DAVIDMC Senior Member Joined: 29 Oct 2007 Posts: 1 Location: Atlanta, GA Expertise: I love coffee
Posted Mon Oct 29, 2007, 9:55am Subject: Technivorm versus Moka Brew
One of my friends had talked me into a Technivorm. But reading about the Krups Moka Brew it sounds good also. I've gone thru the forums but I'm still not sure. Is it just that they both make good coffee but just different ?
Treshell Senior Member Joined: 10 Aug 2007 Posts: 55 Location: Wyoming
Espresso: Ms Carmen ASTRA GA... Grinder: OBEL-BregantEB, TrampTravel Vac Pot: Yama Drip: Aero, Technivorm, Melitta... Roaster: Behmor, Friend's Diedrich
Posted Mon Oct 29, 2007, 1:24pm Subject: Re: Technivorm versus Moka Brew
Very different coffee flavor and mouth feel. Enough different that you should taste coffee made from each before deciding. To me the Technivorm is like the best coffee made for a group of people. Good clean taste that most every aunt/uncle will like as well as those who only drink espresso most of the time. The Moka to me, and others will differ on this, is like a mix of espresso and a French press. Both can taste great with good beans and the right grind but YES very different. treshell
jefft Senior Member Joined: 29 Aug 2007 Posts: 206 Location: Central Ohio Expertise: I love coffee
Grinder: Baratza Virtuoso, Kyocera... Vac Pot: Stove top - Bodum Drip: Melitta manual pour-over,... Roaster: Behmor; Air Popper - Poppery...
Posted Wed Oct 31, 2007, 4:54am Subject: Re: Technivorm versus Moka Brew
I think the Technivorm will be an "easier" purchase. I purchased the KMB a couple months ago and have found it very difficult to find the correct kind of coffee(not too bright, etc.), correct grind, correct amount of grounds, etc. Any variance from that and you are treated to a bitter surprise. I even started to wonder if I just didnt have the "correct" palate. I would see all these great reviews and it was still very hard to get a cup that I, or my wife, liked. After weeks of tinkering and dumping bitter brews (with some pots right on the money), I bought a 2 cup pourover from Melitta.....wow, I could not believe the taste! I found all the flavors I was looking for: nutty, berry, chocolate...I really enjoyed each cup I made. The funny thing was that I started buying fresh roasted beans and got a new Baratza grinder at the same time as the KMB, I had made too many changes at the same time. On top of that, I didnt have enough experience to know what I was trying to fix....lesson learned.
The bottom line is that the KMB is a finicky machine with a tremendous upside. Not everyone will like it. Go with the Technivorm to start and I dont think you will be sorry. I have been using my pourover and may even look into selling my KMB so I can buy a Technivorm. I cant justify owning both (to my wife anyway).
Groch Senior Member Joined: 28 Dec 2003 Posts: 32 Location: Colorado Expertise: I love coffee
Espresso: Krups Orchestro Grinder: Solis Mistro Plus Vac Pot: Yama Drip: technivorm moccamaster Roaster: Heathware Precision
Posted Thu Nov 1, 2007, 4:35pm Subject: Re: Technivorm versus Moka Brew
I agree with many of the comments here, but no so much with jefft's final advice. Not so much because I dissagree, but because we do not know why you are buying a new machine.
Your reasons for trying something different is the key. I own both the KMB and a Technivorm. The Technivorm is the best built drip maker on the market, and from what I read its correct brewing temperature makes the coffee taste better than most too.
I think it tastes like great drip coffee, but not much different from the drip that other good drip machines make. If your goal is to have guests comment on your amazing coffee, it will be more because of the grind or beans than the contribution of the Technivorm. This is not a criticism, I just do not think the better drip coffee makers are all that different.
The moka brew WILL make your guests comment, and for me they have been 80% positive. It is as stated above, a different brew that is more like a press pot or espresso (and aeropress) in its depth of flavor.
Point is, if you are looking for a high quality safe choice to get you a bit more performance than your current drip, go Technivorm. It will be a reliable friend for morning coffee for years to come.
On the other hand, if you are making a change because you want a significant change, the KMB is a great choice. I would not turn you away from that anymore than I would suggest you do not buy an espresso machine or a french press. The KMB is simpler than a French Press or AeroPress to get consistent results because it is more automated. There is a learning/experimenting curve, and there is a chance you will not like the result, but that is true whenever you try anything significantly different.
For now my Technivorm is in the closet.....but in six months I'll probably rotate them again.
Posted Thu Nov 1, 2007, 11:15pm Subject: Re: Technivorm versus Moka Brew
To offer a counterpoint, I also own a Technivorm and a Moka Brew; but for me it's the Moka Brew that is in the basement.
I've been grinding my own beans for quite a while, and I just started home roasting. I found trying to get a good tasting brew out of the Krups to be just one straw that this camel didn't need. Between adjusting my grind to avoid bitter/sour, and adjusting my roast to get the flavor I like out of the beans, I already have enough moving parts in my coffee assembly line and I don't want to deal with one more.
With the Technivorm I could turn it on, stir the grounds in the brew basket, and get a tasty cup of coffee. Someday I'll probably have the patience to learn how to talk to a Moka Brew, but not today. Roy
jefft Senior Member Joined: 29 Aug 2007 Posts: 206 Location: Central Ohio Expertise: I love coffee
Grinder: Baratza Virtuoso, Kyocera... Vac Pot: Stove top - Bodum Drip: Melitta manual pour-over,... Roaster: Behmor; Air Popper - Poppery...
Posted Fri Nov 2, 2007, 7:44am Subject: Re: Technivorm versus Moka Brew
Well, I did make an assumption that since it was DavidMC's first post that he does not have a ton of experience with doing coffee the "right" way. I was in the same boat three months ago. I kept reading all these posts from KMB users and bought one. What I did not pay too much attention to was the posts on the KMB thread where people were having a hard time getting the brew right. I assumed that the few people that could not get it right were not used to strong or dark roast coffee....and that was right up my alley! Well, I was wrong. While I do get some good pots, it's not worth effort...especially when I can make a strong, sweet, flavorfull brew with a 4 dollar pour-over.
Not everyone will agree with my opinion, but it's just that, an opinion. And in my newbie opinion, if you are very knowledgeable about coffee and have multiple ways to brew coffee (in other words, knowhow), then you will probably love the KMB. I would be interested in how many KMB owners only have that pot to brew with and don't have a lot of experience with fresh beans, etc. found this brewer easy to use. It's probably why they pulled it from the US market a few years back and are now only distributing in specialty online stores.....hmmmm, just a thought. I could be totally off base, and I think that if I went to one of the KMB users house who swear by it, I would probably love the results. I just think that the odds are that most people will find the Technivorm a better bet.
Posted Fri Nov 2, 2007, 8:23am Subject: Re: Technivorm versus Moka Brew
My first coffee maker was a single cup brewer that Krups made 10 or 15 years ago. It was also pressured, but you put your coffee grounds in something that looked like an espresso group head. Then you filled a chamber up with water and steam pressure pushed the hot water through the grounds. It made a great cup of coffee every time I used it. No difficulty trying to dial in the brew, and I was using a cheap burr grinder at the time. Unfortunately, I broke it trying to clean it.
So I was really excited when I heard about the Moka Brew. I don't know why it's so much more finicky, or why I've become incapable of coaxing a good cup of coffee out of it. I'll probably eventually go back to it since I liked the cup out of my original brewer so much.
So. I guess my opinion is that the KMB is a cool concept, and I love the way it looks, and it is terrifically cool in operation, but when you combine how finicky it is with the non-standard filters it requires I think it's better as an auxiliary brewer than your main go-to coffee maker. Roy
Posted Sun Nov 11, 2007, 10:45pm Subject: Re: Technivorm versus Moka Brew
I've always been amazed when someone said they found the KMB to be finicky. Maybe I just lucked out, but after a couple of adjustments for grind, it has performed day in and day out with any beans I have tried from bright Kenyans to a low acid Sulawesi. As for the filters, well, the plain old Melitta percolator filters work well in it, you can cut filters from any other filter you might buy, or you can use the cloth filters designed for the Yama.
My best guess is that people who find the KMB finicky simply don't like that style coffee and are trying to make it taste like drip or some other coffee they do like. Fortunately, we don''t all have to like the same thing and there are many choices available.
Posted Tue Nov 13, 2007, 1:05am Subject: Re: Technivorm versus Moka Brew
I can't comment on the Technivorm, as I do not own one.. but I have used the Moka Brew for quite some time now.. and I have loved it. It is very picky. I had been mostly brewing New Guinea and some other dark roasts. I have lately tried out more flavorful "fruity" type coffees, and the results with the Moka Brew have been pretty bad (very bitter). I have actually begun using the Melitta cone. I'll probably go back to the Moka Brew the next time I buy New Guinea.
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