OK, now I can understand the hype of the Moccamaster.
Finally set it up yesterday. I've used it twice, and this thing is REALLY fun to use!
First off, it has a sort of "retro" look (that's what the wife said), while the Behmor looks like a '90s rocket ship! I think they compliment each other well.
They're each fun to use - the Behmor is impressive with its precision, bringing the water up to EXACTLY the brew temperature you've set (adjustable within 1°F between 190°-210°F), then automatically blooms your coffee for the amount of time you choose, programmable between 30 seconds and 4 minutes. Then it starts the brew process, pulsing the brew water through the valve above the very wide sprayhead using a solenoid valve to start and stop the process. The water flows for approximately 10 seconds, and then stops for 10 seconds. This continues until the brewing process is complete, approximately 10-12 minutes, depending on your chosen bloom time.
While I do enjoy freshly-roasted specialty coffee, it is pricey, so I still use something like Dunkin' Donuts Original Blend on workdays (it's available at Walmart in whole bean form for a decent price), and it's one of the better "commodity" coffees widely available, and it's one of the more lightly-roasted offerings you can find at pretty much any grocery.
I've found an excellent recipe on the Behmor that really wakes up the DD. I grind at setting 3 on the Ode (fairly fine), set the Brazen brew temperature at 210°F (lighter roasts benefit from higher brew temperature, and this can bring out more sweetness and flavor in the brew), bloom for 1:30 with the carafe removed, which keeps the valve in the bottom of the brew basket closed, allowing the grounds to get a better soak instead of allowing it to pass through. I leave the carafe out and listen for the brew water solenoid valve to open, allowing a 10-second water pulse, then, when the 2nd water pulse starts, I put the carafe back in. This has the effect of allowing the water level in the basket to rise, ensuring full saturation of all of the coffee grounds. I think this allows for a fuller and more complete extraction. Additionally, immersion brewing (think French press) gives a different flavor profile than percolation (think pourover). Making use of both techniques can result in an improved brew.
On the other hand, I look at the Moccamaster as a machine that is designed to be used to create a semi-automated pourover brew. For me, it seems to be designed for the user to interact with it during the brewing process, with the brew basket cover that can be removed. And, I went with the model that has the switch on the brew basket outlet, allowing the flow of brew water to be either unimpeded, restricted for brewing half-pots, or completely closed.
The way the Moccamaster heats water is simple. There is no pump; instead, the water is boiled by a 100% copper heating element, which causes it to rise up the glass tube, and through the brew arm, where it's dispensed over the coffee bed through the holes in the spray head. This process happens VERY quickly - usually, water starts to flow less than 30 seconds after activating the switch.
Some people don't do anything, and allow it to do its thing. However, never being one to leave well-enough alone, I read that the brew can be improved by stirring the slurry to create a bloom (you can turn the power switch off after an appropriate amount of water for a proper bloom has flowed through, and the flow immediately stops, then, after 30-45 seconds for the slurry to properly bloom, releasing the pent-up CO2 that would otherwise prevent a complete extraction of freshly-roasted grounds). I did this, as well as gently swirling the brew basket, just as I would with a pourover, in order to flatten the bed of coffee grounds so that the water flows through evenly.
The beauty of the design of the Moccamaster's brew basket is that the small hole in the bottom of the basket restricts the flow of the brew water, allowing the brew water level to rise, creating an immersion brew, saturating and floating all of the coffee grounds. Then, the brew water flows through the bed of grounds, which is completely flat due to my swirling the brew basket (this is not possible with other coffeemakers that don't have brew baskets that are removable). This combination of immersion, which fully soaks the grounds, and percolation, which is known to even more effectively extract the coffee grounds, I believe, is the key to the delicious brew that the Moccamaster creates. That, and, the consistent temperature that the copper heating element allows for. Incidentally, I did measure the temperature of the brew water (in the brew basket, without coffee). My food temperature probe indicated around 189°-190°F when the flow started, going up to around 195°F towards the end of the brew. Lower than I'd expected, but it didn't matter. Both brews I've made (half pot with the Umble Coffee Frontrunner, a single-origin Colombian medium roast, and 3/4 pot this morning with the Onyx Coffee Roasters Tropical Weather, a blend of a washed Ethiopian and a dry-processed Ethiopian) have turned out absolutely delicious, and absolutely competitive, flavor-wise, with the results I'm able to achieve with pourover.
Both times, I’ve used setting “4” on the Ode grinder (I have the Ode Gen 1 with the “v1.1” burrs). This is approximately medium, possibly slightly towards the finer side of medium. If brewing a full pot, I would probably go a couple of clicks coarser.
Something else I've read, that helps with temperature of the brew water, is to "preheat" the machine by running some water through it before starting the brew. Mainly, this heats the glass tube and the path through which the brew water flows, including the sprayhead arm, which is metal, and probably where a lot of the heat can bleed off. I did this when I used the machine this morning, using about 250ml of water. It doesn't take long, and also has the benefit of heating the glass-lined thermal carafe, which also helps with the temperature in the cup, as well as allowing the brew to maintain its temperature for longer if you don't drink the whole brew right away.
The cool thing, also, about having the model with the selectable flow on the brew basket, is that I can close or restrict the flow on the valve in order to allow the brew water level to rise, for full immersion of the grounds, even when making half a pot or less.
I can see why the Technivorm has been the standard for auto drip coffeemakers for over 50 years now. This machine is cool! And it looks good. And the many ways the user can interact with it make it super fun to use for a coffee enthusiast. However, it's still capable of producing a great cup even for the non-coffee hobbyist user who just wants to put the coffee and water in the thing, push the button, and get their needed cup 'o Joe 6 minutes later.
So, in summary, both the Behmor Brazen and the Technivorm Moccamaster are great auto drip coffeemakers, and are each very fun to use. Are they perfect? No, of course not. No coffeemaker is perfect. They all have their compromises. Both make great coffee in their own way, and I feel lucky to have and be able to use both!
Finally set it up yesterday. I've used it twice, and this thing is REALLY fun to use!
First off, it has a sort of "retro" look (that's what the wife said), while the Behmor looks like a '90s rocket ship! I think they compliment each other well.
They're each fun to use - the Behmor is impressive with its precision, bringing the water up to EXACTLY the brew temperature you've set (adjustable within 1°F between 190°-210°F), then automatically blooms your coffee for the amount of time you choose, programmable between 30 seconds and 4 minutes. Then it starts the brew process, pulsing the brew water through the valve above the very wide sprayhead using a solenoid valve to start and stop the process. The water flows for approximately 10 seconds, and then stops for 10 seconds. This continues until the brewing process is complete, approximately 10-12 minutes, depending on your chosen bloom time.
While I do enjoy freshly-roasted specialty coffee, it is pricey, so I still use something like Dunkin' Donuts Original Blend on workdays (it's available at Walmart in whole bean form for a decent price), and it's one of the better "commodity" coffees widely available, and it's one of the more lightly-roasted offerings you can find at pretty much any grocery.
I've found an excellent recipe on the Behmor that really wakes up the DD. I grind at setting 3 on the Ode (fairly fine), set the Brazen brew temperature at 210°F (lighter roasts benefit from higher brew temperature, and this can bring out more sweetness and flavor in the brew), bloom for 1:30 with the carafe removed, which keeps the valve in the bottom of the brew basket closed, allowing the grounds to get a better soak instead of allowing it to pass through. I leave the carafe out and listen for the brew water solenoid valve to open, allowing a 10-second water pulse, then, when the 2nd water pulse starts, I put the carafe back in. This has the effect of allowing the water level in the basket to rise, ensuring full saturation of all of the coffee grounds. I think this allows for a fuller and more complete extraction. Additionally, immersion brewing (think French press) gives a different flavor profile than percolation (think pourover). Making use of both techniques can result in an improved brew.
On the other hand, I look at the Moccamaster as a machine that is designed to be used to create a semi-automated pourover brew. For me, it seems to be designed for the user to interact with it during the brewing process, with the brew basket cover that can be removed. And, I went with the model that has the switch on the brew basket outlet, allowing the flow of brew water to be either unimpeded, restricted for brewing half-pots, or completely closed.
The way the Moccamaster heats water is simple. There is no pump; instead, the water is boiled by a 100% copper heating element, which causes it to rise up the glass tube, and through the brew arm, where it's dispensed over the coffee bed through the holes in the spray head. This process happens VERY quickly - usually, water starts to flow less than 30 seconds after activating the switch.
Some people don't do anything, and allow it to do its thing. However, never being one to leave well-enough alone, I read that the brew can be improved by stirring the slurry to create a bloom (you can turn the power switch off after an appropriate amount of water for a proper bloom has flowed through, and the flow immediately stops, then, after 30-45 seconds for the slurry to properly bloom, releasing the pent-up CO2 that would otherwise prevent a complete extraction of freshly-roasted grounds). I did this, as well as gently swirling the brew basket, just as I would with a pourover, in order to flatten the bed of coffee grounds so that the water flows through evenly.
The beauty of the design of the Moccamaster's brew basket is that the small hole in the bottom of the basket restricts the flow of the brew water, allowing the brew water level to rise, creating an immersion brew, saturating and floating all of the coffee grounds. Then, the brew water flows through the bed of grounds, which is completely flat due to my swirling the brew basket (this is not possible with other coffeemakers that don't have brew baskets that are removable). This combination of immersion, which fully soaks the grounds, and percolation, which is known to even more effectively extract the coffee grounds, I believe, is the key to the delicious brew that the Moccamaster creates. That, and, the consistent temperature that the copper heating element allows for. Incidentally, I did measure the temperature of the brew water (in the brew basket, without coffee). My food temperature probe indicated around 189°-190°F when the flow started, going up to around 195°F towards the end of the brew. Lower than I'd expected, but it didn't matter. Both brews I've made (half pot with the Umble Coffee Frontrunner, a single-origin Colombian medium roast, and 3/4 pot this morning with the Onyx Coffee Roasters Tropical Weather, a blend of a washed Ethiopian and a dry-processed Ethiopian) have turned out absolutely delicious, and absolutely competitive, flavor-wise, with the results I'm able to achieve with pourover.
Both times, I’ve used setting “4” on the Ode grinder (I have the Ode Gen 1 with the “v1.1” burrs). This is approximately medium, possibly slightly towards the finer side of medium. If brewing a full pot, I would probably go a couple of clicks coarser.
Something else I've read, that helps with temperature of the brew water, is to "preheat" the machine by running some water through it before starting the brew. Mainly, this heats the glass tube and the path through which the brew water flows, including the sprayhead arm, which is metal, and probably where a lot of the heat can bleed off. I did this when I used the machine this morning, using about 250ml of water. It doesn't take long, and also has the benefit of heating the glass-lined thermal carafe, which also helps with the temperature in the cup, as well as allowing the brew to maintain its temperature for longer if you don't drink the whole brew right away.
The cool thing, also, about having the model with the selectable flow on the brew basket, is that I can close or restrict the flow on the valve in order to allow the brew water level to rise, for full immersion of the grounds, even when making half a pot or less.
I can see why the Technivorm has been the standard for auto drip coffeemakers for over 50 years now. This machine is cool! And it looks good. And the many ways the user can interact with it make it super fun to use for a coffee enthusiast. However, it's still capable of producing a great cup even for the non-coffee hobbyist user who just wants to put the coffee and water in the thing, push the button, and get their needed cup 'o Joe 6 minutes later.
So, in summary, both the Behmor Brazen and the Technivorm Moccamaster are great auto drip coffeemakers, and are each very fun to use. Are they perfect? No, of course not. No coffeemaker is perfect. They all have their compromises. Both make great coffee in their own way, and I feel lucky to have and be able to use both!
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