Filter coffee makers are often shunned in the UK in favour of espresso machines or pod coffee machines. But different coffee makers produce different styles of coffee. And if you want a large volume of coffee that’s drinkable and not too intense, then a filter coffee maker is often a good choice.
In comparison to some of the best coffee machines, it’s not that expensive, but the Moccamaster KBG Select is pretty pricey for a filter coffee maker. However, it’s got a lot going for it. It’s a quality coffee maker that’s handmade in the Netherlands and is certified and approved by both the Specialty Coffee Association and the European Coffee Brewing Centre.
Available in a fantastic range of 22 colours, it’s simple yet stylish. Given its accolades, it’ll undoubtedly make decent coffee. But I wonder, will the lack of any adjustable settings leave me wanting more, or has all the fine tuning been done by the manufacturer?
Moccamaster KBG Select product specs
- Water capacity: 1.25 litre
- Hotplate: Yes (switches off after 40 minutes)
- Weight: 2.8kg
- Size:(H)36 x (W) 32 x (D)17cm
Unboxing and first impressions
I was sent the matt silver colourway, which looks quite subdued against my white kitchen tiles. But with a choice of 22 colours, there are some poppy, vibrant options if you’re looking for more of a standout statement coffee maker.
Personally, I really love the shape and style of this coffee maker, but I know some people will find it too industrial looking. That said, it offers something really different to all the other, frankly boring, filter coffee machines.
The see-through 1.25 litre/ 10 cup water tank has clear markings at two cup intervals. And the filter basket is removable so it’s easy to fill, as well as empty out those used coffee grounds. Unlike some other filter coffee machines, it doesn’t have a permanent filter, so you’ll need to stock up on paper filters.
The controls are very pared back. The on/off switch will prompt it to brew your coffee. It’ll brew until it’s used up all the water and then the hotplate will stay on for 40 minutes. After this the machine automatically switches off.
The only other control is the half-pot switch. When selected, this optimises brewing for smaller quantities, but that’s all the controls you get. You can’t make adjustments to settings, such as amending the brewing temperature.
But that’s because Moccamaster has designed it with a heating element that works at the optimal brewing temperature. The point here is that you shouldn’t need to adjust the settings.
What’s it like to use?
I referred to the manual for details on the quantity of ground coffee required. But this is such a simple coffee maker to use, I barely had a need to look at the manual for any other instructions. The coffee quantity depends on how much coffee you’re going to brew. It’s 15g per 2 cups, or you can use the scoop provided, which is roughly equivalent to 15g.
Brewing coffee is as simple as adding the required level of water to the water tank – though the tank isn’t removable so you do need to use a jug to fill it. And the manual advises against using the coffee carafe for this job.
I weighed my coffee for each brew, and because the filter basket is removable I added a paper filter and then put the basket on my scales to weigh in the correct amount of coffee. After this, I just had to pop it back into place, add the lid, and switch it on.
As you would expect, the brew times vary depending on the amount of coffee you’re making. The maximum 10 cup brew took on average 6 ½ minutes before all the coffee had finished dripping through the filter. Meanwhile an 8 cup brew was slightly quicker at around 6 minutes.
When brewing two, four, or six cups, I pressed the half-pot switch to optimise brewing for these lower volumes. Two cups is the minimum, and this took a little over 2 minutes. Four cups took around 4 minutes and six cups took 5 ½ minutes.
If you like your coffee hot, you’ll be pleased to know that this coffee maker makes proper hot coffee. On average a fresh pot of coffee comes out at 80C, which even after adding a splash of milk, is still too hot to drink.
The hotplate stays on for 40 minutes and I left half a carafe of coffee on there to monitor the temperature. After 30 minutes it had dropped only very slightly to 78C. After 60 minutes, bearing in mind the hotplate had been switched off for 20 minutes, the coffee was still a perfectly drinkable 60C.
I discovered that if you switch the brew button back on, without filling up the water tank, it’ll just start the hotplate again. So after I tested the temperature at 60 minutes, I flicked it back on to see what happened. When I came back to it 30 minutes later, the coffee in the pot had gone back up from 60C to 70C.
As is typical for this type of coffee maker, the number of cups indicated on the water level lines, does not correspond to an average day-to-day mug size. For example, the 2 cup brew barely produced enough coffee to fill a mug. It’d be fine if you like your coffee quite milky, but it’s not enough for a full mug of black coffee.
I found that the 6 cup brew produced the perfect amount for two generous size mugs full of coffee. Whereas the maximum 10 cup brew was about the right amount for four big mugs.
The glass carafe pours nicely without dripping. You can also remove it before the end of the brew cycle and the brew basket will seal itself until you put the carafe back into position, at which point the coffee will continue to drip through.
It’s lovely and quiet when brewing, it makes a gentle bubbly water sound that’s very inoffensive. And it’s quite relaxing to watch the water bubble through the central tube in the water tank while you ponder the day ahead.
The flavour of the coffee will obviously vary depending on the coffee you choose to use in it. I tried a freshly ground coffee as well as vacuum packed supermarket coffee. Both were nice, but for me, the freshly ground was more enjoyable and balanced.
Overall I found the coffee flavour to be pleasantly tasty, well-rounded, and not bitter. It had a smooth, clean mouthfeel. And there were no residues left in the bottom of my mug. All-in-all it’s very enjoyable, which is no surprise given that the machine is certified by the Speciality Coffee Association.
Cleaning
Thanks to the paper filters, the daily cleaning involved little more than tipping out the coffee and filter paper into my food waste bin. Then I simply rinsed the filter basket and the coffee carafe. Personally I didn’t feel the need to wash them with soapy water every day, but would probably do this weekly.
There’s no information in the manual to indicate that any of the parts can be cleaned in the dishwasher, so I avoided doing so. And rinsing by hand wasn’t too much of a drama.
The whole machine will need descaling after every 100 uses, which is easy to keep track of if you buy the paper filters in boxes of 100. Or if you don’t use it daily, it’ll need descaling every 3 months. This is easy enough to do by using a descaling product in the water and running a brew cycle, followed by a couple of cycles with plain water to rinse it through.
How does it compare to similar coffee machines?
The KitchenAid Filter Coffee machine is currently the best filter coffee machine on our best filter coffee machine guide. At around £140, not only is it cheaper than the Moccamaster KGB Select, but it also has a larger 1.7 litre capacity. For those who like more personalisation options, it has a brew strength selector as well as a 24 hour programmable timer.
Alternatively, if you’ve got a big budget and a penchant for espresso based coffees, the Sage Barista Express Impress is an outstanding coffee machine worthy of consideration. With a built-in bean grinder and tamper, this is a machine that lets you play barista, without the need for any training.
Should you buy the Moccamaster KBG Select?
While it is pricey in comparison to many other filter coffee makers, personally I think the design, build quality, as well as the flavour of coffee produced, warrant the higher price. And it’s worth noting that it’s actually pretty affordable when compared to other styles of coffee machine such as an automatic bean-to-cup.
Not only is it a good looking coffee machine, but it makes deliciously smooth and well rounded filter coffee. I’m usually a flat white fan, and am dedicated to my espresso machine, but if a filter coffee maker were ever to convert me, it would be this one.
It’s effortlessly cool, with its pared back minimal design and amazing array of colours to choose from. But with this coffee maker you get style as well as substance. So it’ll delight both fans of coffee and design in equal measure.
About this review, and the reviewer
After completing a Home Economics degree, Helen went on to work for the Good Housekeeping Institute and has been reviewing home appliances ever since. She lives in a small village in Buckinghamshire in the UK, where she reviews all sorts of home and garden appliances using her wealth of experience.
Helen used the Moccamaster KBG Select at home for two weeks while she had it on loan. She drinks coffee daily and while her usual coffee maker is a manual espresso machine, this is most definitely the filter coffee maker she’d choose if she was going to switch.
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