****** - Verified Buyer
4.5
5-YEAR UPDATE: The machine is still going strong. I descale with white vinegar every 80-100 brews (I use the filter box as a guide; once I've finished the box of filters, I know it's time to descale. I've never opened it up to clean the interior, although it would probably be a good idea to do so now. The warranty is up, so I feel comfortable taking it apart to see how the guts have held up in these 5 years. If I remember, I'll take pictures and post them here. I use 3-stage filtered tap water, and I've never noticed an unusual amount of scale buildup. I've also tasted my coffee alongside distilled water with 3rd Wave Water mineral supplements, and haven't noticed much of a difference. This machine can handle 1-2 cups of coffee per day for 5 years, I can confirm. This machine will keep its 5 stars. If I could go back and do it again, I *may have chosen a batch brewer that could brew more than 1 cup, for all the cases where I've had to make coffee for visitors. But for most days of the year, it's just me drinking coffee in my house. For times where I need to make coffee for visitors, I use my 1L French Press. My Baratza Encore on setting 10-14 works great, yielding 10-12 oz of brew in 2:30-3:30. My next drip brewer will probably be a Moccamaster again. Love mine!UPDATE: 2 months after my original impressions, I've gotten into the groove of using it and how to get the most out of it. I've concluded that setting-and-forgetting this machine sufficiently renders great coffee without altering anything out of standard coffee making procedure. The damp coffee grounds left after brewing do indeed still form a cone-pyramid shape, but I haven't noticed hardly any difference from when I stir the grounds during brewing 2-3 times vs. not touching it at all. This bumps the machine from 4 to 5 stars. This is the best single serve machine on the market. Now read my review below and keep in mind what I just mentioned.I'm going to be rather critical of this machine since I spent a pretty penny on it. But if this gets 4 stars, 99% of other auto-drip brewers probably get 1-2 stars.This machine is fantastic. I've put about 15 cycles through it, and the ones where I measured temp, they all came out to ~198-200F, and all went thru the brew process of 300g/10oz water (medium fine grind) in about 5 mins total, from flipping the switch to the last drip, 5:30 at the longest. So it does what it says it's supposed to, which is great.A few design features confuse me. The lid that sits atop the reservoir and drip cone sits a little precariously (it wants to tip if you touch the cone side). This is minor, but I feel like maybe a hinged joint on the reservoir side and the cone side would be more robust. Additionally, the drip spout is a simple U-shaped tube (longer on one side). I wonder why Technivorm didn't follow the design of the other higher volume brewer models and design a shower-head design instead of just a dripper that drops water right into one spot the whole brew process instead of the even showering you see in bigger models. I don't think this would necessarily lead to better flavor, but from what I know about pour-over coffee, a more even wetting of grounds is always better. The grounds do seem to all get wet, but once dry, they form an inverted cone/canyon once the brewing is done. I stir the grounds/water after about 30 seconds to hopefully combat this possibly negative effect. I'm too fiddly to resist, but the coffee tastes great either way. The reason I included this tidbit is that if you pay this much for a brewer that is supposed to be mostly autonomous, there should have to be minimal interference for good coffee. This is probably why I'm putting 4 stars instead of 5. If someone provides me with enough compelling evidence that this doesn't matter, I'll change it to 5.The coffee is excellent. Without the cup preheated, and waiting about a minute after brewing ends, the coffee is at the perfect temp for drinking. The mug is nice as well, and the filters seem to be flavorless/neutral.This sits in my office and gets to brew 2 * 10oz cups for me daily (Onyx Geometry, Colombia/Ethiopia blend is great through this). If you only plan to brew for yourself, this machine is perfect, because if I brewed 2 cups a day through a machine with a thermal carafe or burner, that 2nd cup would be stale/lukewarm 6 hours later, I almost guarantee it (even the good Zojirushi carafes/warmers cool off after about 4-5 hours). So it's a quick, fresh cup on demand. DO NOT buy this if you plan to brew for multiple people or an office. Grab one of the bigger volume models.
