How to Use a Moccamaster: Brewing a Pot Step by Step

The Moccamaster is the simplest coffee maker I own. There is no screen, no clock, and no menu. The whole operation is a filter, grounds, water, and two switches. That simplicity is why I still use my KBGV Select every morning more than four years in.

Here is the routine, and the one way to get it wrong.

Step 1: Put a No. 4 Filter in the Basket

The KBGV takes a No. 4 cone-shaped paper filter. Open it and seat it in the brew basket with the seams folded so the filter sits flat against the sides. A filter that collapses inward lets water bypass the grounds.

Moccamaster recommends white oxygen-whitened filters. Brown unbleached filters work too; rinse them with hot water first to wash out the papery taste. I use paper rather than a permanent mesh filter because the cleanup is one motion and the mesh can clog with oils.

Step 2: Add Medium-Ground Coffee

For a full 40-ounce carafe, use about 55 to 60 grams of coffee ground medium, about the texture of coarse sand. For a half carafe, use half. If you weigh the beans for espresso, the same scale works here.

Grind fresh if you can. A pot made from beans ground that morning tastes noticeably better than one from a bag of pre-ground, though the Moccamaster makes decent coffee from either.

Shake the basket gently so the grounds sit level. A level bed brews evenly under the nine-hole outlet arm.

Step 3: Fill the Reservoir to the Line You Want

Fill the clear reservoir with cold water to the cup mark you want. The marks are 4-ounce cups, so the 10 mark is 40 ounces, about four regular mugs. The amount you pour in is the amount you get out; there is no volume setting.

Step 4: Seat the Basket and the Carafe

This is the step that matters. The KBGV has an automatic drip-stop: when the carafe is pushed fully under the basket, its lid opens a valve and coffee flows. Pull the carafe out and the valve closes.

If the basket is not fully on its support, or the carafe is not pushed all the way in, water enters the grounds but cannot leave. The basket overflows. I have done this once, and once was enough. Check three things every time:

• the brew basket is slid fully onto its support;
• the basket lid is on properly;
• the carafe is pushed all the way back so its lid opens the valve.

Step 5: Set Half or Full Carafe

The small switch next to the power rocker sets the brew for the batch size. Left for a half carafe at the 4 to 6 cup marks, right for a full carafe at the 8 to 10 marks. It slows the flow and adjusts the hotplate for a small batch; it does not measure anything.

Step 6: Flip the Power Switch

Press the rocker. It lights up, the copper element heats the water, and brewing starts within a few seconds. A full carafe takes about four to six minutes.

Step 7: Pour, and Let the Hotplate Do Its Job

Once the reservoir is empty, the coffee is done. Pull the carafe and pour; the drip-stop closes so nothing drips on the hotplate. Push it back and the hotplate holds the coffee between 175 and 185°F.

The hotplate shuts off automatically after 100 minutes. If the carafe is empty before that, turn the switch off; Moccamaster's manual says not to leave the hotplate running with an empty carafe.

Cleanup

Lift out the filter with the grounds in it and drop it in the compost. Rinse the basket and carafe. That is it for daily cleaning. Descale every 100 brews or every three months, more often with hard water. The full maintenance picture is in my review.

Adjusting the Taste

There is no strength button, so adjust the coffee instead:

• Weak: more coffee, or grind a little finer.
• Bitter and slow to drain: grind coarser, and check the filter is not folded over.
• Papery: rinse the filter before brewing, or switch to white filters.

Drip or Espresso?

The Moccamaster makes the pot. For a latte, I turn around and use the Breville Oracle next to it. I explain when I reach for each one in espresso vs. drip coffee.

More Coffee Guides

• Moccamaster KBGV Select Review After 4+ Years
• Espresso vs. Drip Coffee
• How to Make Espresso at Home
• How to Make a Latte at Home