Lengthy have I coveted my neighbor’s Moccamaster. It helps, in fact, that the neighbor in query is a buddy who has generously served me a whole lot of espresso from the butter-colored model of the mid-century fashionable machine through the years. For the uninitiated, the Moccamaster has been lauded by coffee-obsessed folks because the gold commonplace for drip espresso machines that brew with consistency, particularly in the event you’re searching for an equipment that cuts a smooth, fashionable silhouette. Gwyneth Paltrow famously has one in her impeccably embellished Montecito, California visitor home, and you might have noticed a silver-colored Moccamaster in Carmy’s kitchen in The Bear.
Not too long ago, the machine has arguably gone viral. Moccamaster has been trending on social media, with greater than 75,000 posts popping up beneath #Moccamaster on Instagram and tens of 1000’s of likes on TikTok amongst espresso nerds and folk who simply need a simple method to blast off with caffeine.
Not a lot has modified about this percolator because it was first launched by the Dutch firm Technivorm in 1968, however once I realized that the KBGV 10-cup mannequin is available in dozens of colours, I knew it was time to convey my private favourite, the statement-making Yellow Pepper mannequin, dwelling for testing.
Beneath, we’ll break down all the pieces it is advisable to find out about Technivorm’s KBGV 10-cup Moccamaster mannequin, from delivery and unboxing to brewing to and total upkeep, to see if that is, in reality, a espresso maker that your descendants will battle over within the will. We’ll particularly be seeking to grade a number of key metrics: ease of meeting, whether or not or not it will probably really brew 10 cups beneath six minutes, and simply how uniformly the espresso is brewed. Oh, and in addition if it’s simply as cool-looking in particular person as it’s on-line.
What makes a Moccamaster so particular?
It’s hardly stunning that the Moccamaster is trending proper now. The studies are in, and Gen Z is uninterested in chasing the hyper-fast development cycle; it appears like everyone seems to be attempting to squeeze their greenback proper now, however somewhat than purchase low-cost stuff that inevitably breaks after a yr, meaning investing in home equipment which can be as timeless and dependable as attainable, and received’t price us much more cash in the long term. The Moccamaster was intriguing to me as a result of it presents a caffeinated exit from that Sisyphean client expertise; it’s designed to operate as each a sturdy, serviceable equipment (which means, you may register your Moccamaster and contact the group to assist change or repair any components) and as a machine that’s intuitive to make use of (there are solely two switches on the KBGV mannequin).
Each Moccamaster remains to be handmade and inspected within the Netherlands, the place it was initially designed by Gerard-Clement Smit within the Nineteen Sixties, and packs some lovably retro design options reminiscent of a scorching plate and emblem typeface not in contrast to that of Playboy within the Nineteen Sixties; my buddy who owns the butter yellow iteration has described its meeting as “like placing collectively a LEGO set for ages five-and-up.”
Smit’s modular machine — a real hallmark of peak-MCM model with its geometric shapes and utilitarian edge — can be distinctive in that it was one of many first to make use of a copper heating factor to hit a constant, optimum brewing temperature (between 92 and 96 levels Celsius is the candy spot for a easy, non-burnt roast). As Smit stated in a 2008 interview, “I at all times begin with the espresso. Espresso comes first, and one of the simplest ways to make it may be scientifically decided.” Even the phrase Technivorm comes from the Dutch phrases techniek and vormgeving (kind and performance, respectively), additional emphasizing Smit’s dedication to performance.
First impressions of the Moccamaster
Even earlier than it was unboxed, my Moccamaster made fairly the doorway. All the things concerning the machine’s packaging feels considerate, from the Mad Males-style drawing of the percolator on the field’s exterior to the Moccamaster-branded tape sealing it shut. This felt refreshing, as a result of I’m used to receiving squished, semi-open, design-bereft Amazon packages.
I’ve an irrational and embarrassing dislike of establishing home equipment. I blame the frequency with which my mother freaked out over, say, the duty of adjusting an ink cartridge in our printer rising up (though, in her protection, there was no YouTube again then to assist). For weeks, my Moccamaster lived in its field as a result of I used to be slightly afraid of it.
Once I lastly unboxed it, I felt rather less intimidated. There weren’t that many components, and it even got here with a really Seventies-feeling brown-colored espresso floor spoon. At 14 inches tall, it additionally wasn’t as imposing as I nervous it could be, though it definitely pulled focus in my kitchen. As my associate responded once I texted them a photograph, “It’s giving Black + Decker. It’s giving Dewalt energy instruments. I adore it.”
How simple is it to arrange a Moccamaster?
The set-up packet feels harking back to an IKEA booklet in one of the simplest ways attainable, with diagrams and numbered components clearly seen. Regardless, I did what I at all times do with a brand new merchandise as a visible learner: run to a YouTube tutorial. Seems, the espresso machine is very easy to arrange that a lot of the tutorials are “Moccamaster hack” movies; this one, for instance, encourages you to show the machine off briefly to unfold the grounds round evenly within the filter through the brewing course of, which sounds astute, however that I’d solely do if I used to be a contestant on Love Island with no web and nothing to play with besides breakfast meals and mirrors. In different phrases: Let the Moccamaster do its job. It’s good at it — I promise.
These are my solely gripes: The Moccamaster KBGV is a filter-based espresso machine, and I feel it might be a pleasant contact for Technivorm to throw in a handful of No. 4 filters with this $300+ buy (costs are likely to range on Amazon, for instance, by colorway). I additionally want I had a greater espresso grinder to make a extra uniform batch of coarsely floor beans, however that’s on me (and the Baratza Encore, maybe?) to unravel.
In a kitchen-appliance first, I really turned away from my flight of YouTube movies and located the booklet rather more simple. Meeting time was about 5 minutes, all issues thought of, and I crammed up the water tank to make a full 10 cups (you can also make half of that batch and modify the brewing setting with the second change on the underside, which has two choices: huge espresso pot and little espresso pot). I switched the machine on, which is all it takes to start out brewing, and voilà.
How rapidly does the espresso really brew?
Did I time my Moccamaster’s brewing skills like a crazed bookie on the races? Sure and sure. Technivorm proudly claims that the Moccamaster could make 10 cups of espresso in a 4–6 minute vary, and I needed to place that to the check. The joys was value it; my Yellow Pepper steed quietly produced 10 cups of espresso in round 5 minutes and 30-ish seconds, or so long as it takes to look at the “Whole Eclipse of the Coronary heart” music video.
I switched the machine off as quickly because it was completed brewing, however relaxation assured that it has an computerized shut-off characteristic as soon as the water reservoir is empty, and the hotplate additionally turns off after 100 minutes.
So, is the Moccamaster value it?
The style of the espresso from my Moccamaster has been easy and constant, akin to the sensation of occurring cruise management on a newly paved street. Clearly, that is additionally the place the kind of espresso you’re ingesting additionally comes into play, but it surely did a tremendous job elevating my Kirkland Signature mix. Once more, I set a six-minute timer, and inside moments I heard that acquainted, heat diner gargle of espresso that made me crave buttermilk pancakes, a Route 66 roadtrip, and a Twin Peaks rewatch. The hotplate additionally does a pleasant job of maintaining my brew heat with out ever burning it, which is right for somebody who principally works from dwelling.
Moccamaster calls itself the “espresso brewer for coffee-lovers,” and it’s proper. I began ingesting espresso in highschool, and swiftly moved from consumption through an enormous, industrial Bunn espresso brewer match for an condo of 5 faculty college students, to getting ready my single cup pour-over espresso with a near-religious sense of ceremony, as one did in San Francisco through the peak Hayes Valley location Blue Bottle Espresso days; but it surely’s 2025 and I now not weigh my beans out like a medieval alchemist whereas listening to She & Him. Previous to proudly owning my Moccamaster, I principally drank Moka pot espresso, however, as an more and more booked and busy particular person in my thirties, this powerhouse Dutch equipment has delivered me from fussy prep and small batches of espresso — all whereas wanting trendy and grown-up.
If you’d like extra espresso and a simplified life, I say brew away.
The Moccamaster KBGV 10-cup espresso maker is out there at Amazon, Crate & Barrel, Williams Sonoma, and extra retailers.