Safest Espresso Machines, Moka Pots & Stovetop Espresso Makers - MAMAVATION

Feb 19, 2025

December 3, 2024 // by Leah Segedie

Where can you find the safest home espresso machines & stovetop espresso makers that don’t leach microplastics & PFAS “forever chemicals” into your espresso shots? Mamavation investigated the most popular brands of espresso machines, Moka pots, and stovetop espresso makers to find out what materials they were using so you can make safer choices for your family. You’ve trusted Mamavation to bring you topics like the safest coffee tested for pesticides & PFAS, safest air fryers, safest juicers, safest kitchen stand mixers, safest waffle makers, & safest Indoor Kitchen Grills & Paninis; now join us for an investigation on the safest espresso machines.

Disclosure: This post was medically reviewed by Sondra Strand, RN, BSN, PHN. This post also contains affiliate links.

Table of Contents

First off, I wanted to give you some reasonable expectations about espresso machines. After studying the industry and reaching out to the most popular espresso machine brands and products, we couldn’t find a single one that didn’t expose your family to toxins of some kind. So, if you want an espresso machine like this, you’ll need to get that settled in your mind first–there is no such thing as perfection with these machines. That being said, there are big differences with internal components that will increase or decrease the amount of microplastics and other types of toxins you are exposed to. Therefore, to finish this investigation we had to make some compromises for you.

We did our best to contact most of the brands on the lists we provided you below. Some brands gave us more information than others, but we quickly discovered that per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) aka “forever chemicals” are very likely present on internal food contact surfaces in most of these machines. We discovered this by going undercover and interviewing online retailers that sell both espresso machines and the internal parts to fix them. These companies knew quite a bit about what was inside the average espresso machine, and the answers to the questions we had were somewhat depressing. The bad news is most of these brands are using a type of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) tubing or gaskets, which is also referred to as “Teflon.” Teflon or PTFE is a type of PFAS “forever chemical.” You’ve probably heard of “teflon” because of the teflon cookware we warn you to avoid. According to online retailers, espresso machine brands are also using gaskets, o-rings, and other brackets made from PTFE. In fact, this industry has more PFAS contamination issues than air fryers do, which is saying a lot because PFAS is pretty prevalent in that industry. (But if you have an espresso machine that is over a decade old, you may not have this issue because this has become a more recent standard in the industry.)

Another important detail to understand is what situations would arise that would increase the likelihood of leaching toxic chemicals from inside the machine to your coffee. Leaching of toxic chemicals becomes more of an issue when they are exposed to heat or highly acidic contents, like coffee, so hot water or hot coffee would result in more leaching over time. In other words, it’s not so much the lukewarm water in the tank that’s the problem, but when the water gets heated and flows through PTFE tubing and along gaskets, that can become more of an issue over time. Now we are going to discuss the problematic materials we found to be present in most espresso machines based on our study of the internal components that were for sale to fix the machines.

Most of the tubing & gaskets sold by retailers to fix espresso machines are made from PTFE, a type of PFAS “forever chemical.” The types of internal components we found made from PTFE were internal tubing/hoses, gaskets, O-rings, & brackets. PTFE, like any other polymer, has the ability to leach over time and use, especially when exposed to heat and acid, which would arise inside an espresso machine. Here are the health issues PFAS “forever chemicals” have been linked to in recent studies:

Another material that could be problematic to your health is aluminum. Aluminum is ubiquitous in cookware & small kitchen appliances meaning you’ll find it everywhere. Even cookware reviewed on other wellness sites as “aluminum-free” will very likely have an aluminum core. The aluminum core is not the issue when we refer to aluminum in cookware, but it can become problematic in bakeware and small kitchen appliances like espresso machines because it’s a food contact surface. The most important part to concentrate on is food contact surfaces and what your beverage (i.e. water or coffee) touches.

Aluminum leaches trace amounts of aluminum into food when it’s part of the food contact surface. Over time, trace amounts of aluminum in your diet can be problematic to your health. It is bioaccumulative and a known neurotoxin that can cause neurological disorders like dementia. Aluminum breaks down quicker when it’s exposed to high heat, so it would never be recommended to put something made from aluminum into the dishwasher.

Some companies selling replacement parts for espresso machines were selling tubing made from PVC, so we are assuming it’s possible that some companies are also using PVC parts inside the espresso machine as well. However, according to online retailers, PVC is as common as other types of tubing. This “non-PFAS” tubing has some hormonal issues that are important for you to know about. PVC contains a phthalate called Bis(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP). DEHP is linked to feminizing males and has been banned in many countries, but not the U.S. Mamavation has also found phthalates in olive oils, coconut oils, avocado oils, & ghee.

Phthalates are hormone-disrupting chemicals that are linked to a host of health issues: Weight gain & obesity, Shorter height, Precocious puberty, Asthma, Allergies, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Lower IQ, Social impairment, Type II diabetes and insulin resistance, Poor cardiovascular health, Thyroid function and increased risk of thyroid cancer, Females: pregnancy loss and preterm birth, low birth weight, earlier menopause, Males: genital development, semen quality, reduced “masculine” play, Inhibits testosterone production, Shortened anogenital distance, or shortened “taint” , & Shortened length of penis.

Studies in people exposed to high concentrations of microplastics, model animals, and cell culture experiments suggest that the effects of microplastics could include provoking immune and stress responses and inducing reproductive and developmental toxicity. More studies need to be done in this area, but it’s pretty clear that microplastics, in general, are not optimal for human health or the environment. So the less plastic you are exposing your water or coffee to the better.

The exact components of an espresso machine vary from machine to machine, but most of them have similar parts. The price range of these machines are from about $150 to $10,000 depending on what type of model you want and how many espresso drinks they can do at a time. However, a home machine that is a newer model can run you anywhere from $150 to $3,000. According to experts, the most expensive are not always the best. They will vary in taste, texture, consistency of heat, ease of use, and price point.

If you don’t want to deal with all the PFAS issues around espresso machines, a Moka Pot or stovetop espresso maker will be for you. The Moka Pot is a staple of Italian culture. It’s a stove-top coffee maker that brews coffee by passing hot water through ground coffee using vapor pressure. Named after a city in Yemen called Mocha, the Moka Pot was invented by Italian Engineer Luigi Di Ponti in 1933. After it was invented, the patent was sold to Alfonso Bialetti, an aluminum vendor, who then captured the market and still has the most recognizable Moka Pot in Italy today.

Moka pots are mostly made from aluminum, as they were when they were initially made in the 1930s. It’s highly discouraged to stick the aluminum Moka Pot into the dishwasher because the hot water will break down the aluminum even further and increase the amount that comes out in your coffee.

Alternative models can be found made from stainless steel or heat-resistant glass. These alternative models we have described as “stovetop espresso makers” in the investigation. These are the types of products we recommend purchasing if you really like espresso.

Because espresso machines are all likely to expose you to microplastics and PFAS “forever chemicals” from being in contact with water and coffee, if you really want espresso, we recommend purchasing a stainless steel stovetop espresso maker.

But if you still really want an espresso machine, we’ve done the work on separating them into categories to help you make the safest purchase.

This category is the one we do not recommend. One of the following things are going on here: (1) they disclosed a type of PFAS “forever chemical” coating on tubing or gaskets, (2) manufacturers that make replacement parts for these products disclosed PFAS “forever chemical” tubing or hoses, (3) they did not return our inquiries or do not have a website presence, or (4) they have more plastic parts than other machines.

These Moka Pots disclose aluminum in the product.

This category is a bit better than the last one. No espresso machine has zero plastic touching food contact surfaces, however, these companies have more metal tubing on the inside. We cannot promise these products do not have some PFAS tubing, gaskets, or brackets on the inside. However, the exposure to plastic and PFAS, in general, would be less. No Moka pots made this category.

This category represents our top picks for the safest espresso machines and moka pots on the market that have the least amount of plastic and aluminum exposure. Most of these products are not electric, however, we did find a few that were. Please note that the espresso machine industry now uses PTFE parts as a standard, and it’s very difficult to find models without this exposure.

No espresso machines are perfect without plastic, but these brands, at the very least, don’t have PFAS “forever chemical” exposure within the tubing. We cannot promise you PTFE is not in the gaskets or O-rings. You may find plastic here in other parts of the espresso machine as well, but this category would represent the safest option. Please note that we were not able to test these machines for PTFE (because that is impossible…meaning the tests to identify PTFE do not exist) so we did our best to find the safest ones. We had to rely on what we were told by the brands themselves and by distributors to create this list.

These units can be adapted by so that they do not have PTFE food contact surfaces. This means you’d need to call and place a special order for them to be adapted before they are shipped to you. Please explain you want all PTFE parts removed and replaced and speak with their technical staff. Additional surcharges may apply. Please note these units normally have PTFE parts, so if you purchase them, please place a special order without PTFE.

We noticed some units had plastic tampers. Here’s some alternatives made from stainless steel.

These moka pots & stovetop espresso makers are made from stainless steel or glass.