I’m in a 5-Year Committed Relationship with My Moccamaster Coffee Maker (& It’s $45 Off During Prime Day)

• Value: 19/20
• Functionality: 20/20
• Ease of Use: 20/20
• Quality: 19/20
• Aesthetics: 17/20
• Total: 95/100

I’d describe my relationship with coffee like this: I’m not dependent…yet it’s the first thing on my mind when I wake up. I don’t drink more than two cups a day (always black, never in the afternoon), but those two cups better be good. And I’ve been going steady with the same coffee maker for more than five years: the Technivorm Moccamaster coffee maker.

Yes, this machine is my one and only. I got it as a wedding gift and never looked back. I love it so much, I wish I could buy one for everyone I know. Alas, I’m not made of money. But lucky for y’all, the appliance is currently 33 percent off during Prime Day 2024 (ending tonight, July 17, at 11:59 pm EST). Here’s why I love it.

The Moccamaster is a drip coffee machine, aka an automatic machine. On the outside, it works much like the machine you outfitted your college dorm with: pour in water, add filter, measure grounds, press button, receive magic brown juice. But it has a few differences from your typical drip machine.

For starters, the Dutch-made appliance has a distinct appearance that’s giving “what Don Draper thought the 2000s would look like” (in a good way, of course). It doesn’t come with a clock or a timer feature. You hardly have to assemble it out of the box. But it accounts for its simplicity with an excellent cup of coffee.

There are a few Moccamaster models to choose from (also on sale), but all of the machines share a few key features. They’re touted for heating the water to a precise temperature of 196 to 205 degrees Fahrenheit (according to the brand, the ideal for a pot of joe), with a special nine-hole arm that distributes hot water evenly over the coffee grounds. The water then “pulses” over the grounds to simulate a manual pour-over style brew, which “blooms” the coffee, or pre-wets the grounds and releases excess carbon dioxide, for the most robust flavor. Once the water reservoir is emptied, the heating mechanism automatically shuts off. Oh, and this all happens in about six minutes, max.

The KBVG Select, aka the model I have, features a glass carafe and a hot plate with an independent heating mechanism that’s temperature-adjustable, based on whether you want a half or full carafe. (Other models ditch the hotplate and instead come with a thermal carafe, if that’s more your style.)

And brewing the coffee is so easy, you could do it with your eyes closed (which is basically what I do when I drag my half-asleep self to my kitchen). You place a filter in the basket (specifically, a Melitta #4, $9), add grounds with the Moccamaster scoop that’s included with the machine, fill the reservoir with the required amount of water and flip a switch. Five minutes later, a full pot of coffee emerges.

Have you ever accidentally spent $7 at a fancy coffee shop on a pour-over cup that takes five minutes to get to you? And you were annoyed—until you took a sip? The Moccamaster makes coffee like that. Since it’s a drip machine, the brew has no sediment (unlike a French press, or even a pod-based single-serve machine), but it’s not insipid, either. Being used to a pretty flat cup from my dinky old machine, I was surprised at how tasty the coffee was out of the Moccamaster. It’s the ideal balance of flavorful-yet-drinkable.

The only downside to the Moccamaster is that $380, or $255 with the current discount, isn't cheap. But consider this: I’ve owned the same machine for more than five years and have never had to repair it or replace any parts. (For what it’s worth, Technivorm technicians will repair any Moccamaster for the life of the machine.)

…Didn’t you say you were in the market for a new appliance?

The PureWow100 is a scale our editors use to vet new products and services, so you know what's worth the spend—and what's total hype. Learn more about our process here.