Portland Artist Develops Zero-Waste Design To Brew Coffee
Pour-over coffee brewing has become one of the simplest and most popular methods for preparing coffee. However, it is dependent on a filter, which is typically made of paper. Yes, there are alternatives, including filters made of stainless steel and cotton fabric.
Etai Rahmil of Portland, Oregon, deemed these inadequate. As a glass artist, he decided in 2018 that he could create something better: a reusable glass filter that was not only functional, but also aesthetically pleasing.
“Every day, I do two things without fail: drink coffee and create glass art,” he says. “One day, the glass shop ran out of paper filters, and the idea of combining these two items occurred to me. I’m an engineer at heart, so the challenge of using glass to make coffee in a non-traditional manner was incredibly exciting. In addition, running out of paper filters in the middle of the workday is extremely inconvenient, which occurred far too frequently.”
Rahmil began experimenting with ideas. The first few iterations were unsuccessful. It had to be both environmentally friendly and produce coffee that he would want to drink. Six months of experimentation led him to choose the “inverted design,” he states. “In order to produce an evenly saturated, self-regulated pour with minimal agitation, we incorporated a diffuser lid that rains onto the coffee grounds, which is a crucial step in the brewing process. It reduces agitation, allowing the bottom cake to remain intact.”
