If you love great coffee, buy this machine. When I say great coffee, I mean the kind of coffee you would expect and get from your favorite local coffee roaster/café or quality coffee shop (think Starbucks or Peet's, NOT the tasteless brown water that Dunkin' Donuts sells).
I've wanted a Moccamaster since I first saw one and tasted the coffee it makes while a college student, way back in the 1980s. Owning one at the time was impractical and unattainable, so I moved on. Over the intervening thirty years, I've always lingered enviously over the store displays whenever I encountered them, but never made the plunge—the machine was just too expensive. That being said, I've owned the best coffee makers from Braun, Krups, Kitchen Aid, and Breville, all of which made decent coffee. In fact, the Breville made great coffee, although its cost was dangerously close the the Technivorm's. That machine was the no-longer-available Breville BKC600XL Gourmet Single-Cup Coffee Brewer—the only Keurig system coffee maker the brewed hot enough for decent extraction. That machine lasted eight years, but finally shorted out due to perforation of the boiler element because of it's aluminum construction.
WHAT DID I CONSIDER?
I researched and considered buying two machines other than the Moccamaster: one from Breville, the Breville BDC650BSS Grind Control, Silver, and one from Behmor: Behmor Connected Temperature Control Coffee Maker. Both of these machines should make very good coffee, but I ultimately decided on the Moccamaster for several reasons, which I'll explain below. If the Moccamaster were't so much better, or not available, I think either of these machines would be a good option, but note that they're still expensive, so the choice was easy.
WHY DID I CHOOSE THE TECHNIVORM MOCCAMASTER?
1. Copper Heating Element—Almost all consumer coffee makers have aluminum heating elements. They will eventually corrode and short-circuit the machine. When this happens, cut the cord off and THROW IT AWAY. This assumes it's been plugged into a GFCI outlet. If it isn't, it will keep working despite the short. You're not only out of compliance with the local electrical code no matter where you live in the United States, but you're playing Russian roulette with your life. A copper element will heat virtually instantaneously, and it will last many years. Copper heating coils are customarily found in better espresso machines, and this quality feature sets the Moccamaster apart from the rest of the field.
2. Replaceable Parts—The Moccamaster has a modular construction which makes most parts user-replaceable. Other parts, such as the copper boiler, switches, etc., will be replaced quickly and at minimal cost by Technivorm's US service facility after the warranty expires. The warranty is five years.
3. Proper Brewing Temperature and Extraction Time—Good coffee require HOT, but not boiling, water. Most coffee makers just don't heat the water enough. The copper element in a Moccamaster heats the water to 196–205º, and has optimal flow-through for the best extraction. This results in coffee that is rich but not overpowering, with a "thick" body and smooth mouthfeel, and no sediment or separation.
4. Optimal Hotplate Temperature and Duration—Coffee should be kept at ±180º. A Moccamaster hot plate can be set to warm at either 175º, or 185º for those who prefer it hot. Every other machine's coffee will taste lukewarm to you after you use this machine. The hotplate switches off after 100 minutes, preventing burned coffee. If you need to warm it up again, just turn the machine on again. When the water tank is empty, a float switch prevents the water heater from engaging, so only the hot plate will come on.
5. Made the Way Things Used to Be Made—Technivorm has made these machines since 1964 with the same solid build quality, by hand, while incorporating improvements in materials and technology over time. The body is heavy-gauge extruded aluminum, and plastic parts are quality cast and attractive, with perfect fit and finish. I agree, in this price range one would expect some of the plastic to be heavier, or possibly the water tank be made of glass, but the plastic is toxin-free and unbreakable. Other parts are glass, rubber, and stainless steel. The heavy, removable, stainless steel showerhead has nine holes, which evenly bathe the grounds with hot water at the optimal rate of flow. Every part of the machine is recyclable, and the packaging is recycled corrugated cardboard, making it a champion of sustainability. The old-fashioned, heavy-duty rocker switches are the only adjustable controls. I'm as avid a technology geek as you can find, but perfect coffee means making it when you want it, which means timers, clocks and other electronic wizardry just shouldn't be part of the equation. Water will lose its oxygen and start going stale within two hours, and coffee will lose vital aroma within thirty minutes of being ground, so setting things up the night before to awaken to the smell of coffee guarantees you a mediocre cup.
In any case, this machine is FAST—faster than you've ever experienced. An entire 10-cup (1.25 liter) pot takes just under five minutes. Enough for a large thermal travel mug (4 cups on the water indicator), takes two minutes. The copper heating element is so oversized and efficient that the water will begin boiling and percolating up the glass tube in about five-ten seconds—you have to see it to believe it. A slick an old-fashioned feature is how the power switch physically rocks back to the off position after 100 minutes rather than the power just being cut off. It also features an orange neon-looking, but I assume LED, power indicator.
BOTTOM LINE
It's expensive. But consider that it's made by hand, over-engineered, parts are replaceable, and it's manufactured in the Netherlands by people earning a fair wage. Other machines are manufactured in Chinese, Mexican, or southeast-Asian factories alongside many other brands and models at a low cost with inferior materials. They are then marked up many times because the market will bear the inflated price. This coffee maker not only has superior build quality, but like other American- and European-made goods, the price is dictated by the cost of manufacturing, not excessive markup. I chose the copper finish to treat myself after waiting thirty years, but you can save up to $40 by choosing silver aluminum, and there are many painted and anodized colors available at different price points. The machine has two separate heaters with discreet circuitry, so when the water is done boiling, the coil switches off and the hotplate switches on much more durable and efficient.
HOW DO I MAKE PERFECT COFFEE?
1. Buy Whole Beans—Buy the best you can, from a reputable supplier. Resist the urge to buy your coffee pre-ground unless you're making a lot of it for a large event or party in a coffee urn. Coffee flavor and aroma degrades quickly after grinding.
2. Use A Burr Grinder—A conical burr grinder won't overheat the beans and burn the coffee like a cheap blade grinder will. It will also make the grind uniform, allowing the best and most consistent extraction. My grinder of choice is from Kitchen Aid: KitchenAid KCG0702OB Burr Coffee Grinder, Onyx Black. Mine has been going strong even after over ten years of daily use. Use the "6" setting for a Moccamaster or any other drip coffeemaker.
3. Weight, Not Volume—Just as in baking it's preferable to weigh dry ingredients rather than use measuring cups for the most exact portions, coffee should be weighed. Your chosen grind fineness, humidity, barometric pressure, and other factors make using a spoon very inconsistent. Use 14 grams of whole beans for each 8 ounces of water. This means 7 grams for each cup marking on a Moccamaster, since they use the European standard of 4-oz. cups of coffee. Grind the beans right before you put them in the filter basket.
4. Speaking of Filters…—I was always a firm believer in gold-plated stainless steel mesh filters. They last forever and there's no waste or mess. Technivorm specifically reccomends against them, and so I was skeptical. I bought a good quality #4 mesh filter separately and made two pots, one with the reusable filter and one with a paper filter supplied with the machine. There was no comparison. A paper filter is designed to give the best filtration and optimal steeping time. Buy #4 filters made from bleached white paper. The brown ones give the coffee a taste and aroma overtone faintly reminiscent of cardboard, and the bamboo filters may be sustainable, but they make coffee almost as bad as the metal mesh filters. No need to use Technivorm filters; a box of 100 white Melitta #4 filters will cost you about $3.50 at any grocery store.
5. Measure the Water—Don't use the carafe to pour water into the tank. Use a clean glass or cup or other container. If your tap water is sweet and soft and doesn't smell like chlorine, go ahead and use it. If you have hard water or smell anything when you turn the faucet on, use filtered or bottles water. DO NOT use distilled water. Minerals are necessary for good coffee for taste, aroma, and pH. I live in an area blessed with some of the purest reservoir water in the world, but I use water from my refrigerator dispenser for purity and consistency. Plus, cold water works better than room temperature or warm water. The filtration means better-tasting coffee and longer burner life, with more cycles between descaling.
This machine makes coffee as good as any I have ever had in a fine restaurant or craft coffeehouse. Buy it and enjoy it. Technivorm says a Moccamaster should be the last coffee maker you'll ever buy, and I believe them.
Rereading this review, I've realized that I've practically written a marketing piece. I'd like to make clear that I have no proverbial axe to grind. I'm not affiliated in any way with the manufacturer or any vendor, and I haven't received any sort of compensation from anyone. I waited decades to buy this machine, and I wish I had done it sooner.
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