Does its performance make up for its cheap feel?

First produced in the late 1960s, the Technivorm Moccamaster has seen minimal updates since, which is a large part of its appeal. Its gorgeous retro aesthetic is an aspect the brand proudly touts. 

However, that lack of updates means it has zero modern conveniences — no clock, no programming to brew later, no alternate brewing methods, nothing. Considering this machine costs nearly $400 and machines costing half that have most of these conveniences or more, it’s tough to recommend. 

While, yes, it did make some of the best coffee of all the coffee makers we in the BestReviews Testing Lab got our hands on, so did some other more affordable and fully featured machines. Let’s take a closer look at it. 

What is the Technivorm Moccamaster?

Everything rattles so much we were afraid it would break down in a light breeze.

Product specifications
Dimensions: 6.5” D x 12.75” W x 14” H | Brewing Size Options: Two (half or full carafe) | Pod Compatibility: No | Water Reservoir Capacity: 40 oz | Brew Time: 5:30 for full carafe 

The coffee maker 

The Technivorm Moccamaster not only makes great coffee, but it also does it quickly. It only took four minutes to brew a half carafe and five and a half minutes to brew a full one. However, the brew basket drips for a consistent 60 to 90 seconds after brewing is over. You either have to wait longer than the brew time for it to settle down, or your hot plate gets covered in coffee drips as you pour a cup.

Speaking of the hot plate, its heating performance is low. It dropped a staggering 15 degrees (185 down to 170) in just 30 minutes, something almost every other hot plate we tested took more than an hour to do, if it dropped that much at all. We also detected a slightly off flavor after an hour that was hard to describe, but it made us want a fresh pot immediately.

Finally, as a general note, we noticed all the pieces of the Moccamaster sit loosely. This feels cheap and leads to excessive rattling when using it. It gave us a persistent concern that it might fall apart suddenly.

The carafe

The carafe was a particularly sore point for us, with several aspects we disliked. 

• The bottom of the carafe feels and sounds like it’s grinding against the hot plate when you take it off or put it on. We were worried this could lead to the carafe breaking eventualy. 
• The handle is completely flat, making it the unquestionably least comfortable carafe we used. It forces you to hold it at an odd, uncomfortable angle, and the edges of the flat handle dug into our hands. 
• When pouring our coffee, we had issues with the carafe dripping and making a mess. 
• There’s a tube that extends down into the body of the carafe. This makes the coffee brew into the center of the carafe so each cup is identical rather than having fresh coffee sit on top while the bottom gets stale. But when the carafe’s hinge is hit and the lid flops open, this tube flicks a bunch of coffee out of the carafe and makes a mess.

Pros

• Makes great coffee
• Among the easiest coffee makers to use that we tested
• Late-1960s aesthetic makes it one of the best-looking coffee machines we’ve seen

Cons

• No programmability or extra features despite the high cost
• The carafe is of poor quality
• Poor build quality leads to excessive rattling

Who is it for?

The Technivorm Moccamaster is positioned as a high-end, luxury drip coffee maker for homeowners who want nothing but the best for their daily brew. It’s especially good for those working in home offices so they can grab all the cups of coffee they need to hit deadlines.

It can also be bought for office breakrooms, however, its high cost and limited functionality make it a poor choice over larger and more fully featured machines.

How we tested

The carafe has several issues, including roughly grinding against the hot plate when used.

We focused on three aspects during testing.
 

• Brew quality: We considered multiple variables, including brewing time, brewing temperature and, of course, taste and aroma. Testing was a matter of brewing several pots of coffee, both full and half carafes, and taking detailed notes.
• Design and functionality: This included examining its hot plate efficiency, general build quality and several aspects of the carafe, including its comfort and how cleanly it could pour.
• Hot plate efficiency: Testing this was a simple matter of taking temperature recordings of a full pot of coffee. We started immediately after brewing finished and recorded 185 degrees. We then tested again 30 minutes later and one hour later. At 30 minutes, we recorded 170 degrees; at one hour, we recorded 165.

We also considered ease of use as well as cleaning and maintenance by comparing the Moccamaster against other coffee machines we’ve either tested or used personally.

Price and where to buy

The Technivorm Moccamaster retails for $359. It can be purchased on Amazon or the Moccamaster website.

How to use the Technivorm Moccamaster

The lack of programmability is a major oversight for such an expensive machine.

Using the Techinvorm Moccamaster is simple enough that you can do it bleary-eyed in the morning with no issue.
 

• Step one: Add water to the reservoir and beans to the hopper. Use the carafe to measure out water easily. The bean basket can be removed for easier filling.
• Step two: Double-check that the switch for brewing either half a carafe or a full carafe is in the correct position for the amount of coffee you’re about to brew.
• Step three: Flick the switch to on, wait and enjoy.

A closer look at its features

The Moccamaster is as simple as drip coffee machines go, with few features to speak of.

Spray arm

Many drip coffee makers release water onto the grounds using one spout. The Moccamaster has a special spray arm with several spouts that are spread out, so hot water comes into contact with more beans for better-tasting coffee.

Removable filter basket

Most drip coffee makers have removable filter baskets, but it’s usually limited to the basket itself. The Moccamaster lets you pull this entire chunk of the machine out and even has a handle to make removing it easier. This makes it much simpler to clean, compared to using a rag or paper towel to dig into the crevices of other coffee makers.

Aesthetic design

A major feature of the Technivorm Moccamaster has nothing to do with how well it brews coffee. It’s maintained its ’60s aesthetic all this time, and honestly, we love that. There are truly few drip coffee makers, if any, that exude this much style.

Colors and textures

Another appearance-focused feature worth noting is that the Moccamaster comes in more than 20 colors, such as red, blue, yellow, green and purple. It also offers several textures, including glossy, matte and one that we would describe as sparkly. This means you can get a Moccamaster to match almost any kitchen space.

How does it compare to other coffee machines we tested?

After testing machines from brands including Breville, De’Longhi, Ninja, OXO, Cuisinart and Mr. Coffee, the biggest points of difference are the Moccamaster’s aesthetic and limited functionality. Having not been updated since the 1960s when it was first released, it’s a genuine treat for the eyes. It would be perfect on the set of a period film. But it doesn’t have any kind of modern conveniences, such as clocks and automatic brewing. It's true that it makes delicious coffee, but we were able to make coffee exactly as good with machines that were half the cost that do include modern conveniences, such as the OXO Brew 9-Cup Coffee Maker.

Is the Moccamaster worth it?

The Technivorm Moccamaster’s unique 1960s style is sure to impress your guests.

All things considered, we’d say no. The real joy of the Technivorm Moccamaster is its wonderful late 1960s aesthetic. That’s not enough to overcome its many shortcomings and issues, nor its nearly $400 price tag. If looks are more important to you than anything else, then sure, you probably won’t regret purchasing the Moccamaster and watching your friends’ faces light up the first time they see it. But you can get much more for much less money from other machines.