Moccamaster (Technivorm) - KB Series

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 if you want a machine and need to brew for more than one person, otherwise a chemex or hario v60 are hard to beat but you’ll also need a gooseneck kettle with temp control. Grinder will make more difference than brewing gear. For single pour overs; save money and get a quality hand grinder ~$100. If you’re willing to invest in something more robust, something like an ode gen 2 is recommend ~$400.

Yeah I bought us one about a year ago. Got a great deal so I'm happy with it. But if I paid full price I would feel let down on the quality/sturdyness of the whole thing.

This is the only answer! I was addicted to Starbucks mostly out of habit but I couldn’t stop because the coffee made at home did not taste good for me UNTIL I got a moccamaster. I’ve saved literally thousands of dollars. It’s buy it for life because if you end up needing to replace a part, the company sells individual parts you can purchase.

Tbh I feel like the showerhead on the mocca is fine. It does drill a hole, but the default brewer is so constricted it’s practically an infusion brewer. I think by the time most of the water has been brewed, the grounds are 95% extracted, and whether or not the bed is flat is the difference between 95 and 96% extracted. People are just overly concerned about conical beds. But it’s not a v60, in the end.

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.

Fellow as a company scares me. Way too many failures across the board. I want to try one but my MM just keeps on going

I also brew light roast (mostly September), and came from aeropress. I also find MM often produces  bitter and sour at the same time lol.  Aeropress body will be hard to replicate on MM, doubly so with SSP burrs which provide more clarity than body. What volume of water did you do and at what ratio? I’m starting to find you need to adjust things depending on if you’re doing 500 grams water vs 1000 grams water. Also, what kind of water are you using? I find aeropress you can get away with whatever water, but MM isn’t as forgiving. 

I'd personally stick to the Mocca...like people said, it's sturdy and can be easily repaired (and has stood the test of time). Also, I wouldn't worry too much about it if you get a cheaper one or find a good deal...all 3 of those are decent.

Get a moccamaster. So worth it. They go on sale every now and then, maybe black Friday will do it

Yes. Look it up. They're built to last and perfect for me and my tastes.