This $350 Coffee Maker Paid For Itself In No Time & Actually Makes Good Coffee

Before we had kids, my husband and I started every day with a walk to whatever coffee shop we lived close to at the time. Fresh air on our faces, followed by a perfectly made cup of black coffee — well, it was a nice way to wake up. Even after our son was born, we kept up the habit. I remember clinging to it in the early days of new parenthood as a familiar ritual we could still rely on when everything else felt strange and new. Sure, it was an expensive habit. We’d occasionally look at our budget and adjust our blinders away from the $7 a day we spent on coffee (and $10 or more once our baby became a toddler that demanded “cold milk!” at every visit).

When the pandemic struck, one silver lining of being stuck at home was the extra cash we suddenly had. Even after our local coffee shop reopened, our old morning coffee walk ritual was one we were often happier skipping. We agreed that starting the day by begging a toddler to leave the house so we could get some coffee in our systems was an experience best left in the before times. With our bit of extra money, we felt like we could splurge. I knew that we’d only continue making coffee at home if we bought a brewer that made coffee at least as good as what we could get at one of Portland’s many fantastic coffee shops. I teased my husband that he picked the Technivorm Moccamaster KBGV Select because he is half-Dutch and loyal to the meticulous engineering his people are known for. But, as a former food-and-drinks editor, it was obvious to me, too, that this coffee brewer was not one to consider, but rather the one. We ordered it, and we haven’t looked back. I love everything about this sleek little countertop coffee maker, and if you’re on the hunt for something like it, I cannot recommend it enough.

Stats

• Price: $299 for an 8-cup glass carafe brewer, or $359.00 for the 10-cup glass carafe brewer
• Sizes: The smallest coffee brewer that Moccamaster makes is a one-cup brewer for $250. The largest is the 40-ounce KBGV Select brewer, which is the one we have.
• Colors: It comes in 23 colors. We have the basic polished silver, because my husband is boring. I’ll get it in orange one day when I am retired and spend every summer (alone) in Paris.
• Who it’s for: Anyone who treasures their morning cup of coffee (and all the others they sip throughout the day).
• When to use: Anytime you want! Coffee is a morning beverage for me, but if you’re a decaf drinker, or are impervious to caffeine, your Moccamaster could be brewing all day long.
• Pro-tip: Even the best coffee maker in the world is only as good as the beans you brew. So, spring for good beans. I’m in Portland, so I’m loyal to Extracto. But where ever you may be, I bet there’s great coffee being roasted nearby. Just pick a bag of beans you think sounds good — or sometimes I just pick based on the roasting date — and ask them to “grind them for pour over.” If they’re very persnickety and ask more questions (and you’re not sure what they’re asking you), just tell the barista you have a Moccamaster. In my experience, most of them know what they are, and they’ll know what to do.

What is so special about the Moccamaster KBGV?

At over $350, this coffee maker is more expensive than many others. Does the Moccamaster really make better coffee? Well, the experts think so, and I do, too. Before I had kids — many moons ago — I wrote about food and drink for a living, and I learned that people who are into coffee are like, really into coffee.

When Moccamaster says that “all Moccamaster coffee brewers are certified to brew to the strict standards of the European Coffee Brewing Center (ECBC) and the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA), certifications awarded only after extensive and rigorous quality control and laboratory testing,” I believe that they mean business. Somewhere out there — I suppose in the Netherlands, where the Technivorm factory is — people are brewing coffee and testing out perfect coffee bean-to-water ratios (is it 1:16 or is it 1:16.5?!) so that normal people like you and I can simply press a button and enjoy a perfectly-brewed cup of coffee without thinking too hard about it.

Whether you call it “pour over” coffee or just drip coffee, the way that the Moccamaster brews coffee is generally considered to be the best method. If you’re familiar with a Chemex, the Moccamaster basically replicates that brewing method, it just does it with less effort on your part. Plus, I think that it does a better job than a Chemex, because the Moccamaster keeps the coffee gently, perfectly warm (175-185 degrees Fahrenheit) for 100 minutes after its brewed.

The perfect Moccamaster coffee ratio

The Moccamaster KBGV Select comes with a very adorable little brown Moccamaster brand coffee scoop, but it measures two tablespoons and is really just a standard coffee scooper. So, if your kid starts playing with it and breaks it, like mine did, don’t stress. You can use regular measuring spoons, or order any coffee spoon you like to replace it. They pretty much all measure out 2 tablespoons.

When we first got our Moccamaster, we were pretty meticulous about following the exact directions and measuring the coffee out carefully. I’d fill the water tank to exactly the 10-cup mark, and diligently sprinkle six level scoops of ground coffee into the filter-lined brew basket. After a few months, though, I started to (don’t tell those coffee-obsessives I mentioned earlier) eyeball it. I found the perfect coffee-to-water ratio for us, and now I just know what it looks like in the brew basket. A word of warning, though: If the coffee grind is a bit off, or you’ve over-filled the filter with coffee, you’ll find yourself in an overflow situation that gets messy fast. This has happened to us a few times is probably attributable to user error, but it’s annoying nonetheless.

Pros & cons

Pros:

• It’s a machine that makes really good pour over-like drip coffee so that you don’t have to do it yourself.
• It saves you money because you’ll actually want to drink coffee at home. The $359 machine plus a $20, one-pound bag of beans equates to 38 trips to our local coffee shop (maybe fewer with a toddler who usually asks for milk and a treat).
• It keeps your coffee perfectly warm (not burnt) for about 100 minutes after it brews.
• It’s simple, user-friendly design makes is easy to use from day one — there are no real bells and whistles, so no steep learning curve.
• The 10-cup model has a sleek design and comes in so many colors, you could really match any kitchen.

Cons:

• The Moccamaster is expensive.
• Occassionally — I think when the grind is off, or you’ve over-filled the basket — it overflows and makes a mess.
• You’ll have to order new filters a few times a year. Not really a huge deal, but slightly annoying.

The final verdict: Is the Moccamaster really worth it?

Yes, I would buy the Moccamaster five times over. This coffee maker rules — every single day, I am glad to have it in my life. I do not miss going out for coffee — in fact, I have become a person who prefers to drink coffee at home because the coffee stays warm and I can sip it as I please. The coffee itself is so lovely, made from water warmed by a fancy copper heating element and dripped evenly and slowly over the beans I so carefully pick out at our favorite roaster every week. Whatever is going on with our life and the kids, prepping the Moccamaster every night is one of my favorite little rituals. I sniff the coffee as I scoop it into the filter and feel like morning me is going to have a great day. Or at the very least, no matter what, I know she will have a great cup of coffee.

The TL;DR

Yes, the Moccamaster is expensive but you’ll love it and use it every day — maybe multiple times a day — for years. And it makes coffee so good you’ll stop going out for coffee, so you’ll save money in the long run. Just do it!

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