Technivorm’s Moccamaster Has Solved All My Issues With Drip Coffee Makers
I love all things OXO, as do many of my fellow Kitchn editors. In fact, I bought the OXO On Barista Brain 9-Cup Coffee Maker in 2018 because I trusted the brand, was into the space age-y look, and had a broken drip machine on my hands. After deciding to splurge, I felt validated when the New York Times‘ product review website added it to its list of the best coffee makers on the market. But fast forward a few years, and sadly, my feelings have changed.
My Issues with the OXO Coffee Maker
I loved the coffee maker at first. For starters, it’s a good-looking machine and every guest who stepped into my kitchen commented on it, curious about how it worked. I loved the stainless-steel carafe that kept coffee hot for hours and poured easily. It was a cinch to load and the control — just a single dial — was extra easy to handle. The machine had a few quirks that I was willing to overlook at first (I was so in love!), but as I used it more and more, the quirks became annoyances.
There’s no stopper on the brew basket, so every time we pulled the carafe out from its spot, the reservoir would drip coffee, which splashed everywhere. I could never get the lid on the carafe clean enough and I was constantly wiping up the area around the machine — even the walls! And we weren’t pulling the carafe out too early; the machine was definitely done brewing. No matter how long we waited, the machine rained coffee anytime we pulled the carafe out.
As difficult as it is to say this, I just did not love this OXO coffee maker. And it pains me because I love all other OXO products — especially the iconic POP containers and angled measuring cups.
What Makes the Technivorm Moccamaster Coffee Maker So Great
Frustrated, I searched for alternatives and eventually found the Technivorm Moccamaster Coffee Maker via Cooks Illustrated. It was much more expensive than the OXO one, but I was fed up and was willing to spend any amount of money to stop having coffee-stained walls. If you’re looking for a more budget-friendly version, I’ve also enjoyed using the under-$100 Cuisinart 14-Cup Coffee Maker but the glass carafe doesn’t keep coffee hot long enough for me to enjoy a second cup.
So, the verdict? Drumroll, please. Are you ready? Is this anticipation killing you? Well … I love it! The Moccamaster looks and works the same as the OXO. The brew basket has a drip stopper that you can actually see, hear, and feel move into place when you pull out the carafe. At most, we’ll get one tiny drop of coffee that falls onto the carafe’s holder, but even that is rare.
It comes with a stainless steel carafe that keeps the coffee hot, and there are two stoppers: one with a hole to use during brewing and one that works more like a plug to keep things extra hot for hours.
I don’t taste a noticeable difference between the coffee brewed in the Moccamaster versus the OXO. It takes a comparable amount of time to brew the coffee (anywhere from four to six minutes) and it always comes out piping hot.
All the pieces are easy to clean and there are little to no grounds at the bottom of the carafe. My only complaint is that the machine can’t be programmed to turn on ahead of time, but knowing that I have to brew a pot of coffee actually helps me get out of bed quicker.
I realize that $300+ is a lot to spend on a coffee maker, but it’s a price I’m willing to pay for a nice-looking drip coffee machine that brews delicious coffee quickly and easily, and doesn’t leave behind a mess for me to clean up every. single. morning.
Buy: Technivorm Moccamaster Coffee Maker, $339.95
Do you have a favorite drip coffee maker? Let us know in the comments below.
