The plastic-free machine rocketed Simply Good into sudden prominence—and indeed, it’s sold out its production runs more than once since its release last year, riding a wave of interest in plastic-free drip coffee makers. The design is similar to Simply Good’s previous model, but with plastic parts removed from the equation.
The frame is made of 304 “food grade” stainless steel. The reservoir, carafe, and boiler tube are borosilicate glass. Certain connections, including the drip stop, are made with medical-grade, sand-based silicone fittings that are not thought to produce nanoparticles easily. It is, quite simply, the least plasticky drip coffee machine I am aware of. There’s no plastic contact, hot or cold, and very minimal silicone contact.
Operation is dead simple. There are, in fact, just two switches. One turns on the brewer and the warming plate; the other controls the pour-over style “bloom” function, adding a small phase to wet the grounds before brewing a full batch. The machine will turn itself off after 40 minutes, or you can do so manually.
So how’s the coffee? It’s good. It’s generally light-bodied, brewing in six minutes even on full 40-ounce batches. It’s tested, but not certified, to maintain precise brewing temperatures throughout the entire brewing process. The results are better than most basic drip coffee makers, but don’t quite keep pace with the best-of-the-best coffee makers: the Moccamasters, the Fellows, the Ratios. There’s a coffee warmer, which I don’t prefer, but many do.
Some parts aren’t machined as precisely as I’d hope, leading to a little jiggle or awkward fits. And customer service is also a lesser-known quantity with Simply Good. Calls to the customer service center during business hours reached only AI operators. But I did receive a call back a couple days later from someone I believe to be human. And the replacement warranty is an excellent five years.
In the end, if you’re buying this, you’re buying it because, for now, it is the drip coffee maker that is the most dedicated to ensuring that your coffee maker isn’t adding microplastics to your cup. If you filter your water for microplastics, the Simply Good Coffee will likely not add any microplastics after the fact. That’s a lot of peace of mind.
The Simply Good Coffee machine is, quite simply, the most plastic-free drip coffee machine I’ve tested.
The frame is made of “food grade” 304 stainless steel. The reservoir, carafe, and boiler tube are borosilicate glass. Some of its connections and fittings are made with silicone—specifically medical-grade, sand-based silicone. A couple handles, and the reservoir lid, are also made with silicone.
For what it’s worth, silicone is sometimes called a plastic by the plastics industry, and it’s certainly a polymer. But its properties are different, and modest heat is not thought to cause leaching of nanoparticles unless the silicone has also been subjected to significant mechanical wear.
In any case, no hot or cold water contact with plastics, and quite minimal contact with silicone. The result is that the Simply Good is the least plasticky drip coffee machine I am aware of. I still docked a point for the existence of silicone.
Plastic Content: 9/10
The Simply Good Coffee brewer, like the Moccamaster it resembles, has been tested for compliance with “Golden Cup” parameters laid out by the Specialty Coffee Association, designed to describe best coffee brewing practices.
These include, but aren’t limited to, the ability to keep coffee within tight time and temperature parameters while brewing—specifically, between 92 and 96 degrees Celsius. Each batch also remains within optimum times, brewing even a full batch in about six minutes. Simply Good received independent lab testing showing its capability to stay within tight brewing parameters. But it did not go through the far more rigorous and expensive SCA certification process.
This effort places Simply Good squarely in the “premium” category, and the coffee is going to taste better than most standard drip machines whose temperature can range wildly over the course of the brewing process. However, while the coffee tastes good, it doesn’t taste as good as the Ratio—nor any of my other top drip coffee maker picks.
I noted some trouble with wetting coffee grounds evenly, especially on full 40-ounce batches, which can lead to under-extraction in some places and over-extraction in others. Which is to say: less precision of flavor, and a certain flatness. I didn’t detect off notes, but I’ve also never had a cup with the Simply Good that I’ve been extremely excited about. And I’ve brewed dozens of batches.
Note that the warming plate gets quite warm, and it stays on during the brewing process, which means the coffee gets overheated during the early phases of brewing, leading to a small bit of diner-coffee oxidation in every batch—even if you take the carafe off after the batch completes.
Most coffee drinkers won’t notice these quibbles much. But aficionados will. And among high-end coffee makers topping $400, Simply Good quite simply does not taste as good.
Flavor: 7/10
Like the Moccamaster it resembles, the Simply Good machine has almost no buttons. Its operation is mostly as simple as turning it off and on, and choosing whether you’d like a “bloom” function that mimics pour-over.
But also like the Moccamaster, there are a lot of little parts: a reservoir lid, a shower attachment, a detachable brew chamber, a top for the chamber, a carafe with a detachable lid. Not all of these fit perfectly, or comfortably. The showerhead attachment has a little wobble to it.
The lid to the carafe can grind a bit, metal on glass, if you put it on even slightly crookedly—an uncomfortable form of friction that makes me worry about longevity. More parts also means more parts to clean. And while they can be put in the dishwasher, I doubt you’ll do so daily.
The drip stop is both helpful and a potential hazard, depending on who you are. If you don’t use the drip stop, there’ll be a bit of dripping after the main brew. But if you do, there’s a risk you won’t notice it’s still activated when you go to brew a batch. This’ll cause an overflow if you let it. Entirely user error. And yet I’ve done it more than once.
Still, simple is simple. And it’s dead simple to use, and hard to screw up. And stainless steel and borosilicate glass both clean quite easily.
Ease: 7/10
Best Upgrade Plastic-Free Coffee Maker: Ratio Eight
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Photograph: Matthew Korfhage
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Photograph: Matthew Korfhage
Ratio
Eight Series 2 Coffee Maker
The Ratio Eight Series 2 ($799) is a beautiful machine. Its brew basket and carafe are as hourglass-shaped as a 1960s movie bombshell. The machine is sleek-lined, walnut-trimmed. The stainless steel brew basket and even the lid to the reservoir arrive with pleasing heft.
