January 3rd, 2011
Walk into any Williams-Sonoma or Bed, Bath and Beyond and you won’t have trouble finding a plethora of drip coffeemakers to buy.
However…
You won’t find any coffeemakers made in the USA. I don’t know the story behind our coffee people deciding to ship out the biz. Americans love their coffee, so it’s really a shame that shoppers can’t find a drip coffeemaker that’s made in the US.
If you want a drip coffeemaker that’s assembled in the US, then Bunn appears to be the only option. Fans of Bunn seem to have unending praise of the great taste of coffee from a Bunn. These machines were originally produced for a commercial environment and have been adapted (sort of) for home use.
As an environmentally conscious person, I have issues with Bunn. 
First, they seem to force you to use their disposable filters. From what I’ve gathered reading reviews, the Bunn isn’t gold-filter friendly. Second, in order to get that fast three-minute brew, water is always heated. Always. Always heated.
Yeah, that’s convenient if you’re going to be at home all day and want hot water on demand for a cup of tea or a fast cup of coffee, but the constant heating of water is a waste of energy.
Sadly, the increasingly popular K-cup (Keurig) makers that produce a single cup in a flash also keep water heated constantly. (They appear to have an auto-off feature that can help save energy, but all those little plastic cups are still wasteful.)
We’re wasting energy because we can’t wait a couple of minutes for coffee.
Maybe a better post title would have been “Where did all the eco-friendly coffeemakers go?” What if the EPA started giving Energy Star ratings to coffeemakers?
Perhaps there’s no such thing as a green drip coffeemaker. Maybe it’s better to stick with a French press or Bialetti. 
French presses and the Bialetti are a little more difficult to clean than your standard drip coffeemaker, but there’s no disposable filter, no silly hot water reserve. They’re also NOT a big plastic box sitting on your counter.
What are your thoughts on greening drip coffeemakers?
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