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My mom has always had a love of coffee and I think it fascinated me even before I was interested in drinking it. I sometimes think back to the coffee brewing gadgets she had that would come out for big family gatherings.
Living in Japan for most of my life has only enhanced my fascination with coffee culture– but as sustainability has become more of a focus, it’s great to talk about which makers and beans are more sustainable.
Coffee makers
Growing up, my favorite was the party percolator which I was sad to hear my mom sold it at a swap-meet for a few bucks in the 80’s. It was a glorious, towering green electric coffee percolator with a serving spout at the front. Even as a kid I loved the smell and sound of the boiling coffee which would blip up through the clear glass at the top when it was nearly ready.
The swan stovetop retro percolator listing at an antique shop in the UK below has a similar vibe to my mom’s coffee server from the 60’s. Making coffee this way can be more sustainable if you compost your coffee grinds after use as there is no single-use filters or plastic packaging.
It may sound strange, but living in Japan has only increased my love of coffee with all the great types of coffee served in kissaten — retro style coffee shops — and cafes across the country.
Japan’s coffee culture has influenced cafes across the world — Japan Times
The most bizarre coffee style I saw when I first came to Japan in the early 1990’s was the science experiment– as I called it when I saw in in the front windows of snack bars and kissatens– it was actually the only places I could find serving coffee of any kind in my rural Japan town.
The individual versions of the siphon makers like you see below don’t need any filters, just hot water and often a heating unit underneath to keep it warm.
If you are like me and dislike being served cold coffee from the long process of a giant siphon or a really slow drip, then you may prefer to have your slow drip coffee cold, in which case the super-slow coil drip is worth seeking out.
The Kyoto glass coil slow-drip tower is so beautiful and stylish I am surprised I haven’t seen it appear in more cafes across the world as a showpiece to draw in customers.
For speed and convenience at home, I have adopted the french-press / caftiere / coffee-press as my go-to coffee source. It only requires hot water and coffee grinds, it’s easy to take with you on trips and it’s especially sustainable if you compost the grinds.
Delishably has a great article on the best models and a how-to guide– avoid plastic materials if possible. Why? Well, plastic is sourced from fossil fuels, and despite hard plastic being sturdy and made to last for many years, it’s difficult to separate to throw away, fix, or replace for parts if it breaks.
If you choose models made solely with more recyclable materials like glass, metal or wood, it will save you hassle when it breaks or you want to throw it out.
Quality coffee makers retain appeal and value over time, so if you buy a high-quality model, your kids may want to keep it, or it will have resale value.
Harking back to a trip to Italy for the Rome marathon, my partner is obsessed with these stylish stovetop percolators. Sleek and stylish looking as good on a shelf as filled with coffee, they don’t have any excess waste in single use filters and are more sustainable if you can compost the grinds.
These Moka Espresso pots are mostly made of a single-material, steel, with one unfortunate plastic handle. I’d love to see an all-steel version, or a heavy wooden handle version someday.
The simple 2-piece steel design screws together filled with grinds and water. They are long lasting and fairly easy to recycle at the end of life. Unlike the glass coffee press, they are also one of the hardiest models for travel.
Now let’s talk hand-drip or slow-drip which has had a boom over the last ten years in Japan and around the world. If you reuse the filters–usually made of hemp or a type of metal, or at least use compostable-biodegradable unbleached filters, you can create deeply rich cups of coffee with very little waste.
Sustainable Coffee
Unfortunately, coffee has a hefty environmental impact as it is energy intensive and flown from across the world. But, in terms of the 3-pillars of sustainability (good for people, planet and profits in balance), coffee can be a great way to support coffee-growing communities in some of the poorest areas of the world.
Thanksgiving coffee, is an inspiring, ethically-focused coffee roasters in the US,
Through coffee, we support justice for our growers, our communities, and the environment. As an activist business, our work is to engage every coffee drinker on big social, economic and environmental issues.
Coffee is our medium. “Not Just A Cup, But A Just Cup” is our message.
Fair Trade Coffee
Now most major retailers and coffee companies claim to pay fair wages to their growers, but keep asking before you buy and find a brand you trust. In the early days of fair-trade coffee (when all too often it just didn’t taste good) I was happy to discover Thanksgiving coffee– their ethical stance was enhanced by the flavors of their amazing coffee.
Shade Grown
Thanksgiving coffee also introduced me to shade-grown coffee that doesn’t require trees to be cut down for coffee growing, the birdsong series is one of my favorite gifts as it clearly connects shade grown to protecting animal habitats.
Organic
Organic is another keyword in more sustainable coffee beans that do not damage the soil where the coffee is grown. Because no chemicals are used, it is also safer for the growers, producers and their communities. In addition to keeping the soil healthy, it also keeps the local water sources clean.
For consumers who buy organic products, they can also have peace-of-mind that it is healthier and safer for them to drink and does not damage their local land and water with any chemicals.
As it’s high-quality organic, when you compost the grinds after you make the coffee, you will also feel better about reusing the rich coffee-grinds in your potted plants, in the bathroom to capture bad smells (like Starbucks does), and in the garden to enrich your soil.
The composting area of the zero-waste hotel in Kamikatsu shows how easy it is to compost kitchen waste in this raised wooden box– coffee grinds and tea leaves are a no-brainer for composting.
Read more about ZeroWaste Hotel WHY in Kamikatsu.
Making Use of Local Resources
One of the most exciting innovations I have seen in Japan is the use of roasted genmai rice with coffee beans. Yuya of Yuya Roast developed this blend to reduce the amount of imported beans (and their carbon impact) which he was using at his artisan coffee shop. It was important to retain a rich coffee taste, but he had the idea to make use of one of Japan’s only self-sufficient crops, rice.
Yuya-san of Yuya-Roast in Hiroshima is passionate about good coffee and bean roasting, but was worried about rising prices and sustainability, so he developed this new product he called RICO.
Coffee Buying Keywords
Bulk & Buy by Weight in Reusable Packaging
Keeping a look out for beans you can buy in bulk by refilling your own container is a wonderful way to reduce plastic waste as the shops can get bulk bags of roasted beans and sell it to customers by weight.
Coffee roasters can be a great resource as they buy their beans in huge burlap bags and are often willing to sell their roasted beans to you in your own containers if you ask.
Fair-Trade — Organic — Shade-Grown — Direct-Trade
Looking for the eco-labels of certified fair-trade, organic and shade-grown give you more peace-of-mind and asking an artisan roaster if they buy their beans by direct-trade is also a good way to find out about their more ethical practices (that may be outside of official certifications).
Pro-tip
Buying beans by bulk and storing them in air-tight containers in a cool, dark place or in the freezer will help them last longer, taste better and save you money.
