Moccamasters are iconic coffee brewers, they are SCA certified home brewers and many people love their styling to accent their kitchen countertops. They come in at a premium price point but don’t feel overpriced since they have a solid build quality and reputation. These brewers are hand made in the Netherlands and backed by a five year warranty, something that is unheard of for countertop home appliances. After the five year warranty they will repair any brewer for life (for a fee), something to consider for those of you who hate that most kitchen appliances end up in a landfill after their serviceable life. Most other brewers we review have a one year warranty, after which internal replacement parts are usually impossible to find. You may be able to find a carafe or filter basket, but if the machine’s internals fail you can only throw it out.

The Technivorm Moccamaster 79312 KBGT Coffee Brewer is the version of their brewer with a thermal carafe and has an auto-drip stop feature. The Technivorm Moccamaster 79112 KBT Coffee Brewer version has a manual drip stop that has a full, half open and closed toggle. This is useful if you want to be able to better control the flow rate from the filter basket for different brew sizes. However, as I have said the best way to modulate our coffee’s taste is by adjusting the grind size. I adjust the grind size as needed and allow the more automated KGBT to do its job with brewing, finer for smaller brews and coarser for larger brews. These machines also use a pulse brew method from a shower head that is similar to the way the Oxo and Zojirushi brew, which takes a little longer and yields higher extraction. For this reason if you are using pre-ground coffee, it may tend to be over extracted. 

The Moccamaster 53933 KBGV Select Coffee Maker is the classic model with a glass carafe and comes in about 20 different colors to match any decor. However, we advise against using a glass carafe and heat plate as it will start to cook your coffee and degrade the taste after about 20 minutes, for this really we usually recommend brewers that either include a thermal carafe or allow you to brew into your own. Brewers with auto drip stop require that you use the provided carafe or they won’t work. 

Bottom line is the brewer makes great coffee as you would expect from any SCA certified home brewer. The carafe has a brew straw to prevent stratification and keep the coffee mixed as it brews. The carafe is solid build quality and no complaints other than the round top makes it hard to do precise pouring, but I never had any issues with spilling or dripping. 

The water tank is attached to the brewer and not removable, the lid is removable. The standing filter basket has its own lid that sits on a perch over the carafe. Once you insert the carafe into the KBGT it will lift the drip stop lever to allow coffee to flow down from the filter basket. There are no settings on the machine other than on and off, however as it is a physical button you can set the machine up the night before and use it with a smart switch if you want to add an aftermarket timer function. 

If you have standard height kitchen cabinets this brewer is not friendly and would need to be pulled out for refilling water. Overall the workflow is decent, but not as easy as other brewers we have recommended on this site. The filter basket needs to be set a certain way and then you have to place the cover on both the water tank and the filter basket. It is really nit picky and most people who don’t review as many coffee makers as I do won’t even notice, but compared to the Ninja and Oxo I just preferred the workflow on those better. 

I think this machine is worth it if you really like the style as well and appreciate high build quality and a long warranty with continuing commitment to service for the machine’s life. The lack of programming options may be a downside for some, but that can be overcome with a timer or smart switch. I may be unique in that I only brew for 1-2 cups of coffee at a time and do not brew traditional large batches of coffee that I use to refill, for this reason I always find myself going back to use my Ninja to brew directly into a mug or else my AeroPress or Pour Over.

See the KBGT user manual here.