We’re renovating a house and needed an on-site coffee maker. We already got a Moccamaster at home, but my wife uses it daily.
I make V60 when I’m alone, but I’ll be having people over to help me now and then, and wanted something that can brew larger amounts.
I bought an old Moccamaster at the local thrift store. It didn’t look too bad, but had that distinct smell of old people coffee makers. The machines that’s been used for decades and perhaps never cleaned or descaled. The machines develop their own aroma and happily infuse the water and as such the coffee.
I was having none of it, so I bought a bottle of descaler. It probably got rid of some, but this needed hands-on action. I first tried cleaning it assembled, but the area at the bottom of the water reservoir is covered by the float, not intended to be removed. One Youtube video later and the reservoir is off. There was a lot of gunk on the float and in it’s little tub. A few rounds of dishwasher cleaner and some vinegar mixture my wife made later and it’s looking much better. A small round straw brush was needed for the black tube, and the brush came out brown. More gunk gone!
The plastic parts for the filter, funnel and carafe were left for the dishwashing machine.
I’m mostly happy at this point, but eyeing the water heater. A little container of copper. It didn’t look or smell too bad, but I’d come this far, might as well go all the way. Out with screws, off with the wires and out came. The same washing procedure was in order and I finished off by drying the outer parts with a hair dryer.
I’ll probably run another round or two of the descaler and a few with only water before making some coffee.
Now I just hope the coffee will be good.
Moccamasters has been the tried and trusted coffee makers in Norway for half a century, and is still favored by many. These days other brands has probably infiltrated the market, but more often than not you’ll find one if you peek in a kitchen window.
My fondness for these machines elevated another level tonight after disassembling one and seeing how well they are built. I don’t know how old this Moccamaster is, but it’s certainly been around for decades and brewed a lot of coffee.
I love these things. They even make a good cup of coffee with no faff. Water in, filter in, coffee in, go.
