I'm Erin, and welcome to the sixteenth episode of The Coffee Lab, the series where we forget coffee snobbery. The Coffee Lab is all about making coffee fun. Join me as I help you kickstart your coffee journey!
The Moccamaster is one of my favorite coffee makers. No, I'd actually say it's my favorite. It has everything I like: a cool vibe, easy functionality, and consistent taste. Oh, and the best part? The lifetime repairs and 5-year standard warranty. Honestly, there's nothing I don't like about the Moccamaster.
But I know some of you have questions about the Moccamaster, and I'm here to answer them! I got tons of comments on TikTok, so I'm answering the three most-commonly asked questions.
So, if you want to know how I'd fix the Moccamaster having "too much plastic," the Moccamaster's "horrible water distribution," or the Moccamaster "hot plate burning the coffee," buckle in.
1. You said the Moccamaster has "too much plastic"
I both agree and disagree! Yes, it has a lot of plastic, but due to E.U. regulations, the Moccamaster only uses virgin, BPA-free, phthalate-free plastic, so none of this plastic will leach into your coffee. You also need to remember that Technivorm makes the Moccamaster in the Netherlands, and shipping a completely glass/metal coffee maker across the Atlantic would cost a pretty penny... and the Moccamaster already costs a pretty penny.
However, if you want as little plastic in your kitchen as possible — I don't blame you — then you might be a little more interested in the Simply Good Coffee Plastic-Free Brewer. I reviewed this coffee maker a month or so ago and I loved it. As it has a bloom feature, it makes a juicier, fruitier coffee, more attuned to what I'd describe as "coffee-snob coffee".
Although the SGC Brewer still has silicone and plastic on the exterior to prevent burns, it's much less plastic than the Moccamaster.
2. You said the Moccamaster has "horrible water distribution"
I also agree and disagree with this one. The Moccamaster does tend to "funnel" — where the water goes down the center of the filter basket and the coffee grounds climb up the side, resulting in overextracted and underextracted flavors.
However, this is less a Moccamaster issue and more a drip coffee maker issue. If you want drip, it's an occupational hazard. I've yet to use a drip coffee maker with zero funnelling. Even the "coffee-snob-approved" SGC Plastic-Free Brewer doesn't manage to distribute the water as evenly as a well-poured pour-over.
You can easily mitigate this, though. You need to grind all your coffee evenly using a good grinder. I'd recommend something like the Baratza Encore ESP if you can afford $199 or the Timemore Chestnut C2s if you don't mind hand grinding and you only want to spend $60.
Next: make sure your grind isn't too fine or too coarse. A coarser grind may be more inclined to funnel as there's more surface area for the water to burrow under. Too fine will create blockages.
Finally, this is what I would do after exhausting all other options. When you brew, don't put on the filter basket lid. Manually "bloom" the grounds. This means add a little bit of water, then stir, ensuring the water has saturated the grounds. Then, let the machine drip as normal. See the difference?
You said the Moccamaster hot plate "burns the coffee"
And I agree with you! The hot plate does burn the coffee. I never use the hot plate feature on mine. I always make a half batch if I'm brewing just for me, or make sure everyone gets a cup while it's fresh.
If you want to keep your coffee hot without burning, I'd recommend checking out Technivorm's thermal carafe, which is $84 from Amazon.
So, that's everything you asked me this week! Next week, I'll be answering more questions about the Moccamaster.
I release new episodes of The Coffee Lab every Friday on our TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, and also here on Tom's Guide.
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