. Even Tritan plastic such as that in tricolate can have issues, so while it looks like a great brewer I am hesitant to add a plastic device exposed to boiling water for long durations to my workflow.

The question to me is amplified with a device like this. An aeropress and even a clever has a short contact time but with tricolate, brew times can be 6-10 minutes and there is additional exposure as you even pour through plastic.

Am I over thinking it? Do others have concerns about plastic brewers? It seems plastic brewers are wildly popular so perhaps it's not really an issue?

Currently I'm using glass v60, steel Kalita, steel e61 machine so don't know how to feel about an all plastic tricolate. Definitely interested in the brewer otherwise.
I'm surprised tricolate doesn't make a glass one and market it as a premium so there is an alternative material for those that don't like using a lot of plastics.

Acavia
Posts: 689
Joined: 4 years ago

#4: Post by Acavia »

I wont use plastic as I am happy with glass V60 and Kalita. Also the clear acrylics and harder clear plastics leach more than the soft plastic like the colored V60s use as I understand it.

Example per Hario:

Material:
Clear Dripper: Acrylonitrile-styrene Resin
Red & White Dripper and Measuring Spoon: Polypropylene


Then from https://www.medicinenet.com/is_polyprop ... rticle.htm
Polypropylene (PP) is usually considered safe for humans. It is considered the safest of all plastics; it is a robust heat-resistant plastic. Because of its high heat tolerance, it is unlikely to leach even when exposed to warm or hot water. It is approved for use with food and beverage storage. It can be re-used safely and used with hot beverages.

DanN
Posts: 89
Joined: 10 years ago

#5: Post by DanN »

Plastic is bad especially under long term exposure. I can taste it . If you like tricolate brewer , you can get the same taste with a larger size9 or 10 Vietnamese stainless brewer ...I use it and love it. I also use the ceramic German Walkure with same profile and it's good. Some plastics like Melitta's Tritan plastic with thicker profiles are good but most cheaper plastics are not good. My hario plastic started having hairline cracks in 6 months ...stainless is awesome and that's what I use these days ....in fact I have changed all my brewers in plastic to stainless.

DamianWarS
Posts: 1379
Joined: 4 years ago

#6: Post by DamianWarS replying to DanN »

My Hario clear plastic brewers have shown damage like what you say with the cracks. My soild colour plastic brewers don't show those cracks and they look fine. So no doubt the two are made with different plastics.

Some of the plastic craze came from guys like Rao saying they are better as insulators so keep the heat better. I personally now perfer ceramics or glass. It doesn't matter for the Hario because they make them in every material and I find most brewers have cermeic/glass versions plus they look a lot better.

I made a tricolate style of brewer with 2" PVC pipe and it works the exact same way. Ridged PVC is food safe but I know with plastics nothing is perfect. I suspect a lot of us come into daily contact with hot water that passed through PVC at one point. I'm surprised we don't see more silicon brewers. I have no idea how more food safe they are over plastics but they seem like a natural direction.

DanN
Posts: 89
Joined: 10 years ago

#7: Post by DanN »

Brewer in a PVC Pipe ...Not something I feel comfortable with ....But as you say glass and ceramic are better and stainless is the best . I even have a MELITTA style brewer in stainless.....French press in stainless, vacuum coffee makers in stainless and can stand any abuse ...budget friendly also.

ohwhen
Posts: 65
Joined: 3 years ago

#8: Post by ohwhen »

I do not know much (anything) about chemistry but any brewer I've used long term with plastic parts (french press lids, aeropress, various thermoses) has started to smell rancid eventually. I rarely use anything other than my ceramic V60 these days. I am been interested in the tricolate but the plastic and price point have swayed me against it for now.

jpender
Posts: 3863
Joined: 11 years ago

#9: Post by jpender »

DamianWarS wrote:I made a tricolate style of brewer with 2" PVC pipe and it works the exact same way. Ridged PVC is food safe but I know with plastics nothing is perfect. I suspect a lot of us come into daily contact with hot water that passed through PVC at one point.
Rigid PVC piping has a maximum use temperature of 60°C. At around 80°C it will start to soften. Obviously a soft pipe under pressure is a problem but what that means exactly for the chemical stability of the polymer is more concerning if you're using it with hot beverages. I don't worry too much about chemical leaching from plastics. But I wouldn't use normal PVC pipe for hot brewing. Show me the data proving it's safe and then I'll believe it's okay.

CPVC is good up to around 90°C or so. It's used for hot water supply in homes but nobody sets their water heater to 95°C. So even with that material you'd be pushing the limit using it to brew hot coffee. Will it kill you? Shrink your gonads? Give you cancer in 25 years? Oh, probably not. But there are better alternatives, or at least I imagine other plastics that are specifically rated food safe for boiling hot liquids are safer.

DamianWarS
Posts: 1379
Joined: 4 years ago

#10: Post by DamianWarS »

dsc106 wrote:I'm sure this has been discussed, but, I am wondering peoples takes these days on high heat + plastic exposure. Even Tritan plastic such as that in tricolate can have issues, so while it looks like a great brewer I am hesitant to add a plastic device exposed to boiling water for long durations to my workflow.

The question to me is amplified with a device like this. An aeropress and even a clever has a short contact time but with tricolate, brew times can be 6-10 minutes and there is additional exposure as you even pour through plastic.

Am I over thinking it? Do others have concerns about plastic brewers? It seems plastic brewers are wildly popular so perhaps it's not really an issue?

Currently I'm using glass v60, steel Kalita, steel e61 machine so don't know how to feel about an all plastic tricolate. Definitely interested in the brewer otherwise.
I made the PVC brewer for demonstration and I don't really use it otherwise. I think you've made some fair points and if anything may indicate an increased trend away from plastics as we get smarter about these things. I myself may reinvest into some glass/ceramic counterparts and transition away from plastics. Also I think it's useful for commercial applications and they should avoid plastics altogether as they get a lot more wear. Sure they are drop proof and hold their heat but there are other things to consider too with a brewer.

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