I don't think you can get much more "green" in terms of making coffee! No filters, no wasted water, and the grounds can go into compost. We use their french press/travel mug combo and it's perfect!

Check out the one I just bought (we just moved into our off-grid house and I wanted to get as many non-electric things as I could) from Hammacher Schlemmer (not sure of the spelling): http://www.hammacher.com/Product/76975?source=CJ&cm_mmc=CJ-_-1408768-_-1830967-_-Hammacher Product Catalog

Green, for sure. But I am not smart enough to figure out how to make a decent cup of coffee using a French press.

I hate cleaning my french press, so I usually set a permanent filter over my coffee cup, spoon in grounds, and slowly pour boiling water through. There are fancy gadgets you can get to do this with, but I had a permanent filter from a 4-cup coffeemaker so I figured, better to use what I already have. Washing it is super easy, too.

I'm not sure whether it's the most green of all coffeemakers. It *does* still use electricity after all. You can't heat the water without putting it in the microwave or on the stove. And you have to wash out all the little grounds, and unfortunately I find I use a lot of water doing that, too. I still think it's a very green option, *especially* when compared to the little individually-packaged coffee pod makers.

i really am not a fan of the taste of french pressed coffee. i have a nespresso machine, but the aluminium capsules can be brought to the store for recycling!

Oh, and for the record, I do have a Bodum coffeemaker (it's the only one we have in our house) and I adore the coffee it makes. I find french presses to make the least-bitter coffee, which is usually my number one coffee gripe.

Plenty of other ways to make coffee that don't use filters. Aeropress is my go to for single shot americanos. Though it does use a filter, they are tiny and reusable. For larger quantities of coffee I go with the stove top espresso makers.

Jose, how do u reuse your aeropress filters? ( i just ran out!)
Also, i've had mine a few years and it doesn't seem to do the suction thing as well as it used to...any tips?

Heat your water in an electric kettle. It uses a lot less power and makes great coffee.

@Sydney: You just rinse them out. After you use one for the first time, you just need to make sure to take it off the bottom of the puck of coffee before you discard the grounds. Rinse it the filter in warm water. It wont be as nice as before, but it will be clean and usable. You can generally do this 2 or 3 times before its time to throw it out. See page 2 of the aeropress manual: http://www.aerobie.com/Products/AeroPress%20Instructions.pdf

If you are having a hard time finding replacements, you can use regular coffee filters that you cut yourself into the right size, though I've never done this, as I am still on my first set of filters from when I bought mine.

I've used my Bodum French press to make cold brewed coffee, so in that case, I didn't even use the energy to heat the water.

I'm not a coffee drinker (prefer tea), but my husband loves his french press. I don't know what brand he has; he's owned it since he was eighteen and was still living overseas then. Also, that's seven years of faithful service!

We heat all our water in a electric water kettle. Also, to make sure we don't get too much, we fill our cups just a little fuller than we want them with cold water, and pour it into the kettle.

scoop the grounds out with a spatula and then rinse it, uses *very* little water.

The range is on longer to heat the water for the french press than the coffee machine is plugged in for, not sure which is worse environmentally. Also, our coffee machine has a permanent filter, so each take about the same amount of time to clean. Coffee is equally delicious from each!

if you have cholesterol issues, be careful about drinking unfiltered coffee:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6242467

This is all fair and good, but neither are "greener" nor "good". *Real* coffee is made by putting water in a moka, placing a few spoons in the filter and putting the moka on the gas. Period. It also happens to be super efficient and delicious. Maybe it's cause I'm from Milan, but don't give me any other coffee but this one!

http://www.italiepunt.nl/shop/images/Moka.jpg

Kristykreem, that's a really interesting article. It does seem to be more relevant for people who drink at least six cups of coffee every day (I can't even imagine drinking that much), but it's something to consider for people with problematic cholesterol levels.

I don't think anyone has mentioned the machine itself; which has the greenest life span? Take the different types of coffee into account as well as electricity need and disposal when the coffee maker is done and it's a fairly tricky question...

There are many types of Bodum presses, some of which contain less plastic in comparison with others, but I still don't like the taste of Bodum coffee as much as the one of traditionally made espresso or the one from my Nespresso. The latter uses less electricity than my water kettle, the coffee is among the freshest on the market with less time in warehouses around the world, and I put the coffee in biodegradable whereas the capsules go to metal waste.

The point on cholesterol and filters is good to pay attention to.