Best Technivorm Coffee Maker

This is my roundup of the best Technivorm Moccamaster (I’ll refer to these as “Technivorm” throughout this article) coffee makers.

I have never owned a Technivorm coffee maker. I do, however:

• own a similar high-end drip coffee maker (the Breville Precision Brewer)

• have experience using my friend’s Technivorm Moccamaster KGBT, one of the more popular Technivorms on the market.

I also spent a whole day researching these machines, and their users’ experiences online, to put together this article.

Top Picks

Best Overall: Technivorm Moccamaster KGBT 10-Cup

Best Single Serve: Technivorm Moccamaster Cup-One

Best for Offices: Technivorm Moccamaster CDT Grand

Best Cheaper Alternative to Technivorm: Bonavita 8-Cup

Best Overall: Technivorm Moccamaster KGBT 10-Cup

Quality of Coffee

The Technivorm KGBT 10 Cup makes one of the best cups of coffee of all drip coffee makers.

America’s Test Kitchen tested seven of the most popular “premium” drip coffee makers on the market and found the Technivorm KGBT 10 Cup to make the best coffee of the lot. 

You can find the video here.

America’s Test Kitchen put the Technivorm KGBT’s excellent coffee down to three reasons:

• It brews at a consistent temperature of 195-205 Fahrenheit for the entirety of the brewing process (very few machines do this).

• It has a large enough brewing chamber to allow you to brew at the recommended ground coffee-to-water ratio of 1:16. You can do this even when brewing at its full 40 oz capacity (again, very few machines allow you to do this).

• It brews your coffee slowly enough for all the flavorful compounds in your ground coffee to extract into your water (around 4-6 minutes depending on serving size).

In short, no drip coffee maker makes a better cup of coffee than the Technivorm KGBT.

Quality of Coffee Rating: 10/10

Design and Build Quality

The Technivorm Moccamaster KGBT 10 Cup is built to last. Although it has some flimsy, plastic exterior parts, these are designed to be cheaply replaceable. Its core is very well-built.

Technivorm intentionally builds their machines with a really high-quality internal build and a relatively cheap external build quality.

The idea here is that the KGBT’s external parts are designed to be replaced very easily and cheaply, but the machine itself can last decades if these replacements are made.

Personally, I think that this is an excellent way to build a very durable machine (if a little wasteful at times).

That being said, the machine does use a lot of plastic in its exterior. All this plastic is food safe, but it will directly contact with hot water (the machine’s brewing chamber is made of plastic).

The machine’s carafe also is not the best, as it can be a bit drippy when you pour from it and often make a mess on your counter.

I’d recommend buying a version of the machine with a glass carafe if possible.

Design and Build Quality: 8/10

Value For Money

The Technivorm Moccamaster KGBT 10 Cup offers the best value for money of all Technivorm coffee makers.

Technivorm is a premium brand of a coffee machine, however, this premium price tag is justified.

I think that the Technivorm Moccamaster is the Technivorm that offers the best value for money for almost all use cases.

More expensive machines see you pay more for the ability to make larger quantities of coffee in one go or to make multiple pots of coffee in quick succession.

If you will never want to make more than 40 oz of coffee in one go then this machine is your cheapest option (other than the Technivorm One Cup, however, this can only make single servings).

Value for Money: 9/10

Technivorm Moccamaster KGBT 10-Cup Pros

Makes one of the best coffees of all drip coffee makers on the market.

The machine should last you decades (you might need to replace the odd external part).

Can make a good-tasting coffee even at higher serving sizes (a rarity among drip coffee makers).

Technivorm Moccamaster KGBT 10-Cup Cons

Its thermal carafe can be a bit drippy when you pour from it.

Best Single Serve: Technivorm Moccamaster One Cup

Quality of Coffee

The Technivorm Moccamaster One Cup makes one of the best single servings of coffee you can make from any coffee machine.

The Technivorm Moccamaster One Cup makes excellent single-serve coffee because it has a much smaller hole to let your coffee drip through than other single-serve coffee machines.

This forces your coffee to brew much more slowly. 

This eliminates the main problem you get when brewing single servings of coffee – namely that your coffee brews too quickly as there is just not enough ground coffee to “hold” your brewing water.

While the Technivorm Moccamaster One Cup makes the best single-serve coffee of any single-serve machine, you might be able to make a better coffee with a manual V60 pour-over and a lot of trial and error.

This trial and error method would obviously be a much cheaper option than buying the Cup One if you are willing to put in the time expense.

Quality of Coffee Rating: 9/10

Design and Build Quality

The Technivorm Moccamaster One Cup should last you decades, even if you have to replace the odd external part.

Technivorm has applied its design principle of combining an excellently built internal brewing system with relatively inexpensive external parts to the Cup One.

This means that the machine should be able to last you decades. You might have to replace the odd external component, such as its plastic brew basket, but the machine itself will last years and years before it succumbs to any performance issues.

The machine only has one serving size, 10 oz, which I guess can be seen as a design fault.

Design and Build Quality Rating: 9/10

Value For Money

The Technivorm Moccamaster One Cup is the least expensive Technivorm coffee maker currently on the market. It does have obvious limitations due to it only having one serving size.

The Cup-One sees you pay less than other Technivorm machines, due to the fact that it only offers one serving size.

This makes the machine a bargain if you specifically want a machine that does single servings of coffee well (and only that).

Value for Money Rating: 9/10 

Technivorm Moccamaster Cup-One Pros

Makes the best single-serve drip coffee of all coffee machines.

It is designed to last you decades.

It is a relatively compact machine.

Technivorm Moccamaster Cup-One Cons

It can only make 10 oz coffees.

Best For Offices: Technivorm Moccamaster CDT Grand

Quality of Coffee

The Technivorm Moccamaster CDT Grand makes one of the best coffees of all drip coffee machines.

All Technivorm coffee makers make excellent coffee, and the CDT Grand is no exception.

The biggest challenge that more “industrial” size coffee makers have is that their brew baskets are too small to hold enough ground coffee to still brew at the ideal ground coffee to water ratio of 1:16.

The CDT Grand has a large enough brew basket that this is not an issue. It will make excellent coffee even at its full 60 oz serving capacity.

Quality of Coffee Rating: 10/10

Design and Build Quality

The Technivorm Moccamaster CDT Grand has one of the best build qualities of all Technivorm coffee makers.

The CDT Grand is built like a tank, having excellent internal and external build quality.

This allows it to make superb coffee pot after pot, even if you are brewing multiple pots in quick succession.

Unlike with other Technivorm coffee makers, you will not likely need to replace some of its external parts every few years. 

The machine still does use a plastic brew chamber, however, so if the contamination of food-safe plastic into hot water is a problem for you then you might want to pass on this machine.

Design and Build Quality Rating: 9/10

Value For Money

The Technivorm Moccamaster CDT Grand is a touch more expensive than the other models listed here but is still excellent value for money.

The Technivorm Moccamaster CDT Grand sees you paying a little bit more money to have a better build quality. 

The main benefit of this is that its performance will not slow down even if you are brewing pot after pot with this machine all day long.

If you are not going to do this then the price tag may be overkill, but if you are then this is the perfect machine for you.

Value For Money Rating: 8/10

Technivorm Moccamaster CDT Grand Pros

Can make up to 60 oz of coffee (more than other Technivorms).

It can make pot after pot in quick succession without any deterioration in performance.

It does not have as many cheap exterior parts as other Technivorm coffee makers.

Technivorm Moccamaster CDT Grand Cons

It tends to be slightly more expensive than other Technivorm machines.

Best Cheaper Alternative To Technivorm: Bonavita 8 Cup

Quality of Coffee

The Bonavita 8 Cup makes excellent coffee that is comparable to Technivorm machines.

In America’s Test Kitchen comparison of seven popular drip coffee makers, testers found that the Bonavita 8 Cup was the only machine that came close to Technivorm’s quality of coffee.

This finding is backed up by the fact that the machine is certified by the Speciality Coffee Association of America (SCAA). 

SCAA only certifies coffee makers that brew according to the most optimal brewing guidelines. You can find a list of certified machines here.

Quality of Coffee Rating: 9/10

Design and Build Quality

The Bonavita 8 Cup has decent but not great build quality. It lacks the durability of Technivorm coffee makers.

The main difference between the Bonavita 8 Cup and the Technivorm Moccamaster KGBT is in durability.

I found many reports online of the Bonavita 8 Cup breaking down completely (i.e. it could not be revived) around 3-5 years into its lifespan. You can find an example of this on Reddit here.

I could not find similar reports for any Technivorm machine.

The Bonavita 8 Cup comes with a thermal carafe. While the carafe retains temperature well, it can be a bit drippy when you pour from it. Technivorm machines also have this issue, in fairness.

Design and Build Quality: 6/10

Value For Money

The Bonavita 8 Cup represents excellent value, especially if you are not yet willing to pay Technivorm’s high prices.

The Bonavita 8 Cup is significantly cheaper than any Technivorm machine.

This comes at the sacrifice of durability, but not (crucially) coffee quality.

If you have the money I’d recommend going for a Technivorm over a Bonavita as the former is far more durable. However, if you cannot afford a Technivorm then the Bonavita is the next best significantly cheaper option.

Value For Money Rating: 8/10

Bonavita 8-Cup Pros

Makes as good a coffee as a Technivorm coffee maker.

Significantly cheaper than a Technivorm coffee maker.

Bonavita 8-Cup Cons

Nowhere near as durable as a Technivorm (expect a lifespan of 3-5 years for a Bonavita and 10+ years for a Technivorm).

What Do All Technivorm Coffee Makers Have in Common?

I’m now going to explain what all Technivorm Moccamaster coffee makers have in common.

I am doing this because retailers love selling you expensive models based on features that cheaper models also have.

If you know what all Technivorm coffee makers have in common then you’ll be in a good position to avoid wasting your money on this retail tactic.

Excellent Tasting Coffee

All Technivorm coffee makers make best-in-class drip coffee.

Technivorm coffee makers make some of the best coffee that you can get from a drip coffee maker.

This is for three reasons

Consistent Brewing Temperatures 

Technivorm coffee makers heat up your brewing water to the ideal brewing temperature of 195-205 Fahrenheit for the entirety of your coffee’s brewing process. 

Most coffee makers only reach this temperature by the end of your brew, meaning that your coffee is mainly brewing below this ideal temperature. 

Lower temperatures mean less extraction and ultimately a watery coffee. Technivorm machines create a very richly flavored coffee due to these consistent brewing temperatures.

Large Brewing Chambers

Technivorms have brewing chambers that can hold enough coffee to allow you to brew with the Specialty Coffee Association of America (SCAA)’s recommended 1:16 ground coffee to water ratio. 

Most machines, including higher-end ones, do not have brewing chambers this large and therefore make weak coffee at higher serving sizes. 

Technivorm coffee makers brew excellent coffee at every serving size due to their larger brewing chambers.

Long Brewing Times

Technivorms have smaller than normal holes that your coffee can “drip” through from your brewing chamber into your carafe. 

This ensures that your coffee is in direct contact with your brewing water for the SCAA-recommended 3-8 minutes (depending on serving size). 

This means that all the desirable flavorful compounds in your ground coffee have enough time to dissolve into your brewing water. This creates a complex-tasting final drink.

Technivorm machines’ excellent brewing system is exemplified by the fact that many of their domestic machines are SCAA certified.

The SCAA only certifies machines that meet the highest brewing standards. Getting certified is not some kind of tokenistic gesture.

Although the Technivorm Moccamaster CDT Grand is not certified, I think that this is because the machine is primarily intended for the commercial market. SCAA does not certify commercial machines.

The CDT Grand’s lack of SCAA certification is not due to any deficiencies in the coffee it makes (as far as I can tell anyway).

Internal Build Quality

All Technivorm coffee makers have an excellent internal build quality meaning that they should make superb coffee years into their lifespan.

Technivorm coffee makers have fantastic quality brewing mechanisms (this is why they are pricey).

This gives you two main benefits:

• Amazing tasting coffee: Technivorms make best-in-class coffee due to their outstanding brewing systems. This (along with your choice of coffee and the quality of the grinder) is what determines the taste of your coffee.

• High levels of durability: Technivorms design their machines with the idea that their core brewing mechanism should last you decades. The machine’s external parts are more cheaply built, with the idea that you can replace specific components should they break. Technivorm Moccamsters generally last decades and sustain their excellent performance throughout this period.

Stripped Back Functionalities

Technivorm Moccamaster has very few functionalities, but what they do they do very well. This also contributes to the machines’ durability.

Most Techinvorms just have an on-the-button that makes it brew.

This is in contrast to other similarly priced drip coffee machines that have functionalities such as bloom time control, temperature control and time control.

Technivorms reject these functionalities in favor of doing just one thing really, really well.

This approach not only allows you to make excellent coffee but also allows the machines to have a really high level of durability. Fewer features mean fewer things to break down.

How do Technivorm Coffee Makers Differ?

I’m now going to explain the differences between different Technivorm coffee makers.

Look out for these specific features when shopping around for this type of machine.

Cost

Technivorm coffee makers range from about $300 to about $800. I think the sweet spot for value is $300-$500.

Technivorm coffee makers range from costing around $300-$500. More expensive machines see you paying for:

• The ability to make larger servings of coffee in one go.
• The ability of the machine to make more pots of coffee in quick succession.
• Less plastic and more metal in the machine’s exterior.

I think that unless you are specifically buying a Techivorm for a commercial purpose then you should just stick to one of the less expensive machines.

I think $300-$500 is where you get value when buying a Technivorm coffee machine.

Maximum/Minimum Serving Sizes

Technivorm coffee machines vary in both the maximum and minimum serving sizes they offer.

Generally, more expensive machines will have a greater range of serving sizes than more affordable machines. 

I’d recommend only buying a machine whose maximum number of serving sizes you will actually make in one go so you do not overspend on your machine.

The table below shows the maximum and minimum serving sizes of each of the machines featured in this article:

Machine Name	Maximum serving size (oz)	Minimum serving size (oz)
Technivorm Moccamaster KGBT (best overall)	10 oz	44 o
Technivorm Moccamaster Cup-One (best single serve)	10 oz	10 oz
Technivorm Moccamaster CDT Grand (best for offices)	10 oz (theoretically – see review for more details)	60 oz
Bonavita 8 Cup (best cheaper alternative)	16 oz	40 oz

Carafe Material

Some models of Technivorm have a glass carafe whereas some have a thermal carafe. Technivorm is one of the few machines where I would opt for a glass carafe over a thermal one.

Almost all models of Technivorm come with the option of either a glass or thermal carafe.

While I generally prefer thermal carafes over glass ones, I actually would recommend getting a Techivorm coffee maker with glass rather than a thermal carafe.

Technivorm’s thermal carafes are a bit annoying to use as they often drip out their spout when you pour from them.

This leaves you with an annoying mess to wipe up after every coffee you pour.

Their glass carafes do not have this problem. 

I’d therefore only recommend getting a thermal carafe if you know you will want to remove your carafe from your machine often.

Thermal carafes keep your coffee warm when removed from the machine, glass carafes do not do this.

The table below shows whether the machines featured in this article come with a glass or thermal carafe as standard:

Machine Name	Does it come with a thermal or glass carafe as standard
Technivorm Moccamaster KGBT (best overall)	Thermal
Technivorm Moccamaster Cup-One (best single serve)	No carafe
Technivorm Moccamaster CDT Grand (best for offices)	Thermal
Bonavita 8 Cup (best cheaper alternative)	Thermal

Footprint and Height

Technivorm coffee makers vary in their size, and this usually relates to the amount of coffee they can make in one go.

I’d recommend having at least:

• Three inches of counter space on either side of your coffee machine (6 inches of width in total)
• Six inches of counter depth in front of your machine
• Five inches of vertical clearance above your machine to use it comfortably.

Machine Name	Dimensions (width x depth x height in inches)	Countertop space needed (width x height x depth in inches)
Technivorm Moccamaster KGBT (best overall)	11.5” x 6.5” x 16.0”	17.5” x 12.5” x 21.0”
Technivorm Moccamaster Cup-One (best single serve)	10.2” x 6.5” x 11.7”	16.2” x 12.5” x  21.0”
Technivorm Moccamaster CDT Grand (best for offices)	12.5” x 6.75” x 17.75”	18.5” x 12.75” x 22.75″
Bonavita 8 Cup (best cheaper alternative)	12.4” x 6.8” x 12.2”	18.4” x 12.8” x 17.2”

Final Verdict

The best Technivorm coffee maker is the Technivorm Moccamaster KGBT 10 Cup.