Moccamaster Cup One

5-YEAR UPDATE: The machine is still going strong. I descale with white vinegar every 80-100 brews (I use the filter box as a guide; once I've finished the box of filters, I know it's time to descale. I've never opened it up to clean the interior, although it would probably be a good idea to do so now. The warranty is up, so I feel comfortable taking it apart to see how the guts have held up in these 5 years. If I remember, I'll take pictures and post them here. I use 3-stage filtered tap water, and I've never noticed an unusual amount of scale buildup. I've also tasted my coffee alongside distilled water with 3rd Wave Water mineral supplements, and haven't noticed much of a difference. This machine can handle 1-2 cups of coffee per day for 5 years, I can confirm. This machine will keep its 5 stars. If I could go back and do it again, I *may have chosen a batch brewer that could brew more than 1 cup, for all the cases where I've had to make coffee for visitors. But for most days of the year, it's just me drinking coffee in my house. For times where I need to make coffee for visitors, I use my 1L French Press. My Baratza Encore on setting 10-14 works great, yielding 10-12 oz of brew in 2:30-3:30. My next drip brewer will probably be a Moccamaster again. Love mine! UPDATE: 2 months after my original impressions, I've gotten into the groove of using it and how to get the most out of it. I've concluded that setting-and-forgetting this machine sufficiently renders great coffee without altering anything out of standard coffee making procedure. The damp coffee grounds left after brewing do indeed still form a cone-pyramid shape, but I haven't noticed hardly any difference from when I stir the grounds during brewing 2-3 times vs. not touching it at all. This bumps the machine from 4 to 5 stars. This is the best single serve machine on the market. Now read my review below and keep in mind what I just mentioned. I'm going to be rather critical of this machine since I spent a pretty penny on it. But if this gets 4 stars, 99% of other auto-drip brewers probably get 1-2 stars. This machine is fantastic. I've put about 15 cycles through it, and the ones where I measured temp, they all came out to ~198-200F, and all went thru the brew process of 300g/10oz water (medium fine grind) in about 5 mins total, from flipping the switch to the last drip, 5:30 at the longest. So it does what it says it's supposed to, which is great. A few design features confuse me. The lid that sits atop the reservoir and drip cone sits a little precariously (it wants to tip if you touch the cone side). This is minor, but I feel like maybe a hinged joint on the reservoir side and the cone side would be more robust. Additionally, the drip spout is a simple U-shaped tube (longer on one side). I wonder why Technivorm didn't follow the design of the other higher volume brewer models and design a shower-head design instead of just a dripper that drops water right into one spot the whole brew process instead of the even showering you see in bigger models. I don't think this would necessarily lead to better flavor, but from what I know about pour-over coffee, a more even wetting of grounds is always better. The grounds do seem to all get wet, but once dry, they form an inverted cone/canyon once the brewing is done. I stir the grounds/water after about 30 seconds to hopefully combat this possibly negative effect. I'm too fiddly to resist, but the coffee tastes great either way. The reason I included this tidbit is that if you pay this much for a brewer that is supposed to be mostly autonomous, there should have to be minimal interference for good coffee. This is probably why I'm putting 4 stars instead of 5. If someone provides me with enough compelling evidence that this doesn't matter, I'll change it to 5. The coffee is excellent. Without the cup preheated, and waiting about a minute after brewing ends, the coffee is at the perfect temp for drinking. The mug is nice as well, and the filters seem to be flavorless/neutral. This sits in my office and gets to brew 2 * 10oz cups for me daily (Onyx Geometry, Colombia/Ethiopia blend is great through this). If you only plan to brew for yourself, this machine is perfect, because if I brewed 2 cups a day through a machine with a thermal carafe or burner, that 2nd cup would be stale/lukewarm 6 hours later, I almost guarantee it (even the good Zojirushi carafes/warmers cool off after about 4-5 hours). So it's a quick, fresh cup on demand. DO NOT buy this if you plan to brew for multiple people or an office. Grab one of the bigger volume models.

I hesitated to buy this because of the clogging reviews, but went ahead and tried anyways, as it was one of the only coffee makers with a long enough cord for my office. I've owned the Cup-1 for about 10 months and have made over 120 cups of coffee and have not had the clogging issue while making coffee. I have been able to replicate it, though. The hole is quite small, and when water with a little bit of residue dries, it can clog the hole. I noticed this when I was cleaning it one day - no water would drain even though it was free of grounds. The solution: just use the included needle thing to clear the hole just before making coffee. For the sake of consistency (so I remember), for each cup, I poke the needle through the bottom of the hole towards the coffee filter immediately prior to pressing the on button - even after water and coffee are added. For those worried about use in the office - I am lazy and typically let the old grounds sit in the coffee maker until my next cup the next day. The grounds are dried by the time I remove them. I just dump the grounds out, give it a quick rinse in the sink with a bit of soap occasionally, and remember to poke the hole with the needle. If you are really worried about overflow, just place a baking tray under the coffee maker. I prefer the Melitta #2 filters over the included Moccamaster #1 filters. The smaller #1 filters can occasionally fold over if you don't sufficiently press the filter in. This has never resulted in overflow for me, but has resulted in most of the water missing the grounds and an extremely weak cup of coffee. I have owned a KGBV Select 10 cup maker for a few years, so I will compare to that. The coffee from the Cup-1 is better tasting in my opinion, which is probably due to me using a bit higher coffee to water ratio. The consistency is the same as the KGBV - basically the same great tasting coffee every time. The lid is just as annoying as the KGBV lid, but you get used to it. It does make cleaning easier. I wish there were a better place to store the needle. I should 3D print something, but for now, I just have a piece of cardboard taped to the side of the coffee maker: ugly, but works well.

This machine is the biggest piece of crap. I have only had it for 8 months and it clogs continuously even though I use the needle tool they provide to unclog (which is sort of ridiculous anyway considering no other pour overs have to have this tool). It doesn’t drip through to the cup and instead floods the funnel and creates a giant mess all over the counter which then requires way more time cleaning than the 4 mins it is supposed to take to brew a cup. I emailed customer service and got no response. DO NOT BUY.

This is a well engineered and thought out machine. It is also very attractive and made of metal not cheap plastic. It is a simple machine. If you are looking for bells and whistles, having something that makes various types of coffees this is not for you. The machine has a very European styling to it. Well made, well engineered and simple to use It is a straight up one cup Coffee Machine. And quite compact. It takes very little room on the counter. You can vary the size of the cup. It is marked for 10 but, put in less water or a little more and gauge your amount of grounds to put in for the size. When you set up to make coffee you are supposed to take out the filter holder, wet the paper filter then put it back in the machine. The wet filter keeps the grounds from rising and spilling out. That is probably why some have had an issue with the grounds. You are also to clear out the bottom of the filter pretty much every time before use to make sure the passage is clear. A little tool comes with the machine that has a thin straight almost needle shape to use to clear the filter in the bottom. The Coffee is one of the best cups I have had with perfect taste. It also makes a very hot cup. It's easy to just wipe down and keep clean. Wonderful little machine. I think I am going to love this coffee machine for a long time and have wonderful coffee to drink as well. UPDATE; I have had this coffee machine for awhile. I never had an overflow problem but, my son has. It kept happening to him. We are now using the Malitta Natural Brown #2 Filters. They are much stronger then usual coffee filters and wetting the basket is not needed as there is no caving in of the flimsy standard coffee filters. These filters have made a huge difference. My son does not have the overflow problem. The coffee also seems to run into the cup a little faster then other filters. I definitely recommend the Malitta Brown #2 filters for this coffee machine. You won't regret it. Also, I use the little tool every time I make coffee as I want the drip clear for sure. Takes a second. It still makes the best cups of coffee I have had. And I love adjusting the cup sizes and the strength of coffee I use. I really love this machine.

Would be great if the basket design wasn't garbage. It will clog and overflow on you, this is not a brewer you can just start up and walk away from. Most of the time, it will work fine and give you a solid cup of coffee. But it will clog on you for seemingly no reason at all. I just brewed a cup. To prep I washed the basket (this must be done for every single brew or it will clog for sure), dried it off, then used the cleaning brush to clean out the drip nozzle. I used their specific #1 paper filters and everything. Still clogged up on me. Also the shower head does not do a good job dispersing the water evenly over the grounds in the basket, it's a hot spot right in the center. Overall this thing is well made but poorly, poorly designed. Worth it for $50, for $250 this thing is a massive rip-off. I've put up with it for four years and it's time to move on.

This is a solid 4-star coffee maker. It makes the most delicious cup of coffee I’ve ever had and is built very well. It has a few design flaws that keep it out of 5-star territory, though. - The cover is useless and basically just a prop. It’s a black plastic little top that just sits there and does nothing. In order to use the coffee maker you have to remove the whole thing and put it... somewhere. And then when you’re done you can put it back on top or just leave it where you put it. Who cares! it doesn’t do anything. - The filter cup rest is fixed in place. This doesn’t seem annoying until you realize you have to move the little metal water dispenser rod thing out of the way to get the filter cup out to empty it. This doesn’t seem annoying until you go to make several cups and that little metal rod is hot as a mother... or you make one cup and you don’t want to let the used grinds sit there. Still gonna be hot and burn your fingers. - The filter cup uses #1 filters. My grocery store never has them so I have to buy #2 filters and cut them to fit. - The hole in the filter cup is tiny. And it gets clogged a lot. Because the cup is so small it doesn’t fit an entire cup of coffee worth of water. So it spills coffee all over your counter and then is a nightmare to remove and clean (see above complaints about fixed position And hot metal rod). - You have to use this special descaler treatment on it every 3 months that costs $18 a bottle for 2 treatments. Overall, I love this thing even with its design flaws. It seriously makes the best cup of coffee of any coffee maker I’ve ever used and I’d happily lose my fingerprints over time to that hot metal spout for that, alone.

After alot of research, I chose Technivorm's Moccamaster being in search of a single brewer. The unit was highly rated by Food and Wine and other sources. I have been a Aeropress user for many, many years. I love the depth and richness of the Aeropress but just got tired of all of the pressing I had to do for my cup, in the early morning. While Technivorm's Moccamaster's brew (using a finer espresso grind from our pro grinder) produces a slightly "weaker" cup than the Aeropress, as an automatic brewer, I think it does an excellent job. The machine is designed and made with quality. It does not sputter or overflow if you use a 17g/2 level or slightly heaping scoops as recommended, as others have suggested. We also stir our grounds as the basket fills for even distribution. It is a nice small unit that doesn't take up much counter space and is very attractive. Technivorm includes 3 boxes of 80 ct filters with the machine (very nice) and the unit comes with a 5 year warranty when registered. Customer service is also very good. A little water does remain in the reservoir after brewing so I simply take the unit to the sink and pour out, just to eliminate any undue calcifying build up. Though the unit is not inexpensive, you "get what you pay for." The quality of manufacture, customer service, warranty and brewing are all there. I suspect it will last for a very long time with regular descaling and proper use and care. Truly you can't go wrong with the Moccamaster.

I first bought the Cup-One because I was tired of draining my wallet and filling up landfills via Keurig and Nespresso coffee pods. I got tired of always getting watered down coffee at home, and this was really the only single serving drip brew machine out there. I also always wanted a Technivorm machine. As far as how it has served me over the last couple years, yes, it does make a very good cup of coffee. Because of course, it's real, fresh brewed coffee. It's not without its headaches, though. The filter basket needs some sort of re-design, because of frequent clogging, which can result in an extremely unpleasant morning dedicated cleaning up coffee and grounds from the floor and walls. This is regardless of whether you fold the filter edges per the instructions or not. For some reason, if the filter is sitting in the basket a certain way, even though it looks to be properly seated, the drip hole becomes partially or mostly impeded. Also, just 1 or 2 rogue coffee grounds that somehow make it into the basket can clog it. The clogging issues are one of merely two things holding this machine back from being a 5-star machine. If it weren't for the dozens of mornings I had to spend cleaning the kitchen walls, floor, and the bar cart it sits on...I would say Technivorm has a winner here. But unfortunately, they don't. The basket needs a design revision to rectify the fact that even a properly seated filter can clog it. Secondarily, giving it a shower head-type water spout would probably help the tunneling issues. Unless I am in a hurry during the morning, I will take a bar spoon to the bloom in order to break it up and get all of the grounds immersed. The basket is shaped like a conical pour-over's. And with the water spout being nothing but a narrow tube squirting water into the center, a large amount of the coffee grounds never get fully immersed. If Technivorm could fix both the clogging and tunneling issues, this would be an easy 5-star machine.