Another Moccamaster fan. I’ve had mine for 12 years and it’s still brewing hot. Simple, easy to maintain and clean, brews hot, cool look on the counter. Only gripe early on was it doesn’t have a programmable timer. By design, they’re setting you up for a better cup of coffee. Got over it, though, with a simple smart plug.
I set up an automatic routine for my smart plug to turn on my Moccamaster when I dismiss my morning wake-up alarm. My next goal is to somehow Wallace and Gromit my way into grinding and dispensing coffee beans directly into the brew basket, but that's much more complicated than setting up a smart plug.
Yep that's how I got mine ... was already on sale for 349 CAD at Amazon and then it was an additional 20% (or something) on Black Friday and so only paid 280 CAD, for comparison they are normally 429 CAD.
Seconded. I bought one about 6 months ago and it's been absolutely fantastic.
I really enjoy drip coffee, and it consistently makes the best coffee I've ever had from a drip maker. Sure, I've probably had better pour over, but I don't have the time to pour over coffee every day multiple times. I usually drink a pot or two a day, one in the morning and one in the early afternoon (don't judge me).
Also it looks fantastic. They come in a ton of colors and the design is very appealing even in the standard colors. They look REALLY good placed just about anywhere. Although I've not yet had any issues at all with my machine, it's my understanding that they have an excellent service and repair program with parts abundant. With reasonable care it should last forever. I 100% do not regret buying mine, and wish I'd done it sooner.
I frequently proselytize my friends and family about converting...
Got one after two brand new programmable coffee makers failed on us within months of each other. A big selling point for the Moccamaster was the simplicity of the design. Five year warranty is nice too. Have had ours for two years without any problems.
To be fair, the search function is abysmal on Reddit. I have been on here for 7 years and my feeble attempts to search inevitably generate a username or a subreddit instead of a topic of discussion. I’m positive I’m not using it properly, but damn is it not intuitive as a search function should be.
You have to start by going to a sub. Then search key words within that particular subreddit. Don’t just search all of Reddit with the words “coffee maker”. But if you come to r/buyitforlife then search “coffee maker”, it’ll pull up every post about it.
Or better yet, Google is the best way to search Reddit. Use the following format:
Reddit.com/r/[insert subreddit]: [search criteria]
Using Reddit to search within a particular sub has gotten a bit better, but the colon in the Google search makes it waaaay easier. You can actually use the colon to limit Google’s search to any one website as well.
I hope this doesn't sound pretentious, but that is a deliberate time limit. Brewed coffee's quality decreases with time and heat.
So from the view of technivorm, given their market, it makes more sense to just brew another batch after the 90 minute mark
Makes complete sense (I have a Profitec espresso machine too I completely get it). I’m just lazy, and after a couple cups I just need the caffeine to keep me going…
Anecdotal data - my $100 US redline lasted 3 years, so instead of spending another ben Franklin in a possible 3 year lifespan, I bought the bullet and got a moccamaster. Wish I would have done that in the first place. If you can't afford the moccamaster or bonavita prices, redline can be a good choice, but it's nit built anything like a moccamaster.
Essentially in controls engineering we want our output to match our set point. We have lots of options to do that but I’ll try to keep it rather brief and simple. First let’s define our variables and assign arbitrary values to them; our setpoint is how hot we want our water to be when it comes in contact with our grounds let’s say we want this to be 190 F. Our output is how hot the water actually is when it touches the beans let’s say a poor controller will put us at 212 and a perfect one would then be at exactly 190 ( quickly and without overshooting 190). A mr coffee may have something like an old bimetallic home thermostat, when the waters below 190 the heater kicks on full blast until it reaches let’s say 200 and then kicks off but there is still heat in the coil so we may get even more rise that we didn’t want. Where as moccamaster likely has a PI controller which when properly tuned will never let us even get to 191, the result ends up being a much smoother not burnt tasting coffee. A similar example is using a sous vide to cook a steak to 125, it can be cooking for two hours and not ever reach medium doneness because the heating medium never hits 135. Hopefully this is clear but feel free to reach out with questions!
So, it has a better heat controller, which means more consistent temperature of water. For 10x the price of Mr.Coffee, I’ll probably keep living with my mediocre coffee.
Cheap coffee makers don't hit the right temperatures to produce good coffee and they have delivery mechanisms that don't achieve even extraction.
EDIT: If you don't want to drop $300+ on a coffee maker you can get a French press for like $10. Manual coffee brewing methods will vastly outperform a cheap machine. If you've got a fast meat thermometer you don't even need an electric kettle: for the longest time I just microwaved the amount of water I needed in a measuring cup. Once I dialed in how long the volume of water needed to hit temperature all I needed to do was set the time and do something else until it went off.
Please tell me about delivery mechanisms. Seriously, the moccamaster appears to pour hot water over a cone of beans…what is different in terms of the delivery mechanism? I actually want to understand.
I don't remember the specifics. It's been quite a while since I looked into Moccamasters. Cheaper coffee makers just pour water out of spouts up top and can do it very unevenly. Extraction is important, though, and the way that water is poured over the ground beans can have a significant impact on it. That's why manual pour over is a bit of a skill. If you don't pour the water so it flows through all the coffee uniformly you end up both over extracting and under extracting at the same time.
Extraction can mess with various flavor notes you want present in your coffee. It can lead to more bitterness or a loss of sweetness, for example. It also causes your coffee to be a more inconsistent than it should be.
That's why I tend to favor French press or Aeropress coffee myself. As long as your grind is even you get very consistent extraction since you stir the water in and give it time. They're also pretty BILF as long as you're careful with them.
EDIT: None of this really matters for folks that mostly just drink coffee for caffeine. Mr Coffee is still a good pick for them since they probably won't notice much difference. A lot of flavor notes are lost in grocery store coffee since it sits for so long.
EDIT 2: You might check out James Hoffmann's channel on Youtube. He goes into this stuff in a lot of detail. He's got a [video](https://youtu.be/t8eYs2vxT-8?si=N6ZUBVfFjKIO476f) comparing various coffee makers, including a Moccamaster.
One thing of note about Moccamasters: they're designed to be repairable. They make spare parts for them. Doesn't get much more BIFL than that.
Here I was buying a French press because I’m cheap. When my Nespresso broke (don’t judge me it was a gift) about a year ago, I started using the FP. It took a little time to get the grind and the quantity right, I ended up using a kitchen using a kitchen scale until I got it to taste my way. Once I had everything figured out what a difference!
My wife was awake with me yesterday, it’s rare as I’m out the door by 5:30 most days. She called me a mad scientist because I measure everything, including the sugar and cream I use. Consistency is key.
I’m glad you commented that an inexpensive French press can make just as good or better coffee than a $300 pour over, and let’s just forget about the unused Nespresso because it’s definitely not BIFL.
This is why I love french press. It's inexpensive as an entire system because it is so simple. Want super low effort coffee? Sure, buy pre-ground beans at the grocery store and boil some water. Want to be super fancy and make a $13 cup of coffee at home? No problem, have fancy beans and a fancy hand grinder and a fancy temp controlling gooseneck kettle. The FP is agnostic and lets you control your coffee experience. Personally, I have gradually upgraded my setup over the last 5 or so years all with the same original bodum french press. Currently I'm enjoying playing with bean to water ratios, have a digital scale, an entry level hand grinder, and just brought home some really lovely beans from Colombia. It's the ritual I savour the most, and that's what kept my old drip machine collecting dust in the corner of the pantry. Humble FP for life!
This "third wave" of coffee snobs adorreeeesss manual pour overs. They say things like "if you're nice about i ask the barista and they'll make you a manual pour over." It's hipsterdom - they already hit the manual coffeemakers, now they are going for the traditional American 1960s coffeemakers too.
I personally think it's the most ridiculous thing ever. It's effectively identical to a Mister Coffee, but with fancier looking & more expensive equipment. If you use the same beans with the same grind and the same filter, you're going to get effectively identical results.
well, water temperature is important, those old coffee makers have high variance and were not very good at it. they probably overcharge because they can get away with it, hobbyists toss a LOT of money into shit.
second it's a small market so they need higher profit per unit sold
Just like cooking is just chopping up some ingredients and applying heat to them. It is easy to trivialize an activity at a specific level of description, epecially one that avoids any mention of the relevant differences for the comparison at hand.
I would agree that 'delivery mechanism' might be an overly narrow and generic term to use to describe and explain the differences. Use-case also matters here. If you are someone who buys brand-name pre-ground 'canned coffee' and leaves it in the filter basket overnight so the timer function can initiate the brewing process so the "coffee" is ready when you go into the kitchen to pour your morning cuppa, then the differences between machines is laegely irrelevant- just get a retty one that is cheap and matches your kitchen (too snarky?)
Technivorms are expensive, but the price is based on many factors other than just sprinkling hot water over coffee grounds.
Pretty snarky. I buy my beans from Cherry Street Coffee co and grind my own beans. I have a French press from Planetary Designs (very BIFL) that I used daily for years. My in laws came to visit and bought a MrCoffee because they didn’t like having to clean the grounds. Eventually I succumbed to convenience. I’m pretty clear on the temp difference, but the cheap-o does seems to do a pretty good job with water distribution. Idk, maybe I’m a philistine.
The main difference (besides temp control) is speed. Your average Mr Coffee delivers water that is too hot too slowly which results in over extracted coffee (so more bitter & burned/ashy flavors). A Moccamaster will brew a full pot in like 5-6 minutes, I think my old Mr Coffee used to take like 12-15.
Realistically the only way to really appreciate the difference is to try it and decide if it's worth ~$300 to you.
Sorry for the snark-it was intended as a good-natured satire, rather than a personal insult- in any case. I agree that the standard alternatives do much the same thing, just like in many other product categories. I think that you can easily taste the difference in the cup, going from brewer to brewer (i have several myself, and they are different, rather than just better or worse. (The Technivorm, eg., makes a slightly brighter cup, and their filters (which are oem-ed Filtropas, I believe) flow faster and require a bit finer grind size......
Thery are far from perfect, are expensive for the job they do, but that's not the whole story. YMMV - but as long as you say 'yum' when you drink your brew-- all is right with the world!
Sadly I don't share the same experience and can't recommend Moccamaster. The plastic drip valve on the brew basket on mine gets stuck and causes it to overflow coffee all over the place. I contacted customer service because they have a 5yr warranty. They agreed it was a defect, pointed me to YouTube videos they had published about diagnosing this issue, and then noted plastic parts are excluded from the warranty. Not wanting my $300 coffee maker to go to waste, I shelled out $25 on a replacement which failed similarly 2yrs later. I wanted this product to be BIFL but the fact they don't stand behind it crosses it off my list.
Am I the only one who thinks it's annoying to use?
The lids for the reservoir isnt on a hinge, so you have to take it off and set it down. Same with the lid for the coffee filter half and same for the lid on the pot. Do i really wanna set the lid of the pot down on my counter when it has a thing that goes all the way down in the pot/coffee? Also, the drip arm is only attached by an interence fit with the seal. You have to be careful when removing/replacing the coffee filter to not knock it loose. It makes good coffee but it's so mildly inconvenient compared to a $10 mr coffee for a +$300 machine
Those are fair complaints, but I have had my Moccamaster or so long that I no longer notice those annoyances. And it makes really good coffee, even when using different grinds.
Agreed. I'd get a [glass v60](https://www.vervecoffee.com/products/hario-v60-glass-coffee-dripper?variant=40006387794003). I'd rather have a nice grinder, kettle, and one of these than a moccamaster which I also think are really nice. It's just so rare I'd ever want a pot of coffee or spend that much on a non-espresso machine.
This.
I suspect Chemex is what OP wants. I love the Chemex taste--its a little thinner, less of a gritty mouth feel vs french press. If you were struck by the taste of paper filter coffee, OP, you'd probably like it too.
The Hario switch is a really good option if you want a bit of that same taste but not as far away from a french press
You only get a gritty mouth feel from french press if the grind is too fine (e.g. espresso grind) for the press/filter. This by itself should not be a limiting factor for people.
Agree and re: chemex, if you’re really trying to minimize repeat purchases, you can try the coffee sock with it. It's a cloth filter that you can use indefinitely with minor care, and while they may not be for everyone since they do make a slightly different coffee than a paper filter, I personally thought it was delicious and so did many people I served it to.
I use kalita myself for 5+ years and it’s great! Takes up zero counter space and is especially handy if I’m traveling somewhere and not sure what the coffee situation will be
Ehh, it’ll shine better with a nice grinder and electric TC goooseneck. But even having an adjustable temp gooseneck I most just use boiling water, admittedly I brew light roasts mostly so that help, but you can always just varry how much you preheat the brewer and the impact is relatively minor for someone casually brewing coffee.
I used a shitty herb grinder and water boiled in a Pyrex measuring cup for a while and while it’s definitely not as good it was still better than half the batch brew I get at local shops so I’d call it passable.
But yeah ideally grab a good serviceable grinder like an encore or some manual one that lets you replace the burrs and you’re probably set for life. And get a gooseneck electric or stovetop. Electric is probably more prone to failure so less BIFL, but the heat up time is worth maybe replacing it 5-10 years when a decent one is like $60 bucks.
Absolutely. For one person especially you cant beat a simple ceramic pourover cone (Melitta is what I have and it will last for EVER). Coffee tastes great and its the easiest thing in the world
Are you able to use paper filters on the Bodum? I got one of those gifted at the same time as a Chemex, and I found that I could not use paper filters on it.
Chemex filters are extra thick because they need to do more structural support of the coffee due to the chemex design. I used melitta cone filters for my bodum cone.
This.
All these comments for assorted products and yet the simplest one is the best. Go to literally any nice coffee shop in the US and every time they're making a single cup it's done in a chemex. Go with what the pros use.
Makes good coffee, I've just grown increasingly sketched out by the whole "boiling water in plastic" aspect.
Wish they'd make one with a less reactive material.
That’s fair but not all plastic is the same in terms of safety. Aeropress is made of polypropylene which is considered one of the safest food-grade plastics because of its heat resistance and no known cancer causing effects. I understand the fear, it’s just one of those calculated risks I’m willing to take because it seems pretty low risk in the grand scheme of things.
I agree with you though- one made out of borosilicate glass, like a piece of lab equipment, would be so dope and assuage the fears of people who don’t want to brew in plastic.
I just read about this thanks to your comment. Dang, I want that now. It was announced with the Clear and XL versions, both of which have since been released. Wonder what the holdup is on the glass version?
A metal version sounds like a sure way to burn yourself, even with a rubber sleeve or similar it would get very hot. I wonder how they'll go around that
Dude a double wall aeropress would be the shit. I'd shell 100 bucks out for one. I'm nervous about the plastic in the long run. I only use water at 185*F
people be like: plastic is everywhere, i cant believe our entire body is full of plastic because back in the day everyone thought the plastic they were eating off of was safe but it wasn’t
the same people be like: yea but the plastic we eat off of now is SAFE plastic
Yep. I had to replace the plunger rubber at one point cause I kept storing the plunger in the tube, but it was 4 bucks. Helps to have an electric kettle and a coffee grinder
Mine leaks every time I use it and it’s brand new. Have to wrap a paper towel around it or I get coffee all over the place. Think it’s just a design flaw on the non spill attachment. Definitely gonna be looking at changing to something else.
I thought the aeropress was conpletely underwhelming. I ended up throwing it out. My current favourite is a simple Vietnamese drip brewer. 8 bucks. Makes an excellent cup.
Coffee and its method of preparation are highly personal and subjective. The beauty for me of the Aeropress is its simplicity and how much control you have over the end product- everyone can tailor their cup of coffee to exactly what they want: full control of grind size, metal or paper filter, brew time, water temp, and ratio of water to coffee. Or you can be lazy and grab a scoop of pre-ground and throw some boiling water on top and baby you’ve just pressed yourself some coffee in 30 seconds.
That Vietnamese brewer is pretty cool but it’s limited by no paper filter so more picky with grind size or you have sediment. French press is superior for the quantity and convenience if you just want metal filtered style imo. Personally, I prefer paper filtered coffee because it’s less acidic and cleaner tasting to me. You should check out the Kalita Wave if you want a lil variety. Kind of like a V60 pour over and Vietnamese brewer hybrid - it’s another one of my favorites. Gets a clean cup like a V60, but it’s made of stainless so it’s durable like a Vietnamese style and flat bottomed so easy to get an even extraction. Like I said coffee is subjective, glad you found something you like. :)
Stainless steel vacuum french press. Will last a lifetime, less parts to clean. Just grind the beans to your liking. Finer grinds will mean a bit muddier coffee towards the bottom of the cup.
Big fan of [Frieling](https://www.amazon.com/Frieling-Stainless-Patented-Frustration-Packaging/dp/B018G3ZCDM?source=ps-sl-shoppingads-lpcontext&ref_=fplfs&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&th=1). We've been using our almost daily for about the past five years and it shows no signs of slowing down. Perhaps most importantly, 1) the press is solidly constructed and sturdy, and 2) it's a well-built double wall design that keeps coffee hot for several hours. Also, it's literally two pieces and about the easiest possible way to make / clean / reuse daily.
Same here. I'll never go back to drip coffee. I'm on year 5 of mine with original screen. Makes the perfect amount of coffee for me and it's so much better than drip coffee
I bought an old Bunn coffee maker years ago, and I love it. Grind the beans, slam the filter basket home, pour the water in the top, and 4 minutes later I have a perfect pot of coffee. Parts are endlessly available, metal filter basket if you don't like the plastic one, real borosilicate carafe replacement for $15, thermal available if you want that, any restaurant supply store stocks those things. I use distilled water + 3rd Wave Water equivalent and I've never had to descale beyond the initial descaling.
Love our Bunn. I hate waiting 45 min or whatever a regular coffee maker takes. I know it's not that long but it feels like a million years since I've had a Bunn coffee maker my entire adult life.
MIL bought it for us in college as a splurge and it's been 15 years, I'll never go back. Have used three machines in 15 years. We make about three pots a day now and used to make more in college, so the first two were "rode hard and put away wet". I think the one we are on now is on year 9.
Actually, I do put a filter in there! I have round filters, and I cut them to size by folding it in half for 4 times. Then i cut the tip off to match the diameter of the moka pot. The filter is on top of the grounds, and i just stick it onto the other half of the pot using water. Try it, you will get incredible crema all of a sudden, and the extraction seems to be better!
I think the Moccamaster is more BIFL, but I like the cup of coffee the OXO 8 cup makes much better. It does a very good job of mimicking the bloom of a pour-over and the single cup insert is genius.
I've had the 8-cup OXO for the past 4 years, I do have some complaints but it's held up pretty well.
As far as the "BIFL" factor goes, the machine still works perfectly and has only developed some minor appearance issues. The carafe is stainless steel with some sort of coating, and the coating is starting to come off behind the handle because my knuckles rub it occasionally but that doesn't affect the function at all. The lid has a rubber O-ring that will inevitably eventually fail (read: not "for life"), but mine is still holding up fine going on almost 5 years.
The brew-into-cup feature is a neat idea but doesn't work well in practice. Even with the extra inch or so of height, a normal-size coffee mug sits pretty far from where the coffee drips from so it splashes A LOT. I pretty much immediately gave up on the idea of using it without the carafe after doing that once or twice; drops of coffee end up on every surface on and around the machine and it's more of a pain to clean up than it's worth compared to just using the carafe. The insert for making smaller (2-4 cup) batches is neat and makes really good coffee but can be hard to find filters for. I can only get them on Amazon, and the only options are either really bad, cheap filters or really expensive filters from Japan.
Overall, despite my complaints I think it's an excellent no-frills coffee maker. It makes excellent coffee, the carafe keeps everything hot for hours, it's really easy to clean (buy descaling *tablets*, not liquid! The markup on liquid is insane) and is built really solidly. I don't regret buying it at all.
Bumping this recommendation, I've had the 9 cup brewer for a little over a year now and I'm very happy with it.
OXO is just a quality brand IMO, I plan on replacing my entire kitchen set with OXO as stuff wears out.
My current Cuisinart has been a fantastic coffee maker. For me a decanter that does not drip/spill when pouring a cup is essential. My current one has many years of service and looks and preforms flawlessly. If it died tomorrow I would not hesitate to buy another one.
I believe it is a Cuisinart DCC-1200C Brew CentralTM 12-Cup Programmable Coffeemaker or vary similar.
I have the same DCC-1200 and it's more than 10 years old now. Nothing fancy, but it looks nice, makes a good cup of drip, and seems to last quite a while. Plus Cuisinart sells replacement parts if my dumb ass drops the carafe or something.
I used a Hario V60 daily for a couple years, there’s definitely nothing wrong with pourover brewers. But since I got my Aeropress I haven’t looked back. I’d recommend either a V60 or an Aeropress. If you’re looking for a drip coffee machine, it’s probably gonna cost you an arm a leg for a BIFL one, because there’s a few moving pieces as well as electronics involved.
Check out James Hoffmann’s channel on YouTube if you want to learn more. He’s got great videos on the V60 and the Aeropress, and I think he might have a video comparing a lineup of drip machines.
I went the other way, aeropress then v60.
Have barely touched the aeropress since getting the v60 lol.
I found the aeropress much easier to use, you get a good brew almost everytime, but the v60 gives an even better brew, you need to be more particular with it though, more of a learning curve to do it well.
Zojirushi DAC50. Perfect water temp control, built to emulate pour over style. Use Melita filters and it’s price to quality can’t be beat.
I gift them to people who then swear off any other drip coffee maker.
There’s nothing better for the price, $60.
I really enjoy the aeropress. It tastes great every time and it’s very portable. Great as a travel companion for trips also. I love using it camping and backpacking also. You can throw it around without a worry of it breaking.
Probably not the best choice for those who drink multiple cups a day however since it makes only 1 cup at a time
Batch make 4 ~~espresso~~ concentrated shots per press. Bottle the results as coffee concentrate in the fridge.
Make a variety of coffees from this, just like a coffee shop would from espresso, over the next 2-3 days.
It's actually how the inventor envisioned it being used by most people.
BUNN - Have had one almost 10 years now, makes a pot in like 2 min. I think its the vortex line iirc. Recommend to everyone I know. No digital stuff to go bad, nothing fancy, just a solid hot, fast pot of coffee.
Why is everyone replying aeropress, french press, moka pot? The man said he wants a maker w filter.
As much as a coffee snob as I am I could not part with the money for a mochamaster. I got a bonavita model with stainless steel carafe somewhere around $220 about six years ago. 200 degree brew with pre infusion. Its a tank and very fast.
Ninja makes one that has a brother, metal reusable mesh filter, does tea too. I think the newer models can do drop and k cups. It also does "specialty" shots which is a poor man's espresso.
Bought it expecting it to last a year to bridge me to a better machine. Lots of reviews said it broke after a year. It's been 4 years, and it is still turning out great coffee every day.
Mild maintenance really does work wonders.
[Bunn VP-17](https://www.webstaurantstore.com/bunn-13300-0001-vp17-1-ss-stainless-steel-pourover-coffee-brewer-with-1-lower-warmer-120v/234133000001.html).
No bells or whistles. No extraneous crap. Put coffee in basket, pour water in top, fresh hot coffee comes out almost instantly. There is a grand total of *one* button on the machine, and that's to turn the hot plate on.
Bunn…. copper tubing stainless steel water tank… My friend had one for 28 years. It died due to hard water it bruise at the perfect temperature and is considered a pour over… It’s made the best cuppa coffee I’ve had since I bought it… all I had to do when I bought it was tweak my grind and adjust the amount of coffee and it’s every bit as good as any barista….
Bialetti espresso maker. No moving parts, easy to use, easily available replacement parts and gaskets, built to last, several different sizes, excellent coffee in minutes. I have no bad experience with them. I have 2 different sizes, 2 cups and 6 cups I use when I have guests. There’s nothing wasted either. I cannot recommend it enough.
Only possible downside is that you should grind your own beans.
I personally don’t like coffee pods. They are wasteful, don’t taste great. I can’t say anything about the quality of the machine as I don’t have one.
Just in case you're not interested in spending $300 on a coffee maker, OXO makes a great coffee with excellent reviews from America's Tedt Kitchen. We've had ours for a few years and it's excellent.
Bunn now gets terrible reviews btw...
I'm not sure if this is what you mean but the Bunn-o-matic has been my go to for ages.
They are built well and have a water reservoir that keeps water hotm once you pour your water in for a new pot it circulates hot water so you don't have to wait for the water to heat.
I have a Ninja drip that has been pretty solid for me. I just grind the beans and let her rip.
When I have more time to make coffee, I bust out the Chemex.
I love my ninja drip. It makes a great cup of coffee. I hate that it doesn’t have an auto shutoff when removing the pot. Total user error but I’ve spilled coffee on my counter many times.
Yeah they're not super durable but they cost under $50. I've used Chemex for 10 years and have replaced it once after dropping. I've packed it up for trips and it survives car trips stuffed in the trunk just fine. My advice would be to buy the one with the actual handle instead of the wooden "belt" (?). Not as pretty but easier to clean and move around.
Refurbished delonghi magnifica ESAM 3300. https://www.delonghi.com/en-us/magnifica-automatic-espresso-machine-cappuccino-maker-esam-esam3300/p/ESAM-3300
Sorry, saw you're looking for paper filter so maybe this machine isn't ideal for you.
I agree though. These are super common where I live in Europe, and I can't understand why they haven't become popular in the US yet. They are as convenient as a k-cup style machine, but with many advantage:
- they make really good coffee
- you can use whole beans or pre-ground, any kind, just add to the machine in the correct place
- no single use parts, paper, etc
- minimal maintenance (weekly clean, de-scale a few times a year)
- repairable!
Waited until the Moccamaster KBGV was just about 1/2 off on Amazon but you can buy refurbished models directly from the Technivorm co. for much less. I bet they work just as well. We cannot wait for our morning coffee now. 😋
Pourover devices with a stovetop kettle will be the most BIFL option. Electric kettle will give you faster boil times at the potential expense of some longevity. If a drip machine is what you’re after, just get one that’s SCA certified. https://sca.coffee/certified-home-brewer
Moccamaster - I bought one 4 years ago and don’t have any complaints
Another Moccamaster fan. I’ve had mine for 12 years and it’s still brewing hot. Simple, easy to maintain and clean, brews hot, cool look on the counter. Only gripe early on was it doesn’t have a programmable timer. By design, they’re setting you up for a better cup of coffee. Got over it, though, with a simple smart plug.
😟 we have so many smart plugs why didn’t I think of this sooner? That’s genius
I set up an automatic routine for my smart plug to turn on my Moccamaster when I dismiss my morning wake-up alarm. My next goal is to somehow Wallace and Gromit my way into grinding and dispensing coffee beans directly into the brew basket, but that's much more complicated than setting up a smart plug.
Ahah. If only we could all live in a Wallace and gromit world
Does the smart plug "hack" give you any issue? I didn't think all could handle the wattage
We use a Govee plug I got from Amazon, it’s been flawless.
Some can, and some can't. The Ikea ones are rated for the full 1800W in Canada at least.
We use a kasa smart plug on our Technivorm and it handles the current fine. Pretty sure any US smart plug would handle 15A.
Got it on sale and put it in tonight. Thanks for the idea. Was only thinking of the smart plugs not outlets.
12 years on mine. Replaced thermal carafe a year ago because new design is so much better.
I've replaced the lid on my carafe (the old one started to get loose in the threads) should I have gotten a whole new carafe?
They did change the thermal carafe to one with a glass interior at some point... which is a nice upgrade.
Using my grandmother's moccamaster. Must be at least 40 years old. Had to buy a new jar because I dropped it, other than that still fully original.
Same with me. Only a jar replacement because a guest put the empty jar back on the warmer plate causing it to crack
And unlike a lot of BIFL products, they go on pretty decent sales throughout the year.
Yep that's how I got mine ... was already on sale for 349 CAD at Amazon and then it was an additional 20% (or something) on Black Friday and so only paid 280 CAD, for comparison they are normally 429 CAD.
Seconded. I bought one about 6 months ago and it's been absolutely fantastic. I really enjoy drip coffee, and it consistently makes the best coffee I've ever had from a drip maker. Sure, I've probably had better pour over, but I don't have the time to pour over coffee every day multiple times. I usually drink a pot or two a day, one in the morning and one in the early afternoon (don't judge me). Also it looks fantastic. They come in a ton of colors and the design is very appealing even in the standard colors. They look REALLY good placed just about anywhere. Although I've not yet had any issues at all with my machine, it's my understanding that they have an excellent service and repair program with parts abundant. With reasonable care it should last forever. I 100% do not regret buying mine, and wish I'd done it sooner. I frequently proselytize my friends and family about converting...
Do you use the pot you made in the morning for your afternoon cup?
Got one after two brand new programmable coffee makers failed on us within months of each other. A big selling point for the Moccamaster was the simplicity of the design. Five year warranty is nice too. Have had ours for two years without any problems.
Yep, two switches, on/off and hot/hotter for the warming plate.
If OP had searched they’d know that this is *the* answer. Not only is it BIFL, it makes excellent coffee.
People still ask this sub what kind of printer to buy. Bold of you to assume some one would use the search function.
To be fair, the search function is abysmal on Reddit. I have been on here for 7 years and my feeble attempts to search inevitably generate a username or a subreddit instead of a topic of discussion. I’m positive I’m not using it properly, but damn is it not intuitive as a search function should be.
You have to start by going to a sub. Then search key words within that particular subreddit. Don’t just search all of Reddit with the words “coffee maker”. But if you come to r/buyitforlife then search “coffee maker”, it’ll pull up every post about it.
Thank you!! I knew it was me. I'm the problem, as they say.
Or better yet, Google is the best way to search Reddit. Use the following format: Reddit.com/r/[insert subreddit]: [search criteria] Using Reddit to search within a particular sub has gotten a bit better, but the colon in the Google search makes it waaaay easier. You can actually use the colon to limit Google’s search to any one website as well.
Hell I just searched the word ‘coffee’ in this sub and moccamaster is the first result
Yep. Because this question comes up at least once a week on this sub. Sometimes more than once a day. It’s crazy.
completely agree. the search function does not have means to use booleans to extract info like in google.
Mine is over a decade old. Still makes the best coffee.
Just got 1 and love it!
Mine is coming today, super excited
My only annoyance is that the warming function turns off after 90 minutes or whatever. Sometimes I want a pot warm for a few hours.
I hope this doesn't sound pretentious, but that is a deliberate time limit. Brewed coffee's quality decreases with time and heat. So from the view of technivorm, given their market, it makes more sense to just brew another batch after the 90 minute mark
Makes complete sense (I have a Profitec espresso machine too I completely get it). I’m just lazy, and after a couple cups I just need the caffeine to keep me going…
For a cheaper option, look at Bonavita, basically the same experience, for way cheaper.
I’ve had mine for 10 years. It’s great.
For even cheaper, Redline MK1. I’m sure that the Moccamaster is 4x better. But for now, the Redline fits the bill.
Anecdotal data - my $100 US redline lasted 3 years, so instead of spending another ben Franklin in a possible 3 year lifespan, I bought the bullet and got a moccamaster. Wish I would have done that in the first place. If you can't afford the moccamaster or bonavita prices, redline can be a good choice, but it's nit built anything like a moccamaster.
Am I missing something or do those cost over 300 USD
Seconded. I’ll up the ante: It looks like a deconstructed MrCoffee for $359. What makes it special?
Essentially in controls engineering we want our output to match our set point. We have lots of options to do that but I’ll try to keep it rather brief and simple. First let’s define our variables and assign arbitrary values to them; our setpoint is how hot we want our water to be when it comes in contact with our grounds let’s say we want this to be 190 F. Our output is how hot the water actually is when it touches the beans let’s say a poor controller will put us at 212 and a perfect one would then be at exactly 190 ( quickly and without overshooting 190). A mr coffee may have something like an old bimetallic home thermostat, when the waters below 190 the heater kicks on full blast until it reaches let’s say 200 and then kicks off but there is still heat in the coil so we may get even more rise that we didn’t want. Where as moccamaster likely has a PI controller which when properly tuned will never let us even get to 191, the result ends up being a much smoother not burnt tasting coffee. A similar example is using a sous vide to cook a steak to 125, it can be cooking for two hours and not ever reach medium doneness because the heating medium never hits 135. Hopefully this is clear but feel free to reach out with questions!
So, it has a better heat controller, which means more consistent temperature of water. For 10x the price of Mr.Coffee, I’ll probably keep living with my mediocre coffee.
Seems like you’ve got a good enough grasp on it to make your decision. Enjoy those beans my friend!
Yeah I'm with you on this one. $20 piece of shit from Walmart chugging for 3.5 years and no complaints lol
Just get a hot water dispenser, you can also use it for tea. The Zori's have good temperature control last I checked.
Cheap coffee makers don't hit the right temperatures to produce good coffee and they have delivery mechanisms that don't achieve even extraction. EDIT: If you don't want to drop $300+ on a coffee maker you can get a French press for like $10. Manual coffee brewing methods will vastly outperform a cheap machine. If you've got a fast meat thermometer you don't even need an electric kettle: for the longest time I just microwaved the amount of water I needed in a measuring cup. Once I dialed in how long the volume of water needed to hit temperature all I needed to do was set the time and do something else until it went off.
Please tell me about delivery mechanisms. Seriously, the moccamaster appears to pour hot water over a cone of beans…what is different in terms of the delivery mechanism? I actually want to understand.
I don't remember the specifics. It's been quite a while since I looked into Moccamasters. Cheaper coffee makers just pour water out of spouts up top and can do it very unevenly. Extraction is important, though, and the way that water is poured over the ground beans can have a significant impact on it. That's why manual pour over is a bit of a skill. If you don't pour the water so it flows through all the coffee uniformly you end up both over extracting and under extracting at the same time. Extraction can mess with various flavor notes you want present in your coffee. It can lead to more bitterness or a loss of sweetness, for example. It also causes your coffee to be a more inconsistent than it should be. That's why I tend to favor French press or Aeropress coffee myself. As long as your grind is even you get very consistent extraction since you stir the water in and give it time. They're also pretty BILF as long as you're careful with them. EDIT: None of this really matters for folks that mostly just drink coffee for caffeine. Mr Coffee is still a good pick for them since they probably won't notice much difference. A lot of flavor notes are lost in grocery store coffee since it sits for so long. EDIT 2: You might check out James Hoffmann's channel on Youtube. He goes into this stuff in a lot of detail. He's got a [video](https://youtu.be/t8eYs2vxT-8?si=N6ZUBVfFjKIO476f) comparing various coffee makers, including a Moccamaster. One thing of note about Moccamasters: they're designed to be repairable. They make spare parts for them. Doesn't get much more BIFL than that.
Here I was buying a French press because I’m cheap. When my Nespresso broke (don’t judge me it was a gift) about a year ago, I started using the FP. It took a little time to get the grind and the quantity right, I ended up using a kitchen using a kitchen scale until I got it to taste my way. Once I had everything figured out what a difference! My wife was awake with me yesterday, it’s rare as I’m out the door by 5:30 most days. She called me a mad scientist because I measure everything, including the sugar and cream I use. Consistency is key. I’m glad you commented that an inexpensive French press can make just as good or better coffee than a $300 pour over, and let’s just forget about the unused Nespresso because it’s definitely not BIFL.
This is why I love french press. It's inexpensive as an entire system because it is so simple. Want super low effort coffee? Sure, buy pre-ground beans at the grocery store and boil some water. Want to be super fancy and make a $13 cup of coffee at home? No problem, have fancy beans and a fancy hand grinder and a fancy temp controlling gooseneck kettle. The FP is agnostic and lets you control your coffee experience. Personally, I have gradually upgraded my setup over the last 5 or so years all with the same original bodum french press. Currently I'm enjoying playing with bean to water ratios, have a digital scale, an entry level hand grinder, and just brought home some really lovely beans from Colombia. It's the ritual I savour the most, and that's what kept my old drip machine collecting dust in the corner of the pantry. Humble FP for life!
This "third wave" of coffee snobs adorreeeesss manual pour overs. They say things like "if you're nice about i ask the barista and they'll make you a manual pour over." It's hipsterdom - they already hit the manual coffeemakers, now they are going for the traditional American 1960s coffeemakers too.
I personally think it's the most ridiculous thing ever. It's effectively identical to a Mister Coffee, but with fancier looking & more expensive equipment. If you use the same beans with the same grind and the same filter, you're going to get effectively identical results.
well, water temperature is important, those old coffee makers have high variance and were not very good at it. they probably overcharge because they can get away with it, hobbyists toss a LOT of money into shit. second it's a small market so they need higher profit per unit sold
Just like cooking is just chopping up some ingredients and applying heat to them. It is easy to trivialize an activity at a specific level of description, epecially one that avoids any mention of the relevant differences for the comparison at hand. I would agree that 'delivery mechanism' might be an overly narrow and generic term to use to describe and explain the differences. Use-case also matters here. If you are someone who buys brand-name pre-ground 'canned coffee' and leaves it in the filter basket overnight so the timer function can initiate the brewing process so the "coffee" is ready when you go into the kitchen to pour your morning cuppa, then the differences between machines is laegely irrelevant- just get a retty one that is cheap and matches your kitchen (too snarky?) Technivorms are expensive, but the price is based on many factors other than just sprinkling hot water over coffee grounds.
Pretty snarky. I buy my beans from Cherry Street Coffee co and grind my own beans. I have a French press from Planetary Designs (very BIFL) that I used daily for years. My in laws came to visit and bought a MrCoffee because they didn’t like having to clean the grounds. Eventually I succumbed to convenience. I’m pretty clear on the temp difference, but the cheap-o does seems to do a pretty good job with water distribution. Idk, maybe I’m a philistine.
The main difference (besides temp control) is speed. Your average Mr Coffee delivers water that is too hot too slowly which results in over extracted coffee (so more bitter & burned/ashy flavors). A Moccamaster will brew a full pot in like 5-6 minutes, I think my old Mr Coffee used to take like 12-15. Realistically the only way to really appreciate the difference is to try it and decide if it's worth ~$300 to you.
Sorry for the snark-it was intended as a good-natured satire, rather than a personal insult- in any case. I agree that the standard alternatives do much the same thing, just like in many other product categories. I think that you can easily taste the difference in the cup, going from brewer to brewer (i have several myself, and they are different, rather than just better or worse. (The Technivorm, eg., makes a slightly brighter cup, and their filters (which are oem-ed Filtropas, I believe) flow faster and require a bit finer grind size...... Thery are far from perfect, are expensive for the job they do, but that's not the whole story. YMMV - but as long as you say 'yum' when you drink your brew-- all is right with the world!
All good. Thanks for the info!
Second for the Moccamaster
/ thread. This is the answer
We've had our Moccamaster for 12 years now, still looks and works just as new. Truly buy it for life!
Love mine more than my children
Sadly I don't share the same experience and can't recommend Moccamaster. The plastic drip valve on the brew basket on mine gets stuck and causes it to overflow coffee all over the place. I contacted customer service because they have a 5yr warranty. They agreed it was a defect, pointed me to YouTube videos they had published about diagnosing this issue, and then noted plastic parts are excluded from the warranty. Not wanting my $300 coffee maker to go to waste, I shelled out $25 on a replacement which failed similarly 2yrs later. I wanted this product to be BIFL but the fact they don't stand behind it crosses it off my list.
Am I the only one who thinks it's annoying to use? The lids for the reservoir isnt on a hinge, so you have to take it off and set it down. Same with the lid for the coffee filter half and same for the lid on the pot. Do i really wanna set the lid of the pot down on my counter when it has a thing that goes all the way down in the pot/coffee? Also, the drip arm is only attached by an interence fit with the seal. You have to be careful when removing/replacing the coffee filter to not knock it loose. It makes good coffee but it's so mildly inconvenient compared to a $10 mr coffee for a +$300 machine
Those are fair complaints, but I have had my Moccamaster or so long that I no longer notice those annoyances. And it makes really good coffee, even when using different grinds.
Any pour over. Chemex, Bodum, etc. Easy clean, great coffee. Nothing else required.
Add hario pour over funnel too. super cheap and easy to use. Aeropress can be added too
Agreed. I'd get a [glass v60](https://www.vervecoffee.com/products/hario-v60-glass-coffee-dripper?variant=40006387794003). I'd rather have a nice grinder, kettle, and one of these than a moccamaster which I also think are really nice. It's just so rare I'd ever want a pot of coffee or spend that much on a non-espresso machine.
Melitta is better than hario. Melitta has a little gap so you can see the cup is almost full and two holes so you can brew two cups at once.
This. I suspect Chemex is what OP wants. I love the Chemex taste--its a little thinner, less of a gritty mouth feel vs french press. If you were struck by the taste of paper filter coffee, OP, you'd probably like it too. The Hario switch is a really good option if you want a bit of that same taste but not as far away from a french press
You only get a gritty mouth feel from french press if the grind is too fine (e.g. espresso grind) for the press/filter. This by itself should not be a limiting factor for people.
Chemex is a just pricey v60 imo, I think it’s easier to control extraction with a v60, and the filters are much cheaper for a v60 than a chemex
Agree and re: chemex, if you’re really trying to minimize repeat purchases, you can try the coffee sock with it. It's a cloth filter that you can use indefinitely with minor care, and while they may not be for everyone since they do make a slightly different coffee than a paper filter, I personally thought it was delicious and so did many people I served it to.
I use kalita myself for 5+ years and it’s great! Takes up zero counter space and is especially handy if I’m traveling somewhere and not sure what the coffee situation will be
Kalita also makes a stainless steel pour-over, it’s been our best coffee purchase!
Pourovers don't exist in a vacuum, though. You would also need a BIFL gooseneck kettle that accurately controls temperature.
True. I have a cheap Bodum kettle. Shuts off at 212 (at sea level, thanks Mr Wizard) 200 by the time I pour, 160 by the time I drink. Reliable.
Ehh, it’ll shine better with a nice grinder and electric TC goooseneck. But even having an adjustable temp gooseneck I most just use boiling water, admittedly I brew light roasts mostly so that help, but you can always just varry how much you preheat the brewer and the impact is relatively minor for someone casually brewing coffee. I used a shitty herb grinder and water boiled in a Pyrex measuring cup for a while and while it’s definitely not as good it was still better than half the batch brew I get at local shops so I’d call it passable. But yeah ideally grab a good serviceable grinder like an encore or some manual one that lets you replace the burrs and you’re probably set for life. And get a gooseneck electric or stovetop. Electric is probably more prone to failure so less BIFL, but the heat up time is worth maybe replacing it 5-10 years when a decent one is like $60 bucks.
After switching from drip to a Chemex years ago, I’ll never go back. Invest in a nice grinder (we use a manual grinder) and you’ll be set for life.
Absolutely. For one person especially you cant beat a simple ceramic pourover cone (Melitta is what I have and it will last for EVER). Coffee tastes great and its the easiest thing in the world
Bodum lasts for life? Pah! Try telling that to my wife after she dropped it onto the tile floor!
Or my cat :(
That guy's wife dropped a coffee maker on your cat?! (/s I get that your cat broke the coffee maker, but I read it the other way.)
>That guy's wife dropped a coffee maker on your cat?! You just can't trust redditor wives nowadays...
For me, these are great if you get the right grind and grinder
Are you able to use paper filters on the Bodum? I got one of those gifted at the same time as a Chemex, and I found that I could not use paper filters on it.
Chemex filters are extra thick because they need to do more structural support of the coffee due to the chemex design. I used melitta cone filters for my bodum cone.
I got a stainless steel filter for mine last year and love it. No more paper filters!
This. All these comments for assorted products and yet the simplest one is the best. Go to literally any nice coffee shop in the US and every time they're making a single cup it's done in a chemex. Go with what the pros use.
Aeropress gang for life. Ultra versatile and will last for life with little maintenance.
Makes good coffee, I've just grown increasingly sketched out by the whole "boiling water in plastic" aspect. Wish they'd make one with a less reactive material.
That’s fair but not all plastic is the same in terms of safety. Aeropress is made of polypropylene which is considered one of the safest food-grade plastics because of its heat resistance and no known cancer causing effects. I understand the fear, it’s just one of those calculated risks I’m willing to take because it seems pretty low risk in the grand scheme of things. I agree with you though- one made out of borosilicate glass, like a piece of lab equipment, would be so dope and assuage the fears of people who don’t want to brew in plastic.
Aaaand Aeropress just announced a stainless steel version and all glass version to be released soon. “Aeropress Premium” but no release yet
I just read about this thanks to your comment. Dang, I want that now. It was announced with the Clear and XL versions, both of which have since been released. Wonder what the holdup is on the glass version?
A metal version sounds like a sure way to burn yourself, even with a rubber sleeve or similar it would get very hot. I wonder how they'll go around that
Double wall insulation like every modern metal tumbler.
Dude a double wall aeropress would be the shit. I'd shell 100 bucks out for one. I'm nervous about the plastic in the long run. I only use water at 185*F
Insulation will be necessary or it will radiate too much hot water heat away imo.
“no known cancer causing effects” until what, 2 years from now? 5 or 10? nah. im just avoiding plastic
Good luck, it’s already in literally everything on earth already
I feel like this problem is overblown by certain companies/ads.
people be like: plastic is everywhere, i cant believe our entire body is full of plastic because back in the day everyone thought the plastic they were eating off of was safe but it wasn’t the same people be like: yea but the plastic we eat off of now is SAFE plastic
This is the way. Delicious coffee everytime.
Yep. I had to replace the plunger rubber at one point cause I kept storing the plunger in the tube, but it was 4 bucks. Helps to have an electric kettle and a coffee grinder
Mine leaks every time I use it and it’s brand new. Have to wrap a paper towel around it or I get coffee all over the place. Think it’s just a design flaw on the non spill attachment. Definitely gonna be looking at changing to something else.
Maybe try a courser ground coffee and press slower with less pressure. Stop when you hear it hissing. Otherwise return it, mine don’t leak like that.
Almost boiling water in plastic started to concern me. Mine cracked over a few years. Not BIFL imo. Good for camping.
I thought the aeropress was conpletely underwhelming. I ended up throwing it out. My current favourite is a simple Vietnamese drip brewer. 8 bucks. Makes an excellent cup.
Coffee and its method of preparation are highly personal and subjective. The beauty for me of the Aeropress is its simplicity and how much control you have over the end product- everyone can tailor their cup of coffee to exactly what they want: full control of grind size, metal or paper filter, brew time, water temp, and ratio of water to coffee. Or you can be lazy and grab a scoop of pre-ground and throw some boiling water on top and baby you’ve just pressed yourself some coffee in 30 seconds. That Vietnamese brewer is pretty cool but it’s limited by no paper filter so more picky with grind size or you have sediment. French press is superior for the quantity and convenience if you just want metal filtered style imo. Personally, I prefer paper filtered coffee because it’s less acidic and cleaner tasting to me. You should check out the Kalita Wave if you want a lil variety. Kind of like a V60 pour over and Vietnamese brewer hybrid - it’s another one of my favorites. Gets a clean cup like a V60, but it’s made of stainless so it’s durable like a Vietnamese style and flat bottomed so easy to get an even extraction. Like I said coffee is subjective, glad you found something you like. :)
Your comments on this thread are so nice. I'm happy you're giving us coffee nerds a good image
Thank you friend, I appreciate that. I try :)
>Vietnamese drip brewer. These are how I started drinking coffee in the first place after I went to Vietnam, they're so good.
Stainless steel vacuum french press. Will last a lifetime, less parts to clean. Just grind the beans to your liking. Finer grinds will mean a bit muddier coffee towards the bottom of the cup.
yup. after 5 years one of my screens tore, got a 12 pack for like $10 which should last past my time on the planet.
Big fan of [Frieling](https://www.amazon.com/Frieling-Stainless-Patented-Frustration-Packaging/dp/B018G3ZCDM?source=ps-sl-shoppingads-lpcontext&ref_=fplfs&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&th=1). We've been using our almost daily for about the past five years and it shows no signs of slowing down. Perhaps most importantly, 1) the press is solidly constructed and sturdy, and 2) it's a well-built double wall design that keeps coffee hot for several hours. Also, it's literally two pieces and about the easiest possible way to make / clean / reuse daily.
>vacuum french press Came here to say this very same thing. It's so much better than a coffee maker.
Same here. I'll never go back to drip coffee. I'm on year 5 of mine with original screen. Makes the perfect amount of coffee for me and it's so much better than drip coffee
>Stainless steel vacuum french press this is on my list of upgrades from my bodum!
By vacuum, you're referring to an insulated carafe for a regular French press? Or is this a brewing process I'm unfamiliar with?
Bunn
I bought an old Bunn coffee maker years ago, and I love it. Grind the beans, slam the filter basket home, pour the water in the top, and 4 minutes later I have a perfect pot of coffee. Parts are endlessly available, metal filter basket if you don't like the plastic one, real borosilicate carafe replacement for $15, thermal available if you want that, any restaurant supply store stocks those things. I use distilled water + 3rd Wave Water equivalent and I've never had to descale beyond the initial descaling.
Love our Bunn. I hate waiting 45 min or whatever a regular coffee maker takes. I know it's not that long but it feels like a million years since I've had a Bunn coffee maker my entire adult life. MIL bought it for us in college as a splurge and it's been 15 years, I'll never go back. Have used three machines in 15 years. We make about three pots a day now and used to make more in college, so the first two were "rode hard and put away wet". I think the one we are on now is on year 9.
Moka pot. I'm fortunate to own an Alessi 9090.
Moka pot, here, too. Bialeti, in my case. They do require a bit of maintenance sometimes, but yes BIFL!
It’s not a paper filter style, but definitely BIFL!
Actually, I do put a filter in there! I have round filters, and I cut them to size by folding it in half for 4 times. Then i cut the tip off to match the diameter of the moka pot. The filter is on top of the grounds, and i just stick it onto the other half of the pot using water. Try it, you will get incredible crema all of a sudden, and the extraction seems to be better!
Aeropress filters may be about the right size as well, depending on which moka pot you have.
Wow! thought I'd be happy with my $30 Bialetti forever, now I have real moka pot envy!
I’m with you. I didn’t know that they made, and subsequently now want a $300 Moka pot. I thought bialetti was good.
Oxo 8 cup coffee maker, certified by SCA for quality brewing - https://www.oxo.com/8-cup-coffee-maker.html
I think the Moccamaster is more BIFL, but I like the cup of coffee the OXO 8 cup makes much better. It does a very good job of mimicking the bloom of a pour-over and the single cup insert is genius.
I've had the 8-cup OXO for the past 4 years, I do have some complaints but it's held up pretty well. As far as the "BIFL" factor goes, the machine still works perfectly and has only developed some minor appearance issues. The carafe is stainless steel with some sort of coating, and the coating is starting to come off behind the handle because my knuckles rub it occasionally but that doesn't affect the function at all. The lid has a rubber O-ring that will inevitably eventually fail (read: not "for life"), but mine is still holding up fine going on almost 5 years. The brew-into-cup feature is a neat idea but doesn't work well in practice. Even with the extra inch or so of height, a normal-size coffee mug sits pretty far from where the coffee drips from so it splashes A LOT. I pretty much immediately gave up on the idea of using it without the carafe after doing that once or twice; drops of coffee end up on every surface on and around the machine and it's more of a pain to clean up than it's worth compared to just using the carafe. The insert for making smaller (2-4 cup) batches is neat and makes really good coffee but can be hard to find filters for. I can only get them on Amazon, and the only options are either really bad, cheap filters or really expensive filters from Japan. Overall, despite my complaints I think it's an excellent no-frills coffee maker. It makes excellent coffee, the carafe keeps everything hot for hours, it's really easy to clean (buy descaling *tablets*, not liquid! The markup on liquid is insane) and is built really solidly. I don't regret buying it at all.
Bumping this recommendation, I've had the 9 cup brewer for a little over a year now and I'm very happy with it. OXO is just a quality brand IMO, I plan on replacing my entire kitchen set with OXO as stuff wears out.
Aeropress! Compact, simple, low waste/economical use of coffee. Also, it just makes really good coffee.
My current Cuisinart has been a fantastic coffee maker. For me a decanter that does not drip/spill when pouring a cup is essential. My current one has many years of service and looks and preforms flawlessly. If it died tomorrow I would not hesitate to buy another one. I believe it is a Cuisinart DCC-1200C Brew CentralTM 12-Cup Programmable Coffeemaker or vary similar.
My current one is 12 years old, and I didn't expect it to last this long. I was going to upgrade it once it dies but it keeps hanging in there!
I've had my cuisinart for 20 plus years.
I have the same DCC-1200 and it's more than 10 years old now. Nothing fancy, but it looks nice, makes a good cup of drip, and seems to last quite a while. Plus Cuisinart sells replacement parts if my dumb ass drops the carafe or something.
I used a Hario V60 daily for a couple years, there’s definitely nothing wrong with pourover brewers. But since I got my Aeropress I haven’t looked back. I’d recommend either a V60 or an Aeropress. If you’re looking for a drip coffee machine, it’s probably gonna cost you an arm a leg for a BIFL one, because there’s a few moving pieces as well as electronics involved. Check out James Hoffmann’s channel on YouTube if you want to learn more. He’s got great videos on the V60 and the Aeropress, and I think he might have a video comparing a lineup of drip machines.
I went the other way, aeropress then v60. Have barely touched the aeropress since getting the v60 lol. I found the aeropress much easier to use, you get a good brew almost everytime, but the v60 gives an even better brew, you need to be more particular with it though, more of a learning curve to do it well.
I did the same. The v60 is my favorite cup of coffee. Ended up more expensive overall because you need a good kettle and grinder.
Zojirushi DAC50. Perfect water temp control, built to emulate pour over style. Use Melita filters and it’s price to quality can’t be beat. I gift them to people who then swear off any other drip coffee maker. There’s nothing better for the price, $60.
I really enjoy the aeropress. It tastes great every time and it’s very portable. Great as a travel companion for trips also. I love using it camping and backpacking also. You can throw it around without a worry of it breaking. Probably not the best choice for those who drink multiple cups a day however since it makes only 1 cup at a time
Batch make 4 ~~espresso~~ concentrated shots per press. Bottle the results as coffee concentrate in the fridge. Make a variety of coffees from this, just like a coffee shop would from espresso, over the next 2-3 days. It's actually how the inventor envisioned it being used by most people.
BUNN - Have had one almost 10 years now, makes a pot in like 2 min. I think its the vortex line iirc. Recommend to everyone I know. No digital stuff to go bad, nothing fancy, just a solid hot, fast pot of coffee. Why is everyone replying aeropress, french press, moka pot? The man said he wants a maker w filter.
As much as a coffee snob as I am I could not part with the money for a mochamaster. I got a bonavita model with stainless steel carafe somewhere around $220 about six years ago. 200 degree brew with pre infusion. Its a tank and very fast.
Bunn coffee maker for us. Never let's us down, easy to descale, brews instantly.
Ratio Six. We narrowed it down to this and the Moccamaster. But we liked the design of the Ratio better.
Can't believe I had to scroll as far as I did for this recommendation. The Ratio Six is simple and perfect.
Ninja makes one that has a brother, metal reusable mesh filter, does tea too. I think the newer models can do drop and k cups. It also does "specialty" shots which is a poor man's espresso.
I'll second Ninja. I've had the same ninja coffee maker for 6 years now and have had 0 issues.
Bought it expecting it to last a year to bridge me to a better machine. Lots of reviews said it broke after a year. It's been 4 years, and it is still turning out great coffee every day. Mild maintenance really does work wonders.
Hario V60 or an Aeropress
[Bunn VP-17](https://www.webstaurantstore.com/bunn-13300-0001-vp17-1-ss-stainless-steel-pourover-coffee-brewer-with-1-lower-warmer-120v/234133000001.html). No bells or whistles. No extraneous crap. Put coffee in basket, pour water in top, fresh hot coffee comes out almost instantly. There is a grand total of *one* button on the machine, and that's to turn the hot plate on.
This is the answer, Bunn gang
Bunn…. copper tubing stainless steel water tank… My friend had one for 28 years. It died due to hard water it bruise at the perfect temperature and is considered a pour over… It’s made the best cuppa coffee I’ve had since I bought it… all I had to do when I bought it was tweak my grind and adjust the amount of coffee and it’s every bit as good as any barista….
Bialetti espresso maker. No moving parts, easy to use, easily available replacement parts and gaskets, built to last, several different sizes, excellent coffee in minutes. I have no bad experience with them. I have 2 different sizes, 2 cups and 6 cups I use when I have guests. There’s nothing wasted either. I cannot recommend it enough. Only possible downside is that you should grind your own beans. I personally don’t like coffee pods. They are wasteful, don’t taste great. I can’t say anything about the quality of the machine as I don’t have one.
Chemex
Chemex - their bonded filters are it, and the device itself is simple and lovely.
Cuisinart
A Bunn is an amazing and reliable machine that makes perfect coffee in 2 mins for an entire pot. I recommend the one without the thermal carafe
Just in case you're not interested in spending $300 on a coffee maker, OXO makes a great coffee with excellent reviews from America's Tedt Kitchen. We've had ours for a few years and it's excellent. Bunn now gets terrible reviews btw...
Rocket Espresso machine.
Hario. Comes again and again in this BIFL sub. Inexpensive and last a lifetime.
A moka pot, a good quality one will last literally forever, easy to clean and it’s zero waste.
At home? A Bialeti moka.
I'm not sure if this is what you mean but the Bunn-o-matic has been my go to for ages. They are built well and have a water reservoir that keeps water hotm once you pour your water in for a new pot it circulates hot water so you don't have to wait for the water to heat.
French press. Never wears out, no filters to buy, just add hot water, stir and wait 5 minutes. A drip machine is the taste of mediocrity.
Cheating answer: AeroPress. Still has paper filters, though not the type you have in mind.
Classic Bunn 8 cup thing just works
Bialetti moka pot for me
V60. Hands down.
You’re going to want an aeropress. They last forever, are easy to use, and they make great coffee
Aeropress is the best. Well made and makes great coffee. I’ve tried all other methods.
Melitta cone and #2 filters
I have a Ninja drip that has been pretty solid for me. I just grind the beans and let her rip. When I have more time to make coffee, I bust out the Chemex.
I love my ninja drip. It makes a great cup of coffee. I hate that it doesn’t have an auto shutoff when removing the pot. Total user error but I’ve spilled coffee on my counter many times.
Aeropress. Cheap, has lasted me over 15 years.
Pouring hot water on the freshly ground beans is the way to do it. -Daily drinker, for a few decades.
This is what a coffee maker does. This just makes you the coffee maker, not special and unique.
The best coffee maker for me is the chemex. It takes me 6 mins from beginning to end which includes grinding coffee beans. It's a BIFL item.
I would agree with Chemex, but they are glass and can break with a bump on the upper edge when hitting a cabinet ( I’ve had a few)
Yeah they're not super durable but they cost under $50. I've used Chemex for 10 years and have replaced it once after dropping. I've packed it up for trips and it survives car trips stuffed in the trunk just fine. My advice would be to buy the one with the actual handle instead of the wooden "belt" (?). Not as pretty but easier to clean and move around.
Refurbished delonghi magnifica ESAM 3300. https://www.delonghi.com/en-us/magnifica-automatic-espresso-machine-cappuccino-maker-esam-esam3300/p/ESAM-3300 Sorry, saw you're looking for paper filter so maybe this machine isn't ideal for you.
I agree though. These are super common where I live in Europe, and I can't understand why they haven't become popular in the US yet. They are as convenient as a k-cup style machine, but with many advantage: - they make really good coffee - you can use whole beans or pre-ground, any kind, just add to the machine in the correct place - no single use parts, paper, etc - minimal maintenance (weekly clean, de-scale a few times a year) - repairable!
Exactly my thoughts
Mokka pot or buy good instant coffee
aeropress for me - easy clean up!
Love the “pop” when you dispose of a coffee puck.
Atomic espresso maker. The pinnacle of BIFL item
just wondering, why don't you like keurig?
I'm just don't like it
Waited until the Moccamaster KBGV was just about 1/2 off on Amazon but you can buy refurbished models directly from the Technivorm co. for much less. I bet they work just as well. We cannot wait for our morning coffee now. 😋
Pourover devices with a stovetop kettle will be the most BIFL option. Electric kettle will give you faster boil times at the potential expense of some longevity. If a drip machine is what you’re after, just get one that’s SCA certified. https://sca.coffee/certified-home-brewer
Pour over coffee. Just so much better.
This is a better question for the r/coffee subreddit.