Moccamaster (Technivorm) - KBGT

I thought i understood this brewer to do well with beans on the darker side. But i too was underwhelmed with the moccamaster kgbt. The definitely semi-automatic for me. The grind needs to be fine enough to allow the bed to be saturated evenly but drain timely. Schrödinger’s lidded quantum brewer basket. Is the bed even or fully wet? Dont look. Just cover & enjoy.

KGBT - same experience (outside of the plate/carafe) a couple years ago but i keep it around hoping one day something. There was one YT review where a couple did a blind comparison of brewers - MM did not do well - and they were surprised and went back to do a second MM brew again and all the sudden it was tops. Thats suspicious and perhaps could be a dial in issue … for all the other brewers that didn’t perform as well too. I think it all comes down to profile tastes and expectations. I really like the breville precision but also wouldnt mind trying an aiden, ratio or xbloom.

Not an expert or authority, but I have owned one (KBGT). It does brew very good coffee, but other coffee brewers out there can as well. The difference with the Moccamaster is that many people consider it a buy-it-for-life purchase. They are hand made (https://youtu.be/W8_NXtwr-qg). They maintain ideal brewing temperature throughout the brew (this is a big deal). But if you aren’t using good coffee beans, and grinding with a decent grinder, you will be missing out on the best tasting coffee. Pro tip: either get one during Amazon Prime Days (even if you don’t get it from Amazon and instead find somewhere to price match), Or get a used one and if there’s anything wrong and not working you can send it in to Moccamaster, and for a relatively small fee they will fix it completely and test it! I do not recommend getting one from Ali Express, etc, as it may not have the same quality internal components. If it seems too good to be true, it could be a knockoff, so beware. The water heater/boiler (see video) is the secret sauce in the Moccamaster. And the company makes a high quality product and stands behind it. Edit: thanks for the upvotes! Edit 2: regarding the shower head/sprayer. I made sure it was sitting level -which wasn’t hard, but if it isn’t level, or any scale builds up because of your water, or never cleaning your coffee maker, the shower will come out unevenly. Even when it is level, the shower head doesn’t always wet all the grounds during the bloom; unless you intervene (I don’t usually and the results are very similar). Regarding the bloom - mine does the bloom or pause automatically, but you can use the on/off switch I suppose to get a longer bloom-but then the water boiler cools down with the power off. Regarding the coffee - when I got it set up, I used good coffee beans and had to play with the quantity and grind size to get the flavor I liked. Typical stuff. Whatever the shower head does or doesn’t do, and the length of the bloom is or isn’t, it makes coffee I am quite happy with. In the end, it is not the only coffee brewer out there - I’ve had darn good coffee from a cheap Mr. Coffee if you get it right. The Moccamaster is well built, dead simple with only the on/off switch (KBGT), has a powerful 1400w excellent water heater/boiler, and gives me an easy more consistent result than other methods. I’m a fan of the design and quality, and the coffee it brews is legit to me. Again, I really appreciate the upvotes!

100% the correct answer is the [**Moccamaster KBGT**](https://us.moccamaster.com/products/kbgt?variant=40200137670819)**.** You can get an insulated carafe (DO NOT get the glass carafe with the heater, the insulated carafe will keep your coffee hot enough for the day, and you won't have burned coffee flavor). Reasons: It was designed in 1968 to make a pretty solid "pour over" pot., **Every piece is repairable/replacable**, they run for years and years and will always be supported. Newer companies have created versions that do pre-infusion, etc. but IMHO that's just more to potentially go wrong and has very minimal value in terms of producing a "better" pot of coffee. I've had one for years, and one "trick" is **automating it with a simple homekit/mater/thread enabled plug**. I prefer fresh ground coffee, but with this you can set up the coffee maker overnight, flip the switch on the coffee maker, and leave the homekit switch 'off'. Then you an automate the 'on' time so you wake up to a fresh pot :)

Ok that’s fair. I have the KBT with thermal carafe (the 2018 update not the newest) and it is super sturdy, feels very solid, nothing cheap about it at all. Can’t speak to the newest iteration

Lmao what an awful take. I’ve had mine for 15 years and it looks and functions like a brand new model. The copper boiler does exactly what it’s supposed to do and I get perfectly brewed coffee every time with a simple flick of a single switch. My kid loves it so much he’s asked me to buy him one for when he goes off to Yale in the fall. It’s an amazing machine and is well worth the price.

I wonder if this is more for the KBGV as opposed to the KBGT (which I have). My KBGT is about 15 years old, has had pretty much zero issues, feels plenty sturdy, the grounds are always fully saturated and the coffee is perfect every time. I’ve seen some complaints about the new glass lined carafes, so I’m staying away from replacing mine for now but my machine is a coffee lovers dream and I wouldn’t trade it for anything. I have zero experience with the KBGV, so no idea if the build quality of that is any different.

Yes, different models. $159 was for the base model.

I got the model with the thermal carafe for $230 and five interest free payments of $46 a month. I hated giving Amazon the business, but I’ve had my eye on one for over a year and this was by far the best deal I could find.

I just started doing this and its amazing. I got over my ‘must grind beans in the morning’ and realising I’m just using normal ok beans nothing fancy. Now I grind and set up before bed and the coffee is waiting for me. Moccamaster KGBT thermal carafe so no burnt coffee.

we have the thermal carafe - hotplate isn’t good for coffee and I think it turns off in an hour or so? Carafe holds its temperature pretty well (more so if you put on the sealed lid). It doesn’t have a timer but it does have a mechanical on switch - so ours is permanently ‘on’ and then we use a smart switch to turn it on at 6:30am in the week and 7:00am at weekends. Setting up the night before is part of our evening routine so no need to fuss with grinding beans or anything in the morning.

No had no issues. Effectively it gets no power and it’s a simple flip switch so entirely mechanical. The only thing to be careful of is that the carafe is pushed into place as that presses a little button - it won’t start brewing if that’s not pressed as it’s used to detect if you removed the carafe. Only had it about six months but it’s been fantastic

don't buy the KBGT version, the carafe sucks

It’s a very simple machine. Very well made. And you can get replacement parts and get it repaired. It makes great coffee. What more could you want for in a filter coffee machine? COI I own a MoccaMaster KGBT.

I've been using the cheapest version of Moccamaster for about 15 years. It just works so well.

I don't know. A black one with just one switch.

Look into [OXO's 9-cup machine](https://www.oxo.com/shop/coffee-beverage/coffee-tea/coffee-makers-grinders/barista-brain-9-cup-coffee-maker.html) and the [Moccamaster](https://us.moccamaster.com/collections/thermal-carafe-brewers/products/kbgt?variant=40200137670819). Both machines are frequently recommended and I also have experience with both and agree with the praise they receive. The reason they're pricier than most is their build quality, the consistent and high heat they produces, the design of the water dispersion, and -- yes -- their brand names. Both machines have also been recognized by the Specialty Coffee Association for their quality, which I'm sure is tied up with bureaucracy and isn't the only/best way to assess the quality of a brewer, but still, it's certainly something. Those are the two machines I would personally look at within your price range and I do believe they are worth their price. They both make delicious coffee. Fellow's Aiden is also a newer entry that piqued my interest but I have no experience with it and so I can't really comment. Their stuff is typically fantastic and similarly marked up because of brand name like OXO and Moccamaster.

I've had coffee from the first two you listed and those are the two I typically recommend if someone is looking to get a "serious" drip machine. I don't know if they make identically good coffee but they both at least make very good coffee. I'd be equally happy owning one over the other.