You’re tired of average coffee. You’re ready to upgrade your machine. You’re looking to show off your brewing expertise with the best coffee maker you can find…only you’re not sure which that is.
It is hard to decide with so many incredible drip coffee makers on the market today. You’ve come to the right place! Let me introduce you to two companies that guarantee a quality pour-over coffee that will impress your friends and neighbors: OXO and Technivorm Moccamaster.
Both of these java giants promise quality coffee makers you will love owning.
Hello, OXO
OXO strives to make your life easier every day. Not only with coffee makers, but with every level of kitchen appliance, tool, gizmo, and gadget.
Brief History
What started with a potato peeler thirty years ago has developed into an entire line of kitchenware and a household brand name that everyone trusts. OXO puts effort and engineering into all of its products.
OXO pours this same level of dedication into their coffee makers. Not only do they create exceptional quality coffee makers, but their sleek, modern designs complement any kitchen.
And they don’t stop at automatic drip coffee makers, either. Instead, OXO wants to make your morning routine as easy as possible, from coffee grinders to coffee scales.
Why Choose Oxo?
OXO is a name you can rely on, and they will not let you down. Their products are crafted with exceptional care and engineering.
In addition, the Specialty Coffee Association of America (SCAA) awarded two of their machines with the coveted Golden Cup Standard: the 8-cup coffee maker and the 9-cup Barista Brain coffee maker.
This award is given to coffee makers that achieve the four T’s of brewing: brew time, optimal temperature, turbulence, and total dissolved solids. Not many make the list, but it means you’re drinking great-tasting coffee.
OXO doesn’t just stop at automatic drip coffee makers, either. If you’re a cold brew coffee lover, you’ll want to check out their 32-ounce Cold Brew Coffee Maker with a small countertop footprint.
Or, if you’re into French press coffee, they have an 8-cup french press with an innovative grounds lifter that will deliver smooth coffee.
No matter which products you decide to purchase, OXO is a brand you can trust.
Meet the Moccamaster
The Technivorm Moccamaster sets the bar for most other coffee machines. They produce a variety of coffee makers for every style of a coffee drinker.
Brief History
The Dutch-based Technivorm Moccamaster manufactures handmade drip coffee brewers and has been doing so since 1968. That’s hard to beat!
Technivorm commits to very rigorous and exacting standards, which is why they’ve earned the right to call themselves masters in brewing.
Best of all, they believe so strongly in their products that they back every coffee machine with an industry-leading 5-year product warranty and lifetime repairs. That tells me they care!
Why Choose Moccamaster?
Technivorm Moccamaster will transform your morning routine from the first sip you take. Their machines guarantee exceptional flavor extraction, optimal temperature, and delicious coffee taste.
But don’t take my word for it!
The Speciality Coffee Association of America and Europe awarded the Golden Cup Standard to Moccamaster for twelve separate models. This certification only comes after rigorous quality control and laboratory testing.
However, all twelve coffee makers meet those exacting standards of coffee temperature, water distribution or turbulence, brew cycle time, and total dissolved solids.
Technivorm Moccamaster produces a coffee machine for everyone. If you’re looking to serve up java for the office, check the CDT Grand, which comes with a 15-cup thermal carafe. Or, if you only want one cup at a time, the Cup-One Brewer is for you.
My favorite Technivorm is the Moccamaster KBTS. Not only does it include all of the incredible features you expect from any Moccamaster, but it slides right under the kitchen cabinet.
There is no such thing as a lousy Moccamaster!
The Showdown
Let’s take a closer look at two of the most popular models from Technivorm and OXO and see how they line up head-to-head.
Technivorm Moccamaster KB Coffee Brewer
This quiet, unassuming coffee maker may not look like much at first glance. But the Technivorm Moccamaster KB is a 10-cup glass carafe coffee maker that delivers a delicious coffee with every cup.
The familiar Moccamaster design of the KB machine started it all and has been copied by coffee makers since the early ’70s…including OXO!
The Moccamaster KB also includes a manual drip-stop brew basket that offers a genuinely hands-on coffee brewing experience and contributes to the pour-over coffee quality.
In addition, the hot plate offers two temperatures and an auto shut-off.
Basic Specs
| Specs | Technivorm Moccamaster KB |
|---|---|
| Dimensions | 14" H x 12.75" W x 6.5" D |
| Volume | 40 oz / 10 cups |
| Brew Basket Style | Manual |
| Carafe Style | Glass |
9-hole Water Outlet Arm
Almost all Technivorm Moccamasters include the 9-hole showerhead outlet arm. I will never brew coffee without a showerhead feature again!
This stainless steel outlet arm forces boiling water to pulse and spread out over the bed of coffee grounds. It’s part of the reason for the high-quality coffee extraction and contributes to the coffee bloom.
While my coffee is brewing, I open the adjustable brew basket and stir the ground coffee, letting it steep in the water and thoroughly saturate. This creates those classic pour-over coffee flavors without any pour-over coffee hassle.
Manual Brew Basket
If you’re the type of coffee drinker that sometimes wants a whole pot and sometimes wants a single cup, this manual drip-stop brew basket is for you. The simple switch lets you control the flow of coffee!
This means you can add fewer grounds to the brew basket, close the drip stop and let them steep a little longer to brew a single cup! Or make a half pot of coffee.
The manual drip-stop gives you control and versatility over what might seem like a pretty basic coffee machine.
Copper Heating Element
The copper heating element buried inside the body column of every Moccamaster rapidly heats the cold water to the ideal brewing temperature: 196°F – 205°F. And the entire process takes about five minutes!
That temperature range is the ideal temperature for coffee extraction. As a result, your coffee grounds will bloom and release their full-bodied flavor.
Once the copper boiling element has reached the optimal temperature, the hot water flow is forced up the glass tube in the handy water reservoir, through the water arm, and over the coffee grounds.
This copper element contributes to the correct temperature of the water and the quick 4-6 minute brew-time per pot.
I may focus on the brew temperature, but according to the National Coffee Association, the ideal time for coffee beans to contact water is about five minutes. Yet, that’s precisely what Moccamaster delivers, and all thanks to that heating element.
5 Year Warranty
The Moccamaster 5-Year warranty with lifetime repairs must be celebrated and acknowledged if you brew as much as I do.
Technivorm Moccamaster believes in their product so much that every model comes with a 5-year Manufacturer’s warranty and lifetime repairs on all parts.
If you need repairs, the best part is that all of their pieces are easily removable. So you don’t have to pack up your machine and send it in. But because Moccamasters don’t include a bunch of high-tech gadgets, they’re made to last a lifetime.
Downsides
Nothing is perfect, and Technivorm Moccamaster is no exception. While the Moccamaster is not a high-tech drip coffee maker, there are still a few issues worth mentioning.
The first is that there isn’t a single Moccamster machine that comes with any programmable features. You can’t set your coffee to start brewing when your alarm goes off. If you want your coffee hot and ready to go in the morning, this might be a deal-breaker.
All a Moccamaster lets you do is turn it on to brew, turn it off, and adjust the hot plate temperature. That’s it.
Also, the water reservoir is not removable. My water filter is a floor away from my coffee machine, so I must use a separate jug to fill my tank.
Why not use the carafe? Coffee beans contain oils that stick inside your beautiful glass carafe. If you use your carafe to fill your tank, be sure to deep clean your coffee maker at least every thirty days.
Things We Love
- Manual Brew Basket
- 5 Year Warranty
Things We Don’t Love
- No Bells and Whistles
- Water Reservoir is not removable
OXO Barista Brain 9-cup Coffee Maker
When this coffee maker lands on your counter, your morning cup will never taste the same. The OXO 9-cup Coffee Maker makes itself known with its large size, sleek, high-tech look, and shiny silver carafe.
I’m often asked, is that a coffee machine or a spaceship?
But don’t let its size intimidate you! This machine comes standard with a thermal carafe, a selector button that enables you to choose between 2-4 and 5-9 cup settings, and a programmable timer.
Basic Specs
| Basic Specs | The OXO 9-cup Coffee Maker |
|---|---|
| Dimensions | 15" H x 17.2" W x 8.3" D |
| Volume | 36 oz / 9 cups |
| Brew Basket Style | Automatic |
| Carafe Style | Stainless Steel Thermal |
Pause and Pour Feature
If you’re like me, you probably hate waiting for the whole pot to finish before you can get a cup of coffee. With the OXO 9-cup Coffee Maker, you can grab the carafe anytime you want; a small red carafe icon lights up on the screen, and it will pause the brewing process.
As long as you return the carafe before sixty seconds pass, the brewing cycle resumes as if nothing happened. You don’t have to worry about coffee spilling out of the top so you can enjoy a fresh cup.
BetterBrew Precision
The BetterBrew Precision technology inside the OXO 9-cup Coffee Maker regulates the brew cycle and water temperature to ensure you get the best cup possible.
It starts with a short burst of boiling drops of water over the coffee grounds, then follows with controlled dispersions, heated to the optimal temperature. It guarantees an even saturation and quality cup of coffee.
7-hole Rainmaker Showerhead
OXO’s 7-hole Rainmaker Showerhead design contributes to excellent water dispersion and the even saturation of the coffee grounds inside the cone-shaped brew basket.
Since the OXO 9-cup coffee maker does not allow you to open the brew basket while brewing, this rain-making showerhead does the work for you. The circular shape of the showerhead disperses water to every edge of the basket and covers every last coffee bean.
The rain-making design also gives it that pour-over coffee quality and taste that many coffee lovers crave.
Programmable Features
When talking about the best features of the OXO 9-cup Barista Brain, I have saved the best for last. This smart coffee maker is fully programmable in several beautiful ways.
The OXO 9-cup lets you select between 2-4 cups or 5-9 cups. In addition, it adjusts the BetterBrew Precision to saturate and steep the coffee grounds longer for the smaller batch of coffee.
But, that means you can choose between a half or a whole carafe simply by adjusting how much water you add to the tank.
This coffeemaker also has a programmable timer that lets you set the machine to start brewing with the sunrise. Or anytime you want your coffee fresh and hot!
Plus, there’s a nifty counter that starts once your pot finishes brewing, which lets you know when the coffee inside might be stale.
Downsides
I have a few points to mention that might make you change your mind about this machine.
First, the OXO 9-cup does not have a removable water reservoir. The now-discontinued OXO 12-cup coffeemaker included a removable water tank that doubled as an electric kettle. We need that back in our lives!
Of course, an easy solution is that I can grab an extra jug and fill the large, see-through water reservoir every time, but I do feel it’s worth mentioning.
Also, the stainless steel carafe is difficult to clean. You’ll want to invest in a special scrub brush that will fit through the opening and reach the bottom because you must hand wash it.
Finally, as mentioned before, this machine takes up a lot of space on your counter. It’s also too tall to fit underneath the average cabinet.
However, it does look good!
Things We Love
- Pause and Pour
- Programmable Features
Things We Don’t Love
- Needs lots of counter space
- Water Reservoir is not removable
Wrap Up
Choosing between the reliable household brand of OXO and the quality of Technivorm is like choosing between a cold brew and a latte. Why should you have to? I love them both!
These two brands offer a unique brewing experience that any coffee expert would love to have in their home. The only thing that might make you hesitate is the price tag.
If you’re looking for a more affordable machine, check out our reviews of the Best Drip Coffee Makers and find one that suits your needs and wallet. I lean towards the OXO 8-cup for delicious coffee quality and affordability.
This is probably why, after careful consideration of both OXO and Technivorm (and many, many pots of coffee), I recommend the OXO 9-cup for any at-home barista looking to improve their brew.
No matter which machine becomes your new favorite coffee maker, I promise you’ll love the coffee.
Happy Caffeinating!
