Don't waste time with the Chemex when Techivorm has it all--much, much faster.
Positive Product Points
Fast and hot brew Brew speed control Full grounds saturation
Negative Product Points
Somewhat flimsy carafe handle Expensive
Detailed Commentary
I'm a fan of the Chemex pour-over method, but of late I grew tired of the hassle of standing there, seemingly forever, while the little beaker filled up with coffee. But the Chemex brewed the best coffee, as far as I'm concerned. I don't like the muddy French press style. So after reading about the Technivorm on Sweet Maria's site, I decided to shell out the $250.00 for the machine. The coffee produced rivals that of the Chemex--clean, hot, extracted. The best feature is the switch on the cone, allowing the grounds to bloom in the gold filter. I never switch the lever to fully open, as I think maybe the coffee filters too fast that way. The half-open setting is best and plenty fast. The carafe keeps the coffee sufficiently hot for a few hours, with a good screw seal on the cap. The KBTS is the model to get among all the Technivorm models. Avoid heat plate versions, of course.
Buying Experience
Sweet Marias was great, as always. Tom steered me to the correct machine.
