When I first received the Moccamaster and set it up, I was actually disappointed. The coffee didn’t taste any better than an old Cuisinart coffeemaker, but after a few weeks breaking in the Moccamaster, brews started to taste much better.
The Moccamaster is beautiful, as it should be for $300-plus. It looks like a retro machine full of metal and plastic. Here are some of its plusses and minuses:
- I like that you can see how much water is in the reservoir.
- I dislike that the Moccamaster measures differently, 7.5 cups of the Cuisinart equal 9.5 Moccamaster cups, so making four American-sized mugs will take up its entire “10-cup capacity.”
- I like the ability to order the Moccamaster with a thermal carafe. I don’t like coffee that’s been cooking too long.
- I dislike that the Technivorm designers felt a spout was unnecessary, so when you pour coffee you have to be careful or it may spill.
- I dislike that the coffee filter holder can be easily tipped over but I discovered that if you turn over the lid over, it can act as a stabilizer to prevent the holder from tipping over and spilling your precious ground coffee all over. Technivorm should add that tip to their manual.
I would certainly buy the Moccamaster again if only to support to the industrious people of the Netherlands. 😁 I would recommend, however, that the Technivorm people revisit their thermal canister design and add a spout. While they’re at it, they should make the coffee filter holder flat-bottomed so it won’t tip over.
I recommend that you break your Moccamaster in before judging, and also use pure spring water, like I do. I grind my beans for 35 seconds, no more no less.
Coffee-wise, there is no question that the Moccamaster makes superb coffee. For this stellar coffeemaker, I recommend both Trader Joe’s Seattle Blend and Starbucks Yukon blend, the latter available at Costco in large bags for your degustatory pleasure. 😜
