New Yorkers possess an instinctual knowledge of where to secure a reliably good, undeniably cheap cup of coffee: the corner bodega.
asserted
Yorkers → possess → coffee
It costs $3, maybe $4; it’s poured before your Apple Pay loads and, if you’re really lucky, arrives in that iconic blue-and-white cup.
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you → cost → cup
While the bodega has cheap coffee, we wanted to know which coffee maker out there mastered quality.
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maker → have → quality
Thus, for the New York Post’s Made It Here Awards for the best coffee makers, we rigorously evaluated seven premium machines — ranging from a relatively modest $369 drip brewer to an absurdly extravagant $4,499 all-in-one machine — with one defining question: Which machine actually brews a cup magnificent enough that you’d willingly walk right past your corner shop?
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you → make → shop
We judged every single contender on five distinct parameters: coffee quality, ease of use, build and maintenance, counter space footprint and of course, overall value.
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We → judge → course
Evaluating the bold, brilliant brew required an exhaustive taste test conducted by Helen Pinch, a coffee sommelier from Paloma Coffee & Bakery in Brooklyn, New York.
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Evaluating → evaluate → Brooklyn
Ironically, the ultimate victor emerged as the absolute cheapest machine we tested, and by far the simplest.
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we → emerge → machine
The Technivorm Moccamaster KBGV Select boasts two tactile switches, zero glowing screens and no connected apps.
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Select → boast → switches
Hand-built in the Netherlands, it silently brews a 10-cup pot in under seven minutes, and it outright conquered our rigorous taste test.
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it → build → test
Holds SCA approval for maintaining a strict brewing range
Easily toggles between a full or half carafe
Fastidiously hand-built in the Netherlands
Highly manageable depth of just 6.5 inches
Backed by a robust 5-year warranty
Cons:
Lacks a programmable timer, so you can’t wake up to a pre-brewed pot
Does not include an integrated coffee grinder
Carafe sits on a hot plate, risking burnt flavor
Functioning as a premium 10-cup drip coffee maker, the Technivorm Moccamaster KBGV Select features a classic glass carafe, an independent hot plate and a dedicated switch designed specifically to optimize half-pot extractions.
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Select → hold → extractions
It proudly carries approval from the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) and certification from the European Coffee Brewing Centre; in fact, Moccamaster claims it is the sole brewer on the market to actively hold both prestigious certifications for both full and half carafes.
uncertain
it → carry → carafes
A coffee maker in New York must fiercely earn its precious counter space.
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maker → earn → space
It must consistently produce a cup worth skipping the local coffee shop for; it must seamlessly fit in a tight kitchen and it must survive years of bleary-eyed 6 a.m. mornings without demanding a software update or companion app.
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it → produce → update
“[The Moccamaster brew] does all the things a drip coffee should: it’s comforting and rich, but not jet fuel,” Pinch said of the Moccamaster’s master mocha.
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Pinch → do → mocha
Plus, it does all of that for a modest investment of $369.
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it → do → 369
But it’s still somehow the least expensive on our list of top brewmasters.
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it → ’ → brewmasters
How easy is it to set up?
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it → set → ?
It comes with a manual, but you won’t need it.
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you → come → it
The entire operational interface consists of just two analog switches.
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interface → consist → switches
One awakens the machine; the other dictates whether you are brewing a full or a half carafe.
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you → awaken → full
That actually changes how the machine extracts the coffee rather than merely reacting to how much water you poured in.
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you → change → water
Moccamaster does issue a few strict operational rules I recommend you follow:
Only use tap, filtered or bottled water – avoiding distilled or reverse osmosis options.
Grind your beans medium-coarse, “like coarse sand or sea salt.”
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you → issue → sand
How does the coffee taste?
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coffee → taste → ?
This is precisely where the Moccamaster secured its crown.
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Moccamaster → secure → crown
Pinch brewed a control coffee bean through all seven of our machines and blind tasteed.
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Pinch → brew → machines
The Moccamaster won, hands down.
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Moccamaster → win → ?
“Sorry to all you other ones, this one is my favorite,” said Pinch of the bean machine.
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Pinch → say → machine
The underlying secret behind this culinary victory relies heavily on strict temperature and meticulous timing.
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secret → underlie → temperature
The SCA’s Golden Cup standard dictates that water must be brewed between 196 and 205 degrees, interacting with the grounds for exactly four to six minutes.
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water → dictate → minutes
“[The coffee] hits at first with acidity, then sweetness, then just the finest bit of bitterness at the end,” Pinch said.
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Pinch → hit → end
“It really brings out the stone fruit, mango and apricot.
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It → bring → fruit
”
Because the Moccamaster officially holds SCA approval, it has proven itself mechanically capable of consistently hitting that exacting standard without fail.
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itself → hold → standard
What’s the design like?
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design → ’ → What
“The aesthetic is really strong,” Pinch said.
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Pinch → say → ?
It features a stark metal body, a prominent water tank and a suspended brew basket perched up top, all coalescing into a retro-industrial design that has barely changed since the Type 69 debuted in 1969.
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Type → feature → 1969
It’s available in up to 23 distinct colors, with most variations costing $369 and some up to $389.
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variations → ’ → 369
For any kitchen in or out of the five boroughs, physical shape inevitably matters more than strong aesthetics.
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shape → matter → aesthetics
Measuring only 6.5 by 12.75 by 14 inches tall, its 6-pound body tucks easily against the backsplash and rests comfortably beneath most upper cabinets.
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body → measure → cabinets
Moccamaster hand-builds every unit at its factory in the Netherlands, backing its craftsmanship with an impressive 5-year warranty alongside a promise of repairs for the life of the brewer.
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Moccamaster → build → brewer
Although Moccamaster assures users that any plastic components are strictly BPA-, BPS-, BPF-, and phthalate-free, there is a noticeable amount of plastic involved.
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components → assure → plastic
…and 43 more, not listed.
The Aporia
