Thanks for the well-thought out comments.

My wife and I bought this coffee maker about 9 months ago, and consider ourselves coffee aficionados, but not experts. We have enjoyed this device and its end result, excellent coffee, with just a few reservations:

I agree about the markings on the water tank. While I am sure there is an explanation based on the size of coffee cups in Europe vs my oversized mug, the markings still make little sense. Yet, with just a little experimentation, my wife and I are very comfortable using these marks as indices, and filling the tank from a simple pyrex 1 quart container, which we fill from our water filter. Since water is such a large part of coffee, we have an excellent water filter, and would be unable to fill the water tank of the Moccamaster directly from it. Since we have to use an intermediate container anyway, the pyrex container makes a moot point of the markings on the water tank. 12 ounces for two cups, two scoops of coffee for two cups. Simple!

I don't completely agree with the impact of the buttons on the maker. We always close the filter valve for at least twenty to thirty seconds as water fills it, as this allows a little more time for contact between the hot water and the coffee. This step is recommend by member of a forum that discusses this machine (URL not available in my memory at present).

The switch between the thermal carafe and the base unit is not finicky for us at all, and I suspect yours might just be a little off. We have never had any problem keeping the water flowing into the filter.

The only thing that bothers me about this latter switch is a selfish one: sometimes I just want one cup, and would like to leave my cup under the filter, rather than the carafe, so as not to have to clean the carafe. A small thing, I know, and it doesn't affect my impression of the coffee maker, which is excellent.

I have had this coffee maker for almost a year. I go to bed every night thinking about waking up to the best cup of coffee I have ever had. I say that every day. If this coffe maker last as long as my Starbucks carafe coffee maker it replaced it will be well worth the price. (Had the starbucks maker for 9 years).

Anyone have problems with the seal on the carafe breaking? If we don't drink the whole pot - after an hour the coffee is cold.

I just bought this machine about a month ago and recommend it highly. If you are a coffee aficionado and spend a lot of money at coffeehouses or buy premium coffee, I recommend it. Otherwise, the cost of the machine is probably too high and you're better off with a lower cost model.

First, the coffee is delicious as the reviewer notes. I think that is the first and most important criteria and the machine passes this with flying colors. This alone was worth the cost to me, since the machine will pay for itself in about 2 months based on my current coffeehouse bills.

Second, the design is unorthodox compared to traditional drip coffee makers like a Mr. Coffee. It takes a few batches to get the water and coffee ratio right, but once you get past that quirk it's the simplest machine to operate. Most of the parts are easily removed and easily cleaned--the key to consistently good coffee over the life of the machine.

Finally, the mid-brew functionality cited in this review as a limitation is not as difficult to figure out as the reviewer claims. You simply close the valve, pour the coffee, and open the valve again. I find the functionality safer and cleaner than other models I have used, including the top-rated Cusinart, which I use at work. If you're on the hunt for exceptional coffee at home, this part of the review shouldn't dissuade you.

This machine is great. The only other coffeemaker that comes close to or beats this one in performance is my French Press ($30). But a French Press has limited brewing capacity and is a pain to clean, so I'm glad I bought the Tecnhivorm.

My wife and I love the taste of the coffee from this machine, but have one nagging problem. I had several occasions where coffee stopped coming out of the filter, due to the filter overflowing, plugging up the hole at the bottom of the filter basket. The only way I've found around it is to turn off the machine for 60 seconds 2/3 of the way through brewing, to let the filter catch up. I tried grinding the coffee coarser, within limits because we like it strong. I can't figure out whether this problem is due to the little rubber plug beneath the basket or bad filter placement, or whatever. Anyone else encounter this?

I agree that this brewer makes the best coffee I've had, but I think there are some design problems that I would not expect on a machine that costs $265. I don't like the way the carafe pours. A lot of heat is lost while waiting for the coffee to completely drain into the pot. My biggest complaint is that water leaks out of around the top of the filter basket during the brewing cycle. It's not running over; it simply sprays out the edges. We also cannot make a full ten cups because the filter basket overflows.

I have had this for over a month. I went with the glass carafe model the 741. The thermal carafe model seem like more of a pain. If your worried about the hot plate altering the coffee, it is not a problem if you drink your pot in 40 minutes. Which we do every morning. This thing makes the best tasting coffee. I did some comparisons with my Cusinart maker and I will never not have a moccamaster. Once you figure out your taste for cups brewed you will be rewarded with a cup that makes you sit back and savor. I think about the money wasted on premium coffee with my old machine. I never truly tasted the coffee. The moccamaster is built like a tank and I have read that each part can be replaced so I do not have to buy a new one. So skip all the clocks and timers (grind right before brewing) and buy a Technivorm Moccamaster. I also got the cool limited edition red one from storehouse coffee.com. He also roast some amazing beans.

It should be noted, becasue it wasn't, that a standard American single-serving for coffee is 6 ounces whereas in Europe the standard is 4 ounces or the equivalent. This might explain why an urn filled to six cups only yields 24 rather than 36 ounces.

Furthermore the build quality of the Technivorm is far superior to that of its competitors; my mother-in-law has gone through 3 less expensive coffee makers, and counting, in the time that I've owned my Moccamaster.

And she's paid more money - overall too.

In response:
"Posted by: J | Oct 13, 2009 2:01:44 PM
Anyone have problems with the seal on the carafe breaking? If we don't drink the whole pot - after an hour the coffee is cold."

Yes! In the past month our coffee is cold within an hour or so. This happened suddenly one day so we've been having to dump out lots of coffee we can't drink. We noticed that the carafe feels hot to the touch, so something definitely went wrong with it since it shouldn't feel as hot as it does. After a lot of research, I decided to replace the Technivorm carafe with a Brew-Thru thermal carafe thats compatible with the CDT and KBT models that I found online at StoreHouseCoffee.com.

I have had my Technivorm Moccamaster for about fourteen months now and am having the carafe problem too. What causes the malfunction? For the price of it, I was hoping not to have to replace parts for a few years at least. I love the machine and the wonderful coffee you get, so of course I will be looking for a replacement carafe.

I have a question about water used for the Technivorm. I have looked at it and other products that CR does recommend. I understand the significance of the heat. But this unit does not have a built-in water filter, as most others do. I have found it helpful in an older Braun unit utilizing a Brita filter. How does this compare with others that do have such?
Thanks in advance for observations.

We had the carafe problem noted above, and Boyd's replaced the carafe with a new design at no cost. Great people to deal with, and a remarkable coffee maker.