When the old coffee machine died, we did a lot of research on a new machine. We were torn between the pricier, fancier models and the basic kind. In the end, I just couldn’t see spending $150 on a coffee machine. So we ended up with this Black & Decker 5 Cup Programmable machine with a stainless steel carafe.
Here are a few things that I hope will make this a little bit of a greener machine:

• Permanent filter – I actually haven’t been able to find one in the local stores, so I’ll order it online. I have been waiting to get one of these but didn’t have one for the old machine because it was a #2 filter I knew the minute I invested the money in it, the machine would break and I’d have to buy a new one for the new machine anyway.
• Stainless steel carafe – This should solve the issue of breaking the carafe in a few years and having to buy a new machine again because I can’t find a replacement carafe.
• Auto-off – my old machine didn’t have this and many was the time I would come home and find fried coffee glued to the bottom of the carafe because I forgot to turn it off. Theoretically, the auto-off should be electricity-saving. Although it could definitely be seen as a safety feature in my case 🙂
• Small serving size – this is just like my old machine, it makes only a very small amount of coffee at a time. We considered a machine that makes larger amounts of coffee but distributes it in smaller doses. In the end, I felt like the larger machine was just a waste of power and water and coffee grounds, since I’m the only one in the house that drinks coffee. When we have folks over, I just make several pots. Although I think I might invest in a nice carafe for those times, especially for Thanksgiving this year.