I prefer glass for cold brewing coffee. Metal can leach (yes even stainless steel) and plastic both absorbs oils and leaches BPA et al. Most plastics leach estrogenic chemicals (aka endocrine disruptors), see http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3222987/ and http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/05/110516181337.htm for a few reliable examples. I know that “it’s the dose that makes the poison” and some people are not bothered by a little plastic in their food. I’m not comfortable with the trade-off.
I realize that you’re traveling, Cory, and bringing breakables like glass is problematic on long journeys; maybe for extended stays your hosts could provide a few cheap, simple items (below). The superior taste, ease of cleaning, and monitoring brew strength easily through clear glass makes the following seem like a no-brainer:
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Find two clean quart-size Mason jars with the two-part lids. Use more jars if you’re a volume coffee drinker. (Yow!)
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Put about 1-1.5 inches of ground coffee in the bottom of each jar. Fill with (room temperature) unchlorinated water. I don’t use distilled water, it does something weird to flavor.
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Screw those lids on as tight as feasible. Shake vigorously 30 seconds over sink with your fingers covering the screw threads in case of minor leaking. Rinse (maybe) exterior. Let rest overnight.
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Next morning, strain. Use either a “One-Cup Coffee Maker” (REI has one, and I can’t link to it because I’ve used up my allowed number of links here) or replace the flat piece of that two-part Mason jar lid with a piece of screen, surely less bulky than toting a plastic cone filter while traveling. What kind? Well, a disc of stainless steel food grade mesh would be nice if you don’t want to cut some of that nut milk bag material for a filter. I use a stainless steel mesh tea strainer because I don’t mind a few chunks of bean in my cup and use a medium-coarse grind for cold brewing so the debris is minimal.
That’s it. No paper filters that rob those tasty oils from the brew. All gear is reusable and cheap. Unscented dish soap for cleanup with hot water.
I don’t even heat my cold brew coffee, because it tastes pretty good at room temperature and am usually pressed for time during a morning launch.
Finally, one argument against using hotel-motel coffee setups. Folks use them for all kinds of non-food applications. I avoid them and haven’t ever found them as clean as I want, esp. the basket filter holder.
