Quick Answer: I’d recommend the Technivorm Moccamaster KBT as it is the best drip coffee machine on the market.
This is my Technivorm Moccamaster review. I will be focussing on the Technivorm Moccamaster KBT, as this is the most popular model online currently, however, I’ll also touch on a few other popular Moccamaster models as well.
I have never owned a Technivorm Moccamaster. I have, however, spent an entire day researching users’ experiences with this machine online to put together this review.
Let’s get started.
Should I Buy the Technivorm Moccamaster (Quick Verdict)?
I’d recommend the Technivorm Moccamaster to anyone wanting a drip coffee machine. The Technivorm Moccamaster is the best drip coffee machine on the market. Even if it is not the cheapest machine, it easily justifies its price tag because of how long the machine can last at peak performance.
Technivorm Moccamaster KBT
Technivorm Moccamaster KBT Pros
It makes one of the best-tasting coffees of all drip coffee makers.
It is incredibly durable and should last you decades.
Replacement parts are relatively cheap.
Comes with a 5-year warranty as standard.
Technivorm Moccamaster KBT Cons
It is slightly harder to clean than most drip coffee machines.
Its carafe’s spout dribbles when you pour from it.
Product Overview
The Technivorm Moccamaster KBT is an SCAA-certified drip coffee with a simple but high-quality design.
The machine sacrifices having a wide range of functionalities in favor of doing one type of coffee very, very well.
It is also one of the most durable drip coffee machines out there, and this is backed up by its five-year manufacturer warranty.
You can find a table of specifications of the Technivorm Moccamaster KBT below:
| Specification | Technivorm Moccamaster KBT |
| Description | Drip coffee machine with a thermal carafe and no built-in grinder |
| Dimensions | 11.5” W, 5.75” D, 15.25” H |
| Basket shape and filter type | Conical takes size four paper filters |
| Type of carafe | Thermal |
| Maximum serving size | 40 oz |
| Minimum serving size | 8 oz |
| Does it have preset serving sizes? | No, it uses all the water you put in its tank |
| Bloom functionality | No |
| Can you control the brew temperature? | No |
| Can you control the flow rate? | No |
| Can you control bloom time? | No |
| Does it have a drip spout valve? | Yes (you need to open and close it manually) |
| Does it tell you when it needs to be descaled? | No |
| Does it have a descaling mode? | No |
| Where to buy it? | Buy the Technivorm Moccamaster KBT on Amazon |
There are two other models of Technivorm Moccamaster that are particularly popular online. They are:
- Technivorm Moccamaster KBGT: This is identical to the Technivorm Moccamaster KBGT but the KBT has a drip spout valve whereas the KBGT does not. This means that the KBT can stop brewing on demand (say if you want to grab a quick coffee before the machine brews a whole batch) whereas the KBGT cannot. I personally do not recommend the KBGT as it is just an inferior version as the KBT for the same price.
- Technivorm Moccamaster Cup-One: This has the same build quality as the KBT but can only make 10 oz servings of coffee. Since the Technivorm Moccamaster Cup-One is smaller and (usually) less expensive than the KBT I’d recommend the Cup One if you only want to make single servings of coffee at a time.
For the rest of this article, when I say “Technivorm Moccamaster” I will be referring specifically to the Technivorm Moccamaster KBT.
Quality of Coffee
The Technivorm Moccamaster KBT makes there or thereabouts the best drip coffee of all machines.
The Technivorm Moccamaster makes excellent coffee, among the best of any machine.
I have come to this conclusion due to three pieces of evidence:
- America’s Test Kitchen: America’s Test Kitchen taste-tested popular drip coffee machines in 2008 and 2022. They found that the Technivorm Moccamaster brewed the best-tasting coffee in both years’ tests.
- James Hoffmann: In his roundup of the best drip coffee machines, James Hoffmann singled out the Technivorm Moccamaster and the Ratio 6’s coffee for specific praise (he did say that each machine made a similar standard of coffee however).
- r/coffee: The Technivorm Moccamaster is generally seen as making the best drip coffee of all machines on the incredibly active r/coffee. You can find an example of this here.
Unsurprisingly, the Technivorm Moccamaster is SCAA-certified, meaning that it meets all the requirements set out by the SCAA to make excellent drip coffee.
In fact, Moccamaster is the manufacturer with the highest number of SCAA-certified coffee makers in the world.
Quality of Coffee: 10/10
Functionalities
The Technivorm Moccamaster has relatively few functionalities. It just makes drip coffee in one preprogrammed way. It executes its one function very well, however, and its lack of functionalities makes it more durable than other drip coffee machines.
The Technivorm Moccamaster just brews drip coffee in one way.
You control how the coffee tastes purely through the type of coffee you use, the way it is ground, and the quantity of ground coffee and water that you use.
It has no “brewing modes”, it doesn’t even have a bloom setting.
So if you are looking for a machine that has modes for iced coffee and extra strong coffee, then the Technivorm Moccamaster is not for you. I’d instead recommend the Breville Precision Brewer.
Technivorm Moccamasters are intentionally designed with minimal functionality to make them as durable as possible. The principle of “less things mean less things can go wrong” is at play here and as a result, Technivorm Moccamasters have a very strong reputation for being able to last decades (their warranty is 5 years).
Functionalities: 5/10 (but this is not necessarily a negative)
Ease of Use and Cleaning
The Technivorm Moccamaster is easy to use, just like all drip coffee makers. It is slightly harder to clean than most drip coffee makers due to its carafe not being dishwasher friendly.
Brewing with the Technivorm Moccamaster simply involves filling the machine up with your desired amount of ground coffee and water and pressing brew. The machine brews with all the water you put in it each time.
I like the fact that the Technivorm Moccamaster’s brew basket pulls out from the top (you need to remove its showerhead first) rather than from the side.
A lot of brew baskets that pull out the side don’t fit that flush to the machine (Ratio 6 I’m looking at you) and then can create spills when you pull them out.
The Technivorm Moccamaster will not have this problem.
The Techinvorm Moccamaster is slightly harder to clean than other drip coffee machines because you cannot clean its thermal carafe in the dishwasher.
While the carafe is dishwasher safe, its opening is so small that water will not easily flush in and out of it in the dishwasher. You instead need to rinse it out by hand.
I’d recommend getting a machine in a darker color to hide the smudges ;).
Ease of Use and Cleaning Rating: 8/10
Design and Build Quality
The Technivorm Moccamaster is, in my opinion, the most smartly designed drip coffee maker out there. Its combination of a flawless brewing system and cheap outer parts means that the machine will run like new for years and years (if not decades).
Internal Build Quality
The Technivorm Moccamaster has a fantastic brewing system.
This is shown by the fact that the machine is SCAA-certified. This is only possible if the machine has a powerful enough heating mechanism to keep your brewing water at a consistent temperature throughout brewing.
This heating mechanism is the most expensive part of any coffee machine to manufacture. The fact that the Technivorm Moccamaster can brew at a consistent temperature means that no corners were cut as far as the machine’s internal mechanisms go.
The product is also often featured on the subreddit: r/buyitforlife, which is dedicated to products that will last you a lifetime. You can see an example of a thread dedicated to the machine here.
The fact that the Technivorm Moccamaster does not seem to heat water more slowly as it gets older further shows its high internal build quality (most coffee makers run into this problem eventually – but not the Moccamaster).
External Build Quality
Although some of the Technivorm Moccamasters’ external parts are made out of plastic and feel a bit cheap, this is intentional.
The idea with the Technivorm’s design is that its external parts can be cheaply replaced if they suffer wear and tear, but the core of the machine will last a very long time.
I really like this concept, and think that the savings you make are well worth a few plastic components.
I do not, however, like the Technivorm Moccamaster’s carafe. The carafe’s spout is very spluttery when you pour from it, meaning that you are likely to make a mess on your counter with every coffee that you pour.
Any Known Technical Issues?
The only common technical issue I could find online with the Technivorm Moccamaster was that its water tank would struggle to drain over time.
This is almost always due to a scale problem. The Technivorm Moccamaster does not tell you when it needs to be descaled so you have to remember to do this yourself.
This is actually a bit of a weakness in the machine, especially as using a scaled-up machine can permanently damage it.
Design and Build Quality: 9/10
Value For Money
The Technivorm Moccamaster offers excellent value for money, even considering its large price tag.
If you descale the machine regularly it should stay at peak performance for years, if not decades.
The machine has a 5-year warranty as standard, and Moccamaster is very generous with replacing parts for free even after this warranty has passed.
Even with a premium price tag, the Technivorm Moccamaster can easily be a good investment.
Value For Money Rating: 8/10
What Users Say
As of February 2023, the Technivorm Moccamaster KBT has been reviewed by 2,457 on Amazon and has an average rating of 4.5/5 stars.
Positive reviews of the Technivorm Moccamaster almost always talk about how durable the machine is:
Amazon review, January 2023: “I was sold on the 5-year warranty, and after watching a YouTube tour of the factory that shows the quality that goes into making them. It is simple but quality construction with very few parts to break as long as you don’t toss it against the wall.”
Negative reviews of the Technivorm Moccamaster often say that it uses too many plastic components. Although I really like the Moccamaster’s design principles, some people are clearly turned off by it:
Amazon review, December 2022: “First, too many plastic parts. Seems like the only part “made in the Netherlands” is the metal heating element. The rest is likely made in China.”
I also found a lot of complaints about the Techivorm Moccamaster’s dribbly carafe spout (even on otherwise positive reviews of the machine).
Product Alternatives
Two good alternatives to the Technivorm Moccamaster are the Bonavita 8-Cup and the Ratio 6.
Bonavita 8 Cup – Cheaper but Less Durable than the Moccamaster
The Bonavita 8-Cup costs about half as much as the Technivorm Moccamaster KBT yet makes a similar standard of coffee as the Moccamaster.
This was confirmed by America’s Test Kitchen in their 2008 test of home drip brewers. Although this was a long time ago, it does not seem like either the Moccamster or the Bonavita’s machines have changed much since then.
The downside of the Bonavita 8-Cup is that it is nowhere near as durable as the Technivorm Moccmaster.
I could find several users reports on Reddit saying that the machine’s wiring and heating mechanism would become faulty a few years into the machine’s lifespan. This can cause the machine to overheat and melt some of its plastic components. You can find a thread talking about this here.
Still, if you are interested in trying a really high-performance drip coffee maker and are not ready to splurge on the Technivorm Moccamaster, then the Bonavita 8 Cup can be a great way to test the waters with a premium machine.
To find out more about how these two machines compare, please see my comparison of the Technivorm Moccamaster vs Bonavita.
Ratio 6 – Just as Good but With a Different Look
Ratio 6
A good alternative if you don’t like the look of the Technivorm Moccamaster.
The Ratio 6 is one of the few other drip coffee makers that make as good coffee as the Technivorm Moccamaster.
The main difference between the Ratio 6 and the Technivorm Moccamaster is in their appearance. The Ratio 6 looks less plasticky, and although I do not think it is as well designed or as durable as the Technivorm Moccamaster it does look more expensively built.
If you don’t think that the Technivorm Moccamaster will look good on your counter, but still want one of the best available drip coffee makers, then the Ratio 6 would be an excellent choice.
Final Verdict
I would strongly recommend the Techinvorm Moccamaster as I think it is the best automatic pour-over coffee maker on the market.
Don’t be put off by its price tag, this machine will last you a very long time so will prove to be good value once you have gotten consistently excellent coffee from it year in and year out.
Technivorm Moccamaster KBT
