Technivorm 79112 KBT Coffee Brewer, 40 oz

Technivorm Moccamaster KBT 79112I usually try to keep my reviews short but I felt this required more than my usual input.I purchased this to replace my Bonavita BV1800TH which served me faithfully for 6yrs & 3 months..R.I.P. :’( The newer Bonavita models aren’t getting nearly the reviews that they were getting 6 years ago so I just couldn’t pull the trigger on another.I’ll start by saying; I’ve been suffering some major anxiety over the price. I’m trying to calm myself with the knowledge that, like my deceased BV, this investment will (hopefully) prove itself over the years.A point to consider; A coffee maker can only do just so much with what it’s given to work with. I burr grind my coffee beans (French roast) immediately before brewing and add a pinch of sea salt. My water is tap that’s run through a 9 stage filter.This gets a 5+++ for taste. My BV made the best home brewed coffee I’d ever had until now. I honestly have no idea how this coffee maker could make such an improvement, but it does. I like my coffee strong but smooth and I got that with the BV but somehow this takes my coffee to a level that I didn’t even know existed.The carafe keeps the coffee hot for hours as long as you switch to the “travel” lid. If you’ll be pouring most of the coffee in a fairly short time, there’s probably no need to switch lids. I used to pre-heat the carafe on my BV but it doesn’t seem necessary with this one. Yes, you can pour with the brewing lid – just turn it to line up the rounded “slots” toward the pour direction, the same as you would with the travel lid.I’ve gotten good grounds saturation and a proper “bloom”. Some reviewers had a problem with dry grounds. As some people said; their machine might need descaling or cleaning, but it could also (upon examination of the “works”) be a problem if the machine isn’t level or if the arm that delivers the water over the basket isn’t firmly seated.Be aware of the reservoir size. My BV was the “8 cup” model which would actually yield 5-6 12oz cups. This Techi is a “10 cup” model which yields the same amount as the BV did.All that being said, why did I only give it 4 stars?, the functionality. I would have expected a more user friendly design for the price. I understand that all the pieces and parts will aid in cleaning and upkeep but some aspects of the design just seem useless if not downright idiotic. ***Please note my model as the features vary***1) The thin plastic base plate that’s only held in place by the weight of the machine. Move the machine for brewing (which I do because it’s so close to the underside of my cabinets) and it comes off which requires fiddling to get it lined up and back on. I totally removed the plate which doesn’t seem to serve any purpose other than to keep any residual drips off from the counter.2) The flow control on the brew basket also seems useless. I set it to the half flow setting, just to try it, and it caused the basket to overflow and spill grinds into the carafe. The closed setting, which I tried to use to keep the basket from dripping on the way to the sink, didn’t stop the drips, even after waiting.3) The bottom of the brew basket isn’t flat. Yes, you can set it in it’s holder while you’re adding the coffee grinds but if I’m going to knock it over (which isn’t a rarity for me) I’d rather knock it over at counter level and contain the mess, rather than from 12” up and propel the mess half way across the kitchen. I haven’t done this, yet, but it’s only a matter of time.4) No hinged lid on the water reservoir. Not a big deal until it’s added to all the others.5) Removeable water arm. Great for cleaning but needs to be removed to dump grounds into the brew basket then replaced. If you don’t remove it you need to find some other way to support the brew basket. See # 36) Brew basket cover / lid isn’t part of the machine. I don’t think there’s any way it could be attached when you consider the other aspects of the design.7) There’s no formed pour spout on the carafe which makes the flow of coffee wider because it lacks the funneled direction that a spout gives. You need to watch your pour speed and aim if your cup is tall and narrow.None of these issues are a deal breaker but ARE frustrating when you need your coffee fix before facing the most simple tasks but you won’t get your coffee fix until you build your coffee maker.**This review is my honest opinion and I received nothing in exchange for it.