Moccamaster (Technivorm) - KBGV

They are no longer special, but used to be. About 15 ish years ago, the only game in town was Bonavita BV1800 or Moccamaster. I went with the Bonavita, and with almost zero maintenance it lasted me a ten years or so. I would keep it going but they intentionally made it hard to repair and find parts for. I could have picked another machine from the bunch that is available now, and probably been happy, but went with the MM KBGV instead. It is a known quantity at this point, and I have some semblance of what to expect in the machine's future. The brews are consistent everyday, the design and quality has been proven for 60 years, I don't have to think too much. It gets the job done. If you got it on sale on Amazon, those prices are in line with what other brands cost. Yes, the plastic basket feels cheap. And I hate that glass carafe with a passion. (I've posted lists of what I hate about it here before.) There was an article describing this phenomenon that I'm trying to find but can't. The summary was that products that have continued to be around for a really long time will continue to be around for a really long time. (Bathtub curve). Anyway, yeah. it's nothing special now, but it's consistent. You can brew every day knowing what to expect.

I’m currently using the Moccamaster + Baratza Virtuoso, but used the much cheaper, but comparably excellent Bonavita 8 cup coffee maker for 10+ years with zero maintenance.  If I wasnt a fool and instead descaled it every 100 or so uses, it would still be going strong.  It was a superb option but I see it has climbed up in price now. Just get the moccamaster on sale. 

**Moccamaster KBGV**, certain colors dip regularly under $250, even under $200 (maybe wait for Black Friday?) Plus a good **grinder.** Baratza Encore is good. Baratza Forte (with steel burr) if you want to splurge. Baratza isn't the most durable thing in market, but IMO is best for BIFL because they have decades of history providing spare parts readily available, cheaply priced, and user replaceable. The Encore, for instance, has a plastic burr holder that is cheap and easy to replace, and designed to break first if a stone goes in the grinder, before more expensive parts are damaged.

I got mine for the simplicity and ease of use. I like the fact that it makes drip coffee well enough, without me having to put thought or effort in. I have a vintage lever espresso for when I want to chase perfection. My moccamaster is for regular busy mornings. Dishwasher safe components and speed, stress free.  I mine doesn't drip like yours seems to.   I would also love the glass to be a bit thicker and have a more durable feel. Maybe the light glass makes it easier to pour for most people? I haven't broken mine, despite it being kinda light.  I like the light plastic. Unpretentious, easy to clean, replace, etc.  I always thought I was spending money on the boiler that gets the water to temp. The rest is just kinda... around that.  It's ok to return something you don't like!! Don't feel bad.  You aren't crazy. 

KGBV. I've had it for a few years. Use it every day and going strong.  I've got a fairly good dishwasher that doesn't melt anything, so maybe don't put it on the bottom rack of a shirt dishwasher with an old school ceramic element. Realistically I give it a rince most days and our it through the dishwasher once a week. 

Great coffee maker! If you get the diamond anniversary edition, it truly is BIFL because that one comes with a lifetime warranty instead of 10years

I think at the end of the day results rule. This is my 3rd SCA rated brewer. OXO, Bonavita, and my KBGV and neither of the others are even close to cup quality. The Bonavita was solid but the Moccamaster still makes a more consistent cup. The only feature that matters to me is great coffee.

I was going to post this as well. It's such a non-issue with the lack of timer because it brews SO FAST.

I would remove the carafe for the beginning of the brew to allow more of an immersion brew, and reinsert/release the coffee after 3 or 4 minutes. The Zutto is literally half the size of the Moccamaster, so it makes sense that it would handle smaller amounts more easily. Obviously this is a hack because the KBGV is not designed for single cups.

I just bought a refurbished Moccamaster, but the Zwilling Enfingy looks very intriguing. Has a bloom cycle.

I recently bought a Moccamaster KBGV and a Ratio 4. I love both of them and they brew comparably great coffee. I was a little concerned about the shower head coverage on the KBGV and would stir briefly, but I settled on using my Stagg to do a 2:1 bloom before putting the filter into the machine and turning it on. It works great and highly recommend both. I seriously considered the Aiden, but I would prefer to let them get a few years under their belt. The Moccamaster is obviously very well built and a chuckle everytime I hit those silky switches. Speaking of switches, the touch button on the Ratio is almost impossible not to accidentally hit, especially when you insert the filter. I’d relocate it to the top.

I bought a Switch but haven’t got around to trying it yet. I bought a refurbished KGBV unit from moccamaster- like brand new. I would highly recommend it. It took a while for them to get some inventory but they emailed me and I got it in a week.

Ratio Six > Moccamaster KGBV > everything else We had one of those really fancy expensive Breville brewers, but it tasted like plastic even a year later.

The biggest thing is temperature stability, as well as being at a good starting temp in the first place. Also, it’s super easy with a pour over to ensure all the grounds are getting properly saturated. Lots of machines struggle with this in particular, especially cheaper ones. There are definitely machines you can buy that are as good as pour over. Ratio 6, Technivorm Moccamaster (although don’t like its water dispersion), Fellow Aiden, etc. There’s more, but those are 3 I’d trust any day.

It’s not my favorite brewer I’ve had when it comes to actual coffee quality (VS Fellow Aiden, Breville Precision, and Ratio 6), but it’s built pretty well comparatively imo and for the prime day price it’s pretty dang hard to beat. If you need a drip brewer, I’d say to just grab it.

If you’re using a good machine and grinder there’s really no quality difference whatsoever once you’re dialed in. Drip and pour over are conceptually the same thing, it’s just a matter of if you wanna do it yourself or not. I make pour overs for smaller weekend or evening cups, batch/drip for mornings before work to save time and brew larger cups. Using a Fellow Aiden currently, which has been great but also have the Breville Precision (also great) and have had the Ratio 6 and Moccamaster previously.