Technivorm Clubline Thermo KB 741

Rated 5 out of 5

Posted By:
penny freshwater

11/13/2011

have been wanting a Mocamaster for a couple of years and finally got it two weeks ago. I should have gotten it sooner....even my 8 O'Clock french roast is amazing. Cooks Illustrated was correct in their rating. I was using a Capresso which has a lifetime guarantee...it lasted for about 14 years before it developed an unfixable problem. I especially like Technivorm's new brew-through feature. We only use the regular lid after brewing a second or third pot. just a spectacular product.

Rated 5 out of 5

Posted By:
Charles Kershner

03/30/2011

We have had our machine for a couple years now. We use it 2-4 times daily and are happy we bought it every time.

Rated 5 out of 5

Posted By:
Paul Buehler

12/15/2009

Has owned for:
More than 1 year
Ability Level:
Coffee Lover

Excellent coffee maker

Excellent coffee maker. The water gets hot. Very quiet. Simple and elegant to use. Well constructed. Never had a better coffee maker.

How Long Have I Been Using This Product?

More than 1 year

What's Best About this Product?

Get water very hot. Easy to use. No moving parts. Reliable.

Some Helpful Tips For Using this Product:

Remember to to open the drip filter on the filter basket or you will get an overflow. The overflow will go into the pot, but that will get grounds in the coffee which is messy.

My Experience With Using This Product:

Coffee Lover

The Coffee I've Tried With This Product:

Cafe d' Arte, Dazbog

Some Improvements I Would Recommend for This Product:

Would be nice to be able to remove the water reservoir. Also, recommend manufacturer invent a way to automatically close the filter basket when in use. From a design perspective, the machine could use a makeover :)

Some of the Other Machines I've Used:

Capresso, Krups

The Type of Filter I've Been Using:

paper

The Number of Cups I Generally Make With This Product:

a couple pots per day

Rated 5 out of 5

Posted By:
carney

06/14/2009

Has owned for:
6 - 12 months
Ability Level:
Coffee Lover

The best coffee maker, period.

The best coffee maker, period. Every time my husband has a cup of coffee he says "This is the best coffee". I can't believe the difference this coffee maker makes, we don't even go to Starbucks or Flat Black anymore.

How Long Have I Been Using This Product?

6 - 12 months

What's Best About this Product?

Ease of use. Coffee is piping hot.

My Experience With Using This Product:

Coffee Lover

The Coffee I've Tried With This Product:

starbucks, illy, flat black

Some Improvements I Would Recommend for This Product:

Could use a pour spout on the thermal carafe.

Some of the Other Machines I've Used:

Capresso, cuisinart

The Type of Filter I've Been Using:

paper, gold tone

The Number of Cups I Generally Make With This Product:

10

Rated 4 out of 5

Posted By:
David Leibow

02/26/2009

Has owned for:
1 - 6 months
Ability Level:
Coffee Lover

Technivorm Thermo KB741

Here's the lowdown: I wouldn't run out and buy it unless you're unhappy with your current drip coffee-maker or it's died. The Technivorm undoubtedly makes very good coffee -- less acidic and more full-bodied than my old Capresso coffee-maker. But it's not that much better. And it has three problems (for me at least) that are predictable but disappointing: (1) You have to drink the coffee right away because it gets cold in the thermos pretty quickly even if you preheat and cap it. All drip coffee-makers have this problem and most don't brew the coffee at the perfect temperature as the Technivorm does but, if you like HOT coffee, you probably should get a percolator. Certainly, the coffee would stay hotter if I brewed more coffee than I typically do, so this may be less of a problem if you can drink the whole pot, but it's still not great. For that reason, if I were to purchase the Technivorm again, I'd offend the purists and get the glass carafe with the heating element. The coffee can get cooked if you leave it on the burner too long -- so don't leave it on too long. At least it will be hot. (2) The spout of the thermos carafe is hard to control. Unless you pour the coffee quickly it tends to spill. (3) If you use whole beans, as I do, you will need a good quality burr coffee grinder which will add another $200 or so to the total cost. (My Capresso had a grinder built in.) All and all, I'm happy with the Technivorm but, considering how big a part the quality of the coffee itself makes (how fresh, how recently ground, etc.), it might make more sense to buy really good coffee and use your current coffee-maker until it breaks -- then get the Technivorm.

How Long Have I Been Using This Product?

1 - 6 months

What's Best About this Product?

excellent coffee: rich and flavorful but not acidic

Some Helpful Tips For Using this Product:

consider getting the glass carafe with the heating element -- just don't let it sit too long before drinking it

My Experience With Using This Product:

Coffee Lover

The Coffee I've Tried With This Product:

central american geen beans roasted myself

Some Improvements I Would Recommend for This Product:

better thermos that pours without spilling and has a cap that remains on while the coffee is brewing to help retain the heat

Some of the Other Machines I've Used:

Capresso Coffee Team Therm

The Type of Filter I've Been Using:

paper

The Number of Cups I Generally Make With This Product:

2-6

Rated 5 out of 5

Posted By:
Don Wostmann

01/05/2009

Has owned for:
Less than 1 month
Ability Level:
Coffee Lover

Unbelievable coffee!!

WOW, that is all I can say. This is by far the best cup of coffee I've ever brewed at home. I've done a ton of research and kept coming back to the Technivorm. I ended up with the "Mocamaster" model which is identical to the 741 but with a cylindrical water reservoir. I'm not going to say I have a ton of experience with this as I just received this TODAY but my wife and I just brewed a pot and I'm simply blown away at how good it is. The temperature is by far much hotter than the other unit's I've used. I love the simplicity of the design, how easy it is to clean and also monitor for descaling. This is a no frills coffee maker that is void of all the electronic BS that is rarely used. My only grudge (as others have mentioned) is how you have to leave the entire pot open to brew. With as much detail as they put into their machines and making very "hot" coffee one would think they would have redesigned this to keep as much of the heat in the carafe while brewing. This isn't a bit deal but I'd like to see them redesign a lid or something to assist with this. At any rate, if this is all I have to complain about I'll be happy for many years to come. I also purchased a second carafe to have on hand for parties so I can just swap them out between brews. All in all I'm extremely pleased (at this early stage) with the purchase and would recommend this to anyone looking for a great cup of coffee.

How Long Have I Been Using This Product?

Less than 1 month

My Experience With Using This Product:

Coffee Lover

The Coffee I've Tried With This Product:

Green Mountain, willoughby's, Starbucks, Dunkin Doughnuts

Some of the Other Machines I've Used:

Capresso CoffeeTEC Saeco Renaissance XX

The Type of Filter I've Been Using:

paper

The Number of Cups I Generally Make With This Product:

10

Rated 3 out of 5

Posted By:
Nikos Vlachos

11/22/2008

Has owned for:
Less than 1 month
Ability Level:
Coffee Lover

Sorry, but no cigar.

I've used the maker almost one month now. It is one of only two coffee makers that are SCAA approved. But out of the block I saw problems with it, which I ignored and accepted at first. Now, I have to be honest and tell it like it is. I know the hype on this coffee maker so let's get serious because I know I'm going to ruffle some feathers here. I was enthusiastic too like everyone else I imagine, esp after reading the Cooks Illustrated Review. I quickly rushed off an ordered one and gave away my trusty Cuisinart to a friend, thinking I'd receive the Technivorm within days. To my chagrin, because of the demand, THREE MONTHS later it arrived. (Although the good news is, that during the wait I became very adept at brewing with a French Press and the Bodum Santos. I also relied heavily on my one cup Breville, that my boys gave me for Christmas last year, that makes pretty good coffee.) Anyway, I digress. Getting to the point, here's what bothers me. The Technivorm Thermo KBT741 features a thermos that collects the coffee. Upon completion of the brewing cycle, one simply pours out your coffee then seals the thermos. Problem is, where do you then put the thermos? With the screw lid on, it doesn't fit back underneath the filter housing. Okay fair enough, I found a nice resting place on the top of the maker above the water reservoir tank. It's out of the way, but now the maker rises to a height of almost 3 feet. Okay, so it wins the highest skyline award in my kitchen, and that adds to the “prestige” of the machine. Also, unlike the Japanese thermos which keeps liquid hot for hours, this unit noticeably does not. There’s also a one inch gap between the mouth of the filter holder and opening to the thermos. Why couldn’t they have made this to fit more snugly? Don’t they know that the air space is going to cool the coffee? Within thirty minutes, the coffee was clearly less hot. If you’re happy having nice hot coffee for 15 minutes, which I am, then no problemo, Senõr, but you’ll be displeased if you think you can sip from this carafe all morning and have hot coffee each time. You can't. The instructions, amounting to barely one page I might add, even recommend that you warm the thermos BEFOREHAND by pouring piping hot water into it for a few minutes So even those ingenious design engineers at Technivorm knew there was a problem here. It also pours sloppy, while always leaving a residual of coffee around the screw cap. Maybe MY thermos is demented, maybe not, but clearly it’s second class. Let's move on. The unit is nice looking. It impresses all my snooty friends, so that’s good. In fact, let’s be frank here, that’s why I’ll probably end up keeping it, but it's light weight and the plastic attachments are cheap and of poor design. For example, what's with the little OPEN TO THE AIR square window that forms on the right when the “tower” reservoir cover is placed on the reservoir tank? I know, I know, it's there so that you can simply push the “shower arm” to the right as you fill your filter holder with coffee. How clever, how chic. I’m sure the brilliant Dutch engineer at Technivorm who invented this feature is sleeping sound each night on the silk pillow cases he bought with the bonus he received for this design. Fact is, it's an unnecessary convenience that risks loosening the drip arm's attachment up stream in the reservoir tank each time you move it, but more important, YOU NOW HAVE AN OPEN AIR WINDOW FOR BUGS AND DUST TO ENTER THE RESEVOIR TANK. Which they will do when you leave on that fortnight trip to visit the Technivorm plant in Holland. Okay, okay Picky Nicky, simply cover the complete unit with a decorative kitchen towel when it's not in use, or if that will bother your snooty friends, seal the hole with a little black tape, (or a stick of chewing gum). Walla! It's closed. Happy now? NO. I can deal with the preceding, so let's get to the meat of the matter, the brewing itself. The Moccamaker boasts that it brews at the perfect temp. And it does. It has a 1400 watt heater - unlike the common 800 Watt hand-warmers you find in most drip coffee brewers and a manly electrical cord and plug, So, It has enough power to do the job right. Your first cup will almost always be around 170 degrees, which is piping hot coffee. It also brews the coffee in the correct amount of time. But here’s the rub. When you lift the top of the filter holder and watch the water drip on to the coffee, it pools, thusly absorbing only one half to two thirds of the coffee. In short, a sizable amount of the grounds do NOT come in contact with the hot water. No matter what setting I used, (drip fully closed, half closed or fully opened), much of the grounds stayed dry. Okay, okay, Peaberry Breath. Just add extra coffee, or simply, shut off the drip and let the hot water accumulate in the filter. After one or two minutes, take a teaspoon and swirl the brew a few times until it’s saturated completely. Happy now? No. We’re Americans. We’re baby boomers. We’re lazy when it comes to our coffee. I want to turn the machine on and have my coffee in 7 minutes just like you do. I don’t want to “swirl” anything to get my morning cup of coffee. Especially when the coffee maker costs over two hundred and fifty clams. I could go on and on about the Technivorm KBT741. There are some good things. The unit is probably more suited for brewing a full batch, full thermos amount of coffee and is less efficient when brewing just a few cups at a time, but for me the bad still outweighs the good when one considers the price. For example, even after you completely shut the drip door after the brewing cycle ends, coffee drips out. Also, the reservoir tank is marked in 4oz measuring cups or liters. So two cups is 8 oz. I thought the standard “cup” of coffee is 6 oz? The first few times when I measured out the prescribed amount for a “six” ounce cup, after drinking two cups, I had a buzz and the coffee shakes so bad that they lasted for three hours. And lastly, the name, Technivorm. It sounds like it’s a toy vacuum cleaner shaped to look like a caterpillar not a first class coffee maker. The Canadian made Newco OCS-8 is also SCAA approved and considerably cheaper. Maybe I should have purchased it instead.

How Long Have I Been Using This Product?

Less than 1 month

What's Best About this Product?

Looks sleek and sure to impress my snooty friends.

Some Helpful Tips For Using this Product:

Block the open hole on the reservoir tank with tape or cover the unit with a towel when not in use to prevent bugs and dust to enter.

My Experience With Using This Product:

Coffee Lover

The Coffee I've Tried With This Product:

I buy all my beans green from the Captain's Coffee Online. Dennis and his wife are wonderful people.

Some Improvements I Would Recommend for This Product:

Alot of things as I point out above. An automatic shut off would be nice as I always forget to turn the unit off after the brewing cycle is over.

Some of the Other Machines I've Used:

Breville One Cup Brewer, Cuisinart, Krupps, French Press...

The Type of Filter I've Been Using:

Gold tone and usually buffetted underneath with a paper filter.

The Number of Cups I Generally Make With This Product:

2 6 oz cups in the morning.

Rated 5 out of 5

Posted By:
Mary Hastings

11/08/2008

Has owned for:
Less than 1 month
Ability Level:
Coffee Lover

WOW, this is GOOD coffee--and it wasn't even that great a brand of coffee

I received my Technivorm 741 thermal coffeemaker a few days ago. My first reaction on tasting that first cup of coffee--WOW, this is GOOD coffee--and it wasn't even that great a brand of coffee. The plastic covers are a little cheesy but this machine makes fantastic coffee. It isn't possible to get your hand in the thermal pot to clean it so I'd recommend getting a brush that is designed for the purpose.

How Long Have I Been Using This Product?

Less than 1 month

My Experience With Using This Product:

Coffee Lover

The Coffee I've Tried With This Product:

various

Some of the Other Machines I've Used:

Starbucks Barista

The Type of Filter I've Been Using:

paper

The Number of Cups I Generally Make With This Product:

six

Rated 5 out of 5

Posted By:
Kenneth Guenther

09/01/2008

Has owned for:
Less than 1 month
Ability Level:
Coffee Lover

Finally! A coffee maker's coffee maker.

Finally I have found the perfect coffee making machine! I usually don't write product reviews but I feel compelled to do so in praise of this machine. It is, hands down, the best coffee maker on the market today, at least of any I have owned. I grind my beans in a Barzatza Maestro burr mill (another highly recommended machine) and the coffee always comes out great without a hint of bitterness and at the perfect temperature. The carafe keeps it hot for as long as you'd care to drink it, too! I often place my 500cc vacuum bottle in the maker and let the coffee drip directly into it so I can take the delicious coffee to work with me. No more drinking that swill they make at work. It's prefect!

How Long Have I Been Using This Product?

Less than 1 month

What's Best About this Product?

Speed and perfect temperature. Good looks are a bonus!

Some Helpful Tips For Using this Product:

If you favor a "go cup" you can place a half liter vacuum bottle or a travel mug under the drip maker so as not to mess up the vacuum carafe. Just use the vacuum bottle or cup to measure out the water for the reservoir. Saves time.

My Experience With Using This Product:

Coffee Lover

The Coffee I've Tried With This Product:

Stumptown house blend. Sometimes dark roasts. Right now I'm enjoying a cup of People's Organic Nicaraguan Matagalpa Dark Roast. Yum! You really should buy 100% fair trade if possible.

Some Improvements I Would Recommend for This Product:

I can't think of a single thing.

Some of the Other Machines I've Used:

Capresso

The Type of Filter I've Been Using:

Paper

The Number of Cups I Generally Make With This Product:

6-10