My algorithm is addicted to showing me trendy kitchen stuff. Some of it is my own doing some of it is my connection to my fiancée’s shopping habits. Stuff like the Rocco Smart Fridge, fancy coffee machines, and stand mixers is always all over my timeline. So as soon as I started saying drip coffee is coming back to replace fancy espresso, I get fed ads for the Technivrom Moccamaster, the good-looking, near $400 coffee maker. I was intrigued.
The question I had, obviously, was “Can a drip coffee maker be worth $379?” After time with the Moccamaster, I’ve got an answer. It’s worth the price if you value good design, which I will always advocate for. Consider how much use you get out of a coffee maker, you’ll use this over two, maybe three, decades. At that rate, it’s worth paying for one that’s a little bit nicer and a little bit better looking.
Technivorm Moccamaster
Cons
- Price, first off
- A lot of shown components are plastic, feels a bit cheap
- Only makes a full (10-cup) or half (five-cup) carafe
First, let me start with the negatives.
I just want to get this out of the way, but these are quirks not dealbreakers, in my opinion. First, obviously, is the price. I’ll talk about the coffee down in the good stuff section, but at the end of the day, it’s just a pot of coffee. This isn’t a feast for the gastronomic senses. You can buy a vintage Mr. Coffee for under $100 on eBay, and I think it looks just as cool, makes a solid pot of coffee, whatever. The second issue I have also has to do with drip coffee. You can only make a full carafe (10-cup) or half carafe (five-cup). I’m in a two-person household, and my fiancée drinks coffee at a snails pace. So typically, I’d make a pot and drink it over two, maybe three, days. Thankfully, the hot plate does a good job reheating the pot.
What really bothered me was the build of the Moccamaster. It looks phenomenal, but really all those colored elements and the filter section are just plastic. The plastic looks great, and honestly it’ll last just as long as metal. But, it feels a little on the cheap side. Especially compared to something like Aarke’s drip coffee maker that runs about the same price. Of course, if it was stainless steel, the Moccamaster would be powder coated, which really would up the price. Plastic makes sense and is just as durable, but my mind just can’t get over it.
Now, the good stuff.
Ok, let me talk about everything I love with the Moccamaster. First, it’s the look. When it’s sat on the counter, it does really look phenomenal. The Candy Apple Red we tried catches light beautifully. The glass carafe gives it a vintage feel, and the clear water tank is just a nice touch. It has a solid feel to it as well. A tad over six pounds feels substantial on a countertop, and the rubber feet keep it from moving around if you’re accidentally knocking into it.
After the look and build, it is the coffee. Like I said, it’s still just a drip coffee machine, but functionally it’s replicating the pour-over process. It’s a quick brew, coming together in under six minutes, and that shower head pour gets a nice bloom before working on the rest of the cup. It does, actually, give a great cup of coffee. If you buy nice grounds, you will get more aroma and tasting notes out of them. It wasn’t life-changing for me, but I’ve never found a cup of coffee to be. The brew was nice, but it’s a nitpick.
That brings me to the epiphany I had in this review process. I was looking for all sorts of innovations to justify the fancy coffee maker, but honestly, it’s just so fool-proof simple. There’s less moving parts (and no Smart Features, thank God) to break or malfunction. That is what will make this work for decades, and that’s what makes it worth the big price tag. A while back, our friends at Popular Mechanics ripped this thing open and laid out all the parts. Under 20 function-bearing mechanical parts, that’s simple. Think about the world’s best coffee objects—Moka pots, pour-overs, and French presses. They’re all built to last forever. That’s what the Moccamaster is replicating, and that’s what you’re paying for.
So, would I buy it?
If I wanted to buy a forever coffee maker, it would probably be this one. It looks good, works simply, and makes a great cup of coffee. I would, however, have to budget for it. Or, I’d throw it on a wedding registry or Christmas wish list. I do think, with the initial five-year warranty, it’s worth the price. Once you get past a half-decade with this thing, I reckon it’ll last another decade or two after that. That’s about as good of a value you’ll get these days.
