BPA-free, glass, and metal – the top 3 toxin-free coffee makers recommended by a trained barista
Are you worried about what might be in your coffee maker? BPA (bisphenol A) is a chemical known as an endocrine disruptor, which means it could possibly interfere with our hormonal systems. It’s sometimes used in rigid plastics, and according to the UK Food Standards Agency, tiny amounts of it can be transferred into food and drinks.
As the US National Institute for Health Sciences (NIH) explains, “The degree to which BPA leaches from polycarbonate bottles into liquid may depend more on the temperature of the liquid or bottle, than the age of the container.” That makes it a particular concern when you’re dealing with hot drinks such as coffee.
All coffee makers licensed to be sold in the US and UK must comply with national food safety standards, including the use of BPA, but if you want to be extra sure you’re not exposed to it unnecessarily, some manufacturers avoid it entirely. Here I’ve rounded up three of the best machines we’ve tested here at TechRadar that are fully BPA-free.
It’s not an exhaustive list, and other companies may also avoid BPA, but the ones listed here make their policies particularly clear.
If you want to avoid plastic entirely, there are also plenty of manual options to try, depending on what style of coffee you like. One of the simplest is a dripper, like the Simply Hario Glass Pour Over Set ($38.50 / £33.58 from Amazon), which includes a glass dripper and carafe. Hario also offers a range of plastic-free French presses, such as the Hario THSV-4-HSV ($57.12 / £108.21 from Amazon).
Another option is a Chemex brewer (made from the same quality glass used in labware), and if you really want to keep things minimal, it’s easy to make cold-brew coffee in a glass jar.
Moccamaster KBGV Select
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The great-looking KBGV Select long held the top spot in my roundup of the best drip coffee machines, and was only recently overthrown by the Sage Luxe Brewer Thermal. The KBGV Select is mostly made from stainless steel and glass, and according to manufacturer Technivorm, “all plastic parts are BPA-, BPF- and phthalate-free”.
When we tested it, we found it super simple to operate and refreshingly old-school compared to some of the flashier drip machines around today. It has just two switches (one to turn it on or off, and one to select a full or half carafe), plus an automatic hotplate that keeps the pitcher warm for 100 minutes (or 40 minutes for the UK or Australian models). Want to keep it hot longer? Just flick the power switch again.
Water is heated using a copper boiling element, then passed through a glass tube to the stainless steel outlet arm, where it’s pulsed over your ground coffee. It took just 3.5 minutes for us to brew a full carafe of full-bodied coffee, and although keeping your coffee on a hotplate for long periods can spoil the flavor, we found it kept our brew at an optimal drinking temperature until we were ready to pour our last cup.
None of the components are dishwasher-safe, but it’s easy to wash the brew basket and the glass carafe by hand. The only other drawback we found was that the carafe lid sometimes flips up if you’re too hasty when pouring. Simply restrain yourself a little, and it’s not an issue.
If this particular drip machine is too big for your kitchen, Technivorm also produces several smaller models, including the tiny Moccamaster Cup One, all of which are also BPA-free.
Read our full Moccamaster KBGV Select review
De’Longhi Primadonna Aromatic
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De’Longhi is one of the few espresso machine manufacturers with a clear BPA-free policy. “We do not use polycarbonate in the manufacture of any parts which come into contact with food, and we will not release a product for sale unless tests show that no BPA is detected,” the company explains in its FAQs.
The Primadonna Aromatic, which launched earlier in 2025, is one of the most sophisticated coffee makers I’ve had the pleasure of testing, and it’s excellent for both hot and cold drinks thanks to a choice of brewing options, and separate carafes for frothing hot and cold milk. Plus, both of the latter can be adjusted to create different textures.
Another of the Primadonna Aromatic’s standout features is its ability to ‘learn’ which drinks you like to make, and when. Over time, it develops a picture of your preferences, and bumps your favorites to the top of the menu when you’re most likely to want them. It’s an extremely handy feature, particularly since there are 35 customizable coffees to choose from, and members of your household can have their own profiles. This way, nobody overrides your bespoke latte settings.
Brew settings can be configured depending on your choice of beans, with the machine doing the hard work of calculating the optimum grind size, brew temperature, and brew time for you. The result? One of the tastiest espressos I’ve had from an automatic coffee maker.
For me, there are two drawbacks. First, there’s the sheer size. I’ve tested a lot of coffee machines – over a dozen in the last year – and the Primadonna Aromatic is one of the biggest. It’s also one of the priciest. If your budget won’t run to the Primadonna Aromatic, the De’Longhi Dedica Style is another excellent BPA-free espresso machine, and is a great option if you have a small kitchen.
Read our full De’Longhi Primadonna Aromatic review
Aarke Coffee System
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According to Aarke, both parts of this grinder and drip machine bundle are made using “stainless steel SUS304, silicone, glass, [and] BPA-free food-grade plastic”.
Its metal casing certainly looks super slick, and like all of my favorite drip coffee machines, it has a super simple interface, with just one button on the brewer itself and a knurled knob on the side of the grinder. The grind size is adjusted by turning the collar of the bean hopper, which rotates with a satisfying click.
The grinder and brewer can be used separately, but link them with the cable supplied in the box, and they will sync so that the grinder prepares the correct amount of coffee for the amount of water in the tank. It’s a clever idea, and it works well. The coffee was a little strong for our taste on the default settings, but adjusting the grind size quickly resolved that.
Unlike the Moccamaster above, all of the Aarke system’s removable parts are dishwasher-safe, which is good news if you struggle with hand-washing.
For us, the downsides were that the grinder spout sometimes became clogged, and the carafe had a tendency to lose heat faster than we’d like. It’s well worth upgrading to the optional insulated carafe, which will keep your coffee at an optimum temperature for much longer.
Read our full Aarke Coffee System review
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