What is the Java Log®?

A Java Log® is an eco-friendly fire log made out of recycled coffee grounds. Boasting better flames and quicker lighting times over traditional fire logs, the Java Log® is a favorite among many earth-conscious consumers. Java Logs® is owned by Jarden Corporation and was introduced in the United States in 2002.

Rob Sprules invented the Java Log® in his apartment in Paris. While looking through a book one day, Sprules discovered that coffee grounds burn better than wood. Using this knowledge, he went to work experimenting on the logs. His first log was a cigar tube filled with candle wax and used coffee grounds.

Prototype logs were created, and Sprules gave them to his friends to use. They had great things to say about the logs. He decided that this would be an ideal use for used coffee grounds from manufacturing plants, office buildings, and other sources. One landfill estimates it receives more than three million pounds of used coffee grounds per year. The Java Log® helps by reusing coffee grounds.

A Java Log® is made up of 100 percent recycled coffee grounds mixed with renewable non-petroleum wax and molasses. This combination produces 25 percent more energy, 78 percent less carbon monoxide, and 66 percent less creosote. In addition, the Java Log® emits a slightly sweet smell, burns for up to three hours, and keeps 12 million pounds of coffee grounds out of landfills every year.

The logs are manufactured at a plant in Ottawa, Canada. Used coffee grounds are gathered from a nearby instant coffee plant. The grounds are then dried, mixed, formed into logs, cut, packaged in recycled paper, and shipped to retail outlets. Grocery stores and major retailers carry the logs, in addition to some online retailers.

In 2003, Time Magazine named the Java Log® one of the coolest inventions of 2003. Time compared it to a Duraflame™ log, and found it to be superior in performance. It was also featured on The Ellen DeGeneres show.

The Chimney Safety Institute of America (CSIA) has given the Java Log® its CSIA Accepted Product status. Two deciding factors in earning this status were the fact that the product is made from recycled materials and the low levels of particulates released during burning. Particulates are small bits of solids or liquids suspended in gas or liquid. Prolonged exposure to particulates can lead to health problems such as asthma or lung cancer. This also means less air pollution released into the air from traditional wood log burning.