Technivorm Moccamaster79212 KBTS Coffee Brewer, 32 oz, Polished Silver

The Technivorm Moccamaster is a marvel. And, believe me, I did enough research beforehand to assure myself that such a description was probably true, just on account of the price. Woo! I have never paid so much for a coffeemaker! I have, however, owned 8 of them in 30 years. That's just not right. What I knew going in was that none of the 8 coffeemakers I have owned measured up to this one --some because the technology/market demand wasn't "there" yet and others because they just aren't as good, even though they had major brand recognition and lots of rave reviews and some even worked pretty well.The most important thing I have learned during all my years of coffeeholism is something I learned doing this research: The water that brews your coffee has to be between 195-205 degrees; otherwise, there's virtually no possibility that the flavor can be extracted from the ground beans. I guess grinding the coffee beans right before you brew counts for a lot, too, but I was unaware that it made that much difference, so i have no frame of reference in that regard.. The water temperature thing is BIG, though.This machine is ultra-simple in looks, a very sleek, almost retro, look --clean lines, beautiful stainless steel carafe. Some have said that this carafe doesn't keep coffee hot, but I'm afraid I make what I need and serve it --it only takes 5-8 minutes (!) to make an entire pot, so keeping it hot is not an important issue in my opinion. There has also been criticism that the coffee doesn't pour easily because of the shape of the carafe's spout. Okay. If that's all you can find, then ...whatev. ;o]I was so... in awe, sort of, at ordering such an expensive coffeemaker. Okay, so I have money issues - who doesn't? Besides, you can read and research any item all you want, but you don't really know, until you have the thing in hand, whether it lives up to the reviews and claims. When we received it, it was almost like opening sunken treasure; and making our first pot was done in respectful silence. (see "money issues" above). :o) We were stunned. WHAT. A. GOOD. CUP. OF. COFFEE. The same coffee we thought must have been ground wrong or mixed wrong or something, it was so bad in our Capresso, turned out PERfectly in the Technivorm.. Hallelujah! There's still hope for getting great coffee from a home coffeemaker! What's funny is that, really examining the machine one day, I realized that it is REALLY simple-looking --not just in design but in concept. It looks as if someone was having their 39th bad cup of coffee and they threw up their hands and said, "Oh, HELLZbellz, *I* could make a better coffeemaker!" and then they just did --with the same uninformed but very enthusiastic fervor they made go-karts when they were kids. But, most definitely, this is not to say that it's not a sophisticated machine. OHhhh, no --they certainly know what they're doing, and the Moccamaster is obviously worth every penny. It's a simple and yet sophisticated design and, most importantly, it absolutely works like a dream. Technivorm's rave reviews are warranted, in my opinion, and I feel very comfortable giving it one myself. I'm sorry that, apparently, there's not as good a machine made in America; but the Netherlands is not a bad second choice! If you're determined to finally have a GREAT cup of coffee, EVERY time you make one, and, quite likely, use less coffee in the process, then this is your new machine. We've saved a lot of money on coffee already --it wasn't that the coffee was ground wrong, and we didn't have to use *more* to get the flavor we wanted; it was just that the brewing water wasn't hot enough and it took 12+ minutes to brew!Solution? Technivorm Mocca Master. We LOVE this thing, and I bet you will, too.

I have wanted a Moccamaster for ten years. However, the price and the size put me off until recently. I’ve gone through 3 Bonavita coffee makers in the past 9 years. Bonavita coffee makers work great until they don’t and the warranty and customer service are terrible. I was ready to try something new, something that would last.So I decided to finally get a Moccamaster after finding out they have a smaller model, the KBTS. It’s about the same size as the Bonavita but is a quality build and has a 5-year warranty. The Moccamasters are handmade in the Netherlands. They are meant to be the coffee maker you keep for a lifetime. If it breaks after the warranty, you can send it in for repairs to their US location in Portland, Oregon, for $59. They sell all of the parts on their website. I love a company that stands behind its products and repairs them instead of sending them to a landfill.So how does it brew? It makes delicious coffee. However, this coffee maker may not be for everyone. If you love great coffee and are willing to spend a bit of time dialing it in, you will love it. Think of it like an automatic pour-over. The Moccamaster coffee makers are known for being able to get the water hot enough (196-205ºF) to properly brew coffee. They are SCA certified meaning they meet stringent qualifications based on proper water temperature, brewing time, and ability to brew within the SCA Golden Cup recommendations.The Moccamaster works best with a medium-coarse grind, something similar to what you would use with a Chemex. If you have a burr grinder, you may need to adjust your settings. If you get your coffee ground for you, ask for a pour-over grind instead of one for drip coffee. If you buy pre-ground coffee, it will likely not work as well. If you are spending the money on this fine appliance, it’s worth getting good coffee beans and a burr grinder.The first pot we brewed was a little weak. We like a stronger ratio than what is recommended. They recommend 1:16, we like 1:15. The second pot was a little bitter. We were still using the grind setting for the Bonavita which was finer. We have a Baratza Encore coffee grinder, so we set it to 19 instead of 17. When we made it slightly more coarse, it was perfect! You may have to play with this a few times until you get exactly what you want. (By the way, the Baratza grinders are also well made and meant to be repaired instead of thrown out. Another quality company!)The stainless steel carafe has a pour-through lid. This helps the coffee stay hot but allows you to pour the coffee without removing the lid. It also comes with a second travel lid that you can use if you want it to stay hot past one hour or are taking it with you. Even though the carafe does not have a specific pour spout, that hasn’t been an issue. It pours evenly without a drop spilled. The opening to the carafe is small, so you will need a bottle brush to properly clean it. None of the pieces are dishwasher safe, so you will need to hand wash everything. As I mentioned, this is not for everyone.However, if you are a coffee enthusiast who wants something straightforward and well-made, the Moccamaster may be your next and best purchase. I am glad that there are companies out there still making quality products that they stand behind. It’s rare. You get what you pay for. There’s a great video on YouTube showing a tour of the factory. If you want to see how they’re made and by whom, you’ll see why they are worth the price. I figure I’ve spent almost $600 on 3 different Bonavita coffee makers that break after a few years or a few weeks, like my last one. Spending $300 on something that will last and is repairable is a bargain.

It's a very simple machine. Well built with no frills. I'm not one for the hype, and I'm also someone who doesn't want some crazy thing with four devices and a computer, all in one unit. This fit the bill for us as we needed a small unit for weekday use. We added a cheap digital timer so it activates every morning, so no need for this device to have anything more than it has. The plastic parts as others have said seem very light, but they work well and are also simple. The coffee is perfect. We had an Oxo coffee maker before this that was also certified by the Specialty Coffee Association, but it was failing to ever shut off so after a decade we replaced it with this. Both have made great coffee, but I hope this one lasts a very long time and it's also repairable by the company so that's a huge plus. We have not found any downsides to this machine and have used it for weeks now. It's also short enough to fit under any normal cabinets on your countertop or to store away easily. In the end it's a well made drip coffee machine that makes good coffee. At least you'll know you have the best!