Chemex, French Press, Rancillio Silvia and Rocky, Hotop Drum Roaster
Bottom Line:
Superior tasting "hot" coffee. A few quirks but I'm very pleased with the performance.
Positive Product Points
Makes the best tasting drip coffee I've tasted. Sprays the coffee grounds somewhat evenly rather than dripping all the water on one spot like many drip brewers. Brews 10 cups in about 5 minutes Thermal carafe keeps the coffee hot for 2-3 hours if you screw the cap on after brewing it. (Make sure you run some hot water into the carafe before brewing so you don't loose temperature)
Negative Product Points
While it is a great drip machine and I would likely buy it again, I feel the price is about $50-$60 too high. The rubber piece that the carafe sits on doesn't attach very well to the machine's base. Carafe does not fit completely back after you put the screw cap on. (fits about 90% under, not a big deal) When pouring the coffee from the carafe it is very easy to spill as there is no notch to channel the coffee into a uniform stream causing spillage if you're not careful.
Detailed Commentary
My wife and I wanted a drip machine she could use everyday that also brewed into a carafe. She tore out an advertisement for a coffee maker from the morning paper from somewhere like Target. You know the kind that has a timer, grinds the coffee, brews it and has a heating device to keep it warm...or cook the flavor out?
The main reason we wanted a new machine was that it just became too tedious to brew in my Chemex or Frech press when we were entertaining and needed to serve over 4 cups of coffee. Also, the coffee in the Chemex never was hot enough after it finished brewing and I didn't want to heat it up and kill the flavor. Let alone how labor intensive it was.
Well being the coffee lover I am; (home coffee bean roaster for past 5 years), I decided to research various model over the internet from various sources including CoffeeGeek of course.
We've been using the Technivorm Thermal Moccamaster for about 3 weeks now and we really love it. Granted it doesn't have some of the conveniences but from my research you loose some taste and cup quality in those all in one machines.
Buying Experience
I would rate my buying experience a 6 out of 10. The price was the lowest I could find but I had to call to find out when it was shipping and when the box arrived it appeared that it was previously opened. I reasoned it was perhaps one that was previously bought and returned based on the condition of the box (Not sealed and worn edges). The box was packed inside a shipping box with packing peanuts so I know the damage wasn't from shipping.
Anyway, when I removed the machine all was in tact, no scratches and all parts were there so no problem. That said, if I had to buy it again I may choose another source if the price was similar.
