Earth Day confessions of a wasteful coffee drinker

I’m probably drinking too much coffee. I say this because during the last two years I have gone through at least four coffee makers. Of course, two of them were the little cheap kind. Number three was a monstrosity which came with enough water-tight compartments to claim a submarine in its ancestry. And one was bought at the Goodwill Store in Colorado Springs while I was visiting my brother.

I even reverted to the stainless-steel percolator which had been pushed to the back of the bottom cabinet years ago after the second melt-down of the cheap versions. Those low-cost machines can brew up a nice cup of coffee … if one invests in a good brand of coffee. Even the cheap brands can work quite well. But, you keep that little bundle of electric wires and thin plastic on for twenty-four hours, and it will glue the glass container to the heating element.

One of the little cheap coffee makers just refused to come on. How dare it? How did I know that I had unplugged the toaster instead? This was number two and quite a cute little coffee maker. I’m not sure what little kid, working in a sweat-shop, was responsible for soldering the tiny little wires that fit up under the pseudo-metallic faceplate, but I hope he got paid his ten cents an hour. I must say, I got my money’s worth. Two months for a ten-dollar machine is a lot cheaper than Starbucks.

When the last machine died, I decided to invest in a better coffee maker. It was cheaper than going up on my homeowner’s insurance. I went to the discount store thinking I’d look at one of those “pod” machines. I had no idea that they cost that much … even at the discount store. So, I bought the afore-mentioned monstrosity. Although the new model didn’t require a glass carafe, like the two predecessors, it did have a problem. When I needed to refill my cup, I would just put my cup under the spigot and press. Nice, until you have company in the living room and have to tote that thing around to let them fill their cups. Hot water sloshing all over the rug, guests with first degree burns, coffee stains on the dog: it just wasn’t worth it. I got the thing for thirty-five dollars and ended up throwing it away. I could have sold it on Craig’s list, but hey, I was ready to move up.  

That’s when I went to my brother’s in Colorado Springs. They had a real-live pod coffee pot: name brand. They showed me how I could get two cups from one pod … thus saving a little money and even suggested that I get a refillable rubber pod. Shopping later that week at the Goodwill Store, I came across the cutest little baby-pod coffee maker. It was green. I bought it for about twenty dollars and entered the modern world. 

My little green wonder worked very well, for several months. I made coffee, hot chocolate, tea, and apple cider. Then something went wrong. It began to spew and tear holes in the top of the pods. Coffee grounds drained down into the cup, and I was sad. 

That’s when I decided to buy a brand-new, name-brand, pod-pushing coffee maker. I bit the bullet and ordered a real one. I love it. I make great-tasting coffee several times a day. I know summer is coming, and I’ll drink less coffee, but I love those little pods. I had hoped to assuage my guilt by using the little rubber refillable pod, but alas … it must have run away with the little green machine. Oh, well, Earth Day comes but once a year.