Technivorm Moccamaster 79112 KBT Coffee Brewer, 40 oz, Polished Silver

LJ United States

I wish I knew about this wonderful coffee maker before I did

I wish I knew about this wonderful coffee maker before I did. I don't know how I survived without it! It makes the best coffee I have ever had. I no longer get coffee from the local or chain coffee shops, and have saved a lot of money. I heard about it through a gourmet coffee shop owner, who told me it is one of the best there is. It is one of the only coffee makers that is approved by the European Coffee Making Centre. It brings out the flavor of the coffee. Medium grind works well. I have used both cheap and expensive brands of coffee, and all have worked well. It suggests using bottled water to avoid the mineral deposits from building up in the machine, and causing problems with brewing.; I have happily adhered to that. I suspect a water filter pitcher would work fine as well. It also recommends that the water be cold going into the brewer, for the perfect saturation time. I have had it for a few years without any problems. Because of the precision and 3 required elements to brew a good coffee (saturation time, aeration of the water, temperature of water when brewing), you cannot set it ahead the night before. To use, you just put in the grinds and the water, and hit the button to on. It only takes a few more minutes to brew the coffee than standard makers, and those couple minutes are well worth your time, believe me! I don't tend to purchase things for myself that are expensive, such as a coffee pot, but couldn't be any happier with my purchase! UPDATE: it's been 7-8 years since I purchased this coffee pot. It is still going strong, without a single problem or issue. It still makes the best coffee I have ever had! ****FYI: I see negative reviews, and each time, it's obvious to me that the person did not read the operation instructions, and is doing exactly what the company says not to do, and what happens is what the manufacturer says will happen. Each thing is so simple and basic, and not something beyond what one would do anyway if operating a coffee maker properly. They have also not read the manual and don't understand how the very basic parts work. I am so surprised that it's the case, but to each their own. I sincerely hope people do not pass this coffee maker up because of something someone said in a review. *Example - there are 4 reasons someone might have the water overflow and not go into the pot, OFF THE TOP OF MY HEAD, and maybe others. 1. There is a setting to adjust for waterflow on the part that holds the filter. With some grinds you may want to adjust it, so water goes through at a different speed. I just leave it on the fastest flowthrough, and have never had a problem, even with finely ground coffee. If you are sure the adjusting lever is to the top before turning on, you won't have a problem. 2. The company recommends that you don't use really fine grounds (although I do without issue). 3. It says to use very COLD water, which is part of the way it makes such good coffee, via the saturation time. I suspect if your water is not cold, it would heat quickly and may flow through into the grounds quicker. When in a rush, I just throw 3 ice cubes in with the water, and it does the trick. 4. Perhaps it's the filter that is not letting the water flow through properly lol! There are many other simple reasons people have reported trouble with this VERY basic machine - don't pass it up because of those reviews. When I bought it, it was the only coffee maker in the world with the European Coffee Making Centre quality seal on it. I'm willing to bet it's still the best coffee maker on the world market. Just don't buy something made to make a high quality product if you aren't willing to even read the directions lol! Which by the way, are extremely simple.....never had a maker so easy to operate....put in cold water, coffee, and the switch to on....

S. Rigby United States

Better Than I Expected

After weeks of searching and reading reviews, I opted to buy the expensive Technivorm Moccamaster Coffee Brewer - and I'm not dissapointed. I wanted a coffee maker that brewed quickly, made great coffee and was easy to clean. Some of the other brands met 2 out of 3 of my criteria, but this was the only one that met them all. The thermo carafe was a bonus and now I don't know how I did without one. Brews quickly - I didn't care about having a timer. I fill my coffee maker the night before and then turn it on in the morning. I close the filter for about 30 seconds so that the water starts filling the coffee in the filter and then I open it either half or all the way. Within a minuute or so, I close the filter again and pour myself the first cup of coffee. With my old Mr. Coffee, even though it had the brew and stop, I had to heat that first cup in the microwave. I don't have to do that anymore, thank goodness. Makes great coffee - I followed the instructions, using their scoop and my home-ground coffee. I also use bottled spring water since our water is hard and full of minerals. Since I use bottled water, it is easy to pour into the machine to the level of the number of cups of coffee I want. Their 8 cup mark is not the same as my 8 cups since I use large coffee cups, but I think that is the same with all coffee makers. The finished coffee tastes great, very smooth and with a bold flavor. I know that the kind of coffee you use makes a big difference, but I'm using the same coffee I have always used - and it tastes much better for some reason. I also like having the thermo carafe. The instructions say to pour hot water to heat it up before you use it. Most of the time, I don't do that and the coffee is still plenty hot for me. I also love being able to drink an hour later and have it still be hot - and taste great. No more burned coffee. Some people have wanted an automatic shut-off, but this coffee pot is made to be basic, and so hopefully last a long time. When the coffee is finished brewing, I turn off the machine, and screw on the carafe lid - which I keep on top of the coffee pot while it's brewing. I also remove the plastic base so that the pot with the lid fits under the filter. The only reason I can see for that base is to keep the thermos from possibly marking up the counter. It's simple to put in place, so I use it. Easy to clean - the only parts that really need cleaning are the filter and the carafe. Both clean up easily with soap and water. I haven't put them in my dishwasher because they only take a minute to clean. I'm going to sound a bit obsessed but I have actually been looking forward to my morning coffee! I want to invite neighbors over to have coffee with me. Maybe the newness will wear off soon, but for now, I can't wait to get up in the morning! Update 11-13. I am using this coffee maker regularly and still love it. I really like that you can turn off the filter area and pour coffee while it is still brewing. I do sometimes forget to turn off the coffee maker for a few hours but it hasn't caused any problem. This was an expensive purchase but it seems to be well made.

Majhul United States

Superb!

I have to say that some of the reviews of this product make me despair of the whole review process. They seem to fall into "no coffee maker should cost this much," or "it's not made of platinum." In either case, my advice is this: don't buy it! For those interested in a review of the thing itself, so you can decide if it's worth the (high) price here it is. My wife and I like coffee. It's one of the day's regular pleasures and we drink coffee every day. So we think our regular use justifies some extravagance. We buy good coffee. For years we used a small plastic Krupps grinder and a Krupps then Cusineart coffee maker. And it was fine. But then I took a flier on a burr grinder--way more expensive than the Krupps grinder (c. $100 vs $25 or so). And it was a revelation!! So then, with some Christmas money in hand we did research and were persuaded by a Cooks' Illustrated review and bought the Technivorm. Wow! My idea of coffee is entirely changed. I get all that stuff about "notes of chocolate," and all that. It is just terrific coffee. What excellent wine is to table wine (and we drink a lot of table wine; so this is not about snobbism). The whole Technivorm schtick is simple: a good pump, and keep the coffee at c. 200F until it comes out the nozzle over the coffee. Who would think it would make such a difference? But it does. The machine itself is perfectly durable, but it's not fancy and is largely plastic, not metal. Whatever. The thermos keeps the coffee hot (if, as the instructions suggest, you rinse it first with hot water) for at least 5 hours. After that you should make a new pot anyway. It is fast, and it is quiet. It makes 10.5 cups, which is a little less than we'd like when company comes (12 is good). The question is, and it's a real question--is this indulgence the way you want to spend your money? And of course, its durability is unproven--we've only had it for a month. But it makes wonderful coffee. If that's really important to you, and you've got the money, then this machine won't disappoint you. ===== A couple of years later: The TV is still going strong, still making wonderful coffee. It has slowed a bit despite occasional white-vinegar treatments. Most notable: the carafe has colored on the inside and has a sort of brown glaze on the bottom. It seems not to affect the taste, but looks a bit grotty. Otherwise, still well worth the money! ======= 13 (!!) years on and still going strong. DO be sure and use both the descaler and the cleaner recommended by the company. I didn't descale thoroughly enough and that might mean the boiler (no pump, as someone kindly pointed out) is less efficient. Another TVMM may be in our future. But that's on me. The cleaner removes a shocking amount of gunk! Still wonderful coffee, quickly brewed and utterly reliable. Some reviews still strike me as foolish but whatever. Most are enthusiastic as positive as is mine—still, after more than a decade!

Mrknowitall Canada

A very fine drip coffee maker

There are certain elements of this coffee maker that have been very well thought out. I think the most critical part is the boiler, which is located in the stainless steel tower, which very rapidly brings the water to the precise right temperature for an ideal brew. The second element that really impressed me is the stainless carafe. It's easy to fill and keeps the coffee hot for the duration of my wife's and my long Sunday mornings over a pot of coffee. I've read several reviews saying that the pot lacks thermal qualities and that their coffee got cold too quickly. That was not at all my experience. Most of those reviews were from a few years ago, which makes me wonder if the design was improved since then. Other reviewers comment on the relatively large footprint of the KBT... it's actually more compact and elegant looking than the Cuisinart model we replaced. It is; however, much taller, which could be an issue if placed under a cabinet (not our case). Overall, I really love the look of this machine. The plastic parts are meant to be replaceable over time, which is good to know such an expensive appliance will be supported over the long term. Some say the plastic is cheap. I'm pretty fussy and I think it's okay. Not Red Dot design award great but certainly not an issue that detracts from the package as a whole. Now, the most important part: how's the coffee? It's definitely a lot better than our previous machine from Cuisinart. There's some science behind getting the water temperature just right and using the right ratio of water to coffee. The Mochamaster comes with a guide that I feel waaaaay overstates the amount of coffee to use. I brew Kicking Horse Three Sisters and using the recommended 6.66 double scoops of coffee for 10 cups nearly sent me into cardiac arrest! It's actually recommended to cut the strength with hot water rather than to reduce the brewing ratio but I have backed off the potency to my taste. The point being, this takes some trial and error to get just right for your brew. The one thing I noticed right away is how much smoother the coffee tastes and the absence of the bitterness I used to experience with my old machine. Part of it might be because this machine is new/clean but I suspect it's just a lot better. As the adage goes, you get what you pay for. This machine isn't cheap and value is a very personal measure. For my part,I'm very happy with my purchase. Five-stars to the people at Technivorm for being passionate about brewed coffee. Not everyone wants coffee from a puck! :)