I missed this process
I’m visiting my parents today and they don’t have an espresso machine, so my only option for strong coffee is moka pot. I gave this Italian flag version to my mom a few months back after she tried moka pot at my place and really liked it.
I haven’t made moka for myself since I got an espresso machine, but it’s nice to come back to again. It’s gotta be my second favourite way to actually make coffee, only behind manual espresso, though the end result I’d prefer a pour over to moka (but espresso is still my favourite).
This picture is obviously after I finished making my coffee, I didn’t have the mug on heat or anything. Only realized how it looked after I took the picture and cleaned up.
17 replies
Really great that something so simple makes amazing coffee
I love my bialeti, I take it camping and on overseas trips where the pace I'm visiting has lacklustre coffee culture
I love both that moka pot color and the mug. I need to get my moka pot of storage. It makes amazing coffee.
My dad has one hell of a pottery collection. He started before I did so he’s got a head start.
I prefer pour over taste but this is my favorite brewing experience. I didn't use it as often because I don't like cleaning the pot and now we switched to an induction stove and I can't use it.
Most Italian families don't usually clean their moka beyond a quick rinse - it's normal to have a thin brown patina in the top chamber. It quickly reaches an equilibrium and stops accumulating, and the same goes for the filter and gasket. In fact, many will throw out the first brew or two when getting a new one or after monthly-ish cleaning.
I guess it may sound icky at first, but in practice it mostly stops the coffee from direct metal contact.
I know. I did not clean my first one but after watching some internet gurus I started cleaning it regularly (not every batch). I even remember the line "even if alfonso bialetti himself rises from the grave to tell you to not clean your moka do not listen to him" haha Truth be told I don't even like cleaning my french press.
I recently got a Bialetti Induction. It's my first moka pot and I'm pretty disappointed so far. It's giving me very acidic coffee on par with the undrinkable fluids served by most workplace coffee machines.
I hope it's just my technique and that I'll figure out how to brew good coffee with it eventually, but for now I'll just keep doing pour-over (which also uses way less ground coffee, much easier to clean and significantly faster).
Oh, I just read its your first one... Yes, it's a difficult brew.
Well, that's encouraging I guess. I'll try again.
Haha, sorry! By no means I'm an expert but the taste of moka pot coffee in my experience has always been how you describe it, rough. Never quite like an espresso. I like using the machine but I don't love the coffee it makes. This is what I do: cleaning the pot regulary, boiling the water in the base first and then screwing the top, lower the heat when the coffee starts coming out and adding a filter seems to help.
I find it difficult to adjust to the induction stove in general. Maybe one of those plates you use with the regular aluminium pot? The stove manual do not recomnend using those.
I had a difficult time getting used to induction in the beginning, but now that I know how the stove works (and like it) I thought this would work as well. I was hoping to be able to skip the extra tool (the adapter plate), but one complicating factor might be that the induction elements on my stove are just on the threshold of the base of my moka pot. So it might be that I'm getting some uneven heating? Not sure yet.
Yeah the process is great. I’ve found I prefer manual espresso but every other brew method, I’d prefer moka. It’s just a lot of fun.
What type of manual espresso so you have? I find regular espresso machines too expensive for me but I was thinking of getting a flair.
I’ve heard good things about Flair. I personally use a Cafelat Robot. It’s fantastic but hard to find. Here’s my go-to daily setup if you’re curious:
Fellow Stagg EKG Pro, DF54 V4, Cafelat Robot.
Glad i found an induction compatible moka pot. Though i mostly use just the bottom to boil water for using my flair lever espresso machine.