Getting the best from your moka pot.
Discussion
I allow myself a daily mid-morning coffee from my moka pot, a Bialetti six-cup which just about fills a mug.
I initially had varying results but have a developed a routine that gives consistent flavour and strength with my currently preferred Illy Classico blend.
I wash the pot after each use (when it's cooled down of course) using a round house decorator's paint brush from Lidl (similar to a 'sash brush') kept specifically for the job; first the base with a squirt of Fairy Liquid and hot water with a good poke into all its little nooks and crannies and under the rim; then the water is tipped into the top half and the same brushwork applied inside and around the seal. A good rinse of each follows and they're placed in the drainer to... er... drain.
Finally the coffee container/filter is emptied and washed using plain water with a good brush around inside and underneath with the spout reverse flushed before being put in the drainer, spout down (I found that spout up allows residue to remain inside the filter).
After quick dab with a tea towel the following morning it's good to go again.
How do you take care of yours?
I initially had varying results but have a developed a routine that gives consistent flavour and strength with my currently preferred Illy Classico blend.
I wash the pot after each use (when it's cooled down of course) using a round house decorator's paint brush from Lidl (similar to a 'sash brush') kept specifically for the job; first the base with a squirt of Fairy Liquid and hot water with a good poke into all its little nooks and crannies and under the rim; then the water is tipped into the top half and the same brushwork applied inside and around the seal. A good rinse of each follows and they're placed in the drainer to... er... drain.
Finally the coffee container/filter is emptied and washed using plain water with a good brush around inside and underneath with the spout reverse flushed before being put in the drainer, spout down (I found that spout up allows residue to remain inside the filter).
After quick dab with a tea towel the following morning it's good to go again.
How do you take care of yours?
I have a stainless steel Bialetti 6 cup. Yes, you only get 1-2 drinks out of it!
In terms of getting the best tasting drink, the easiest change to make is use already boiling water in the base and stop the brewing process as soon as it's burgling by running the base under a cold tap.
I'm not as meticulous with dosing and timings as I am with Espresso - but I'll grind about 25g of beans for it. When I get a new bean, I'll keep an eye on it and if it's flies up the chute quickly without any resistance, I'll generally find it hasn't taken on enough taste. So for the next one, I'll grind a bit finer.
IMO Illy beans are pretty poor, so you may be very pleasantly surprised if you switched to fresh beans from a quality roaster.
Rave Signature Blend is good for Moka Pot - tastes a bit like Bourneville. Rave Fudge Blend is also good. I wouldn't choose these for an Espresso Machine but they are decent blends for a Moka pot.
In terms of getting the best tasting drink, the easiest change to make is use already boiling water in the base and stop the brewing process as soon as it's burgling by running the base under a cold tap.
I'm not as meticulous with dosing and timings as I am with Espresso - but I'll grind about 25g of beans for it. When I get a new bean, I'll keep an eye on it and if it's flies up the chute quickly without any resistance, I'll generally find it hasn't taken on enough taste. So for the next one, I'll grind a bit finer.
IMO Illy beans are pretty poor, so you may be very pleasantly surprised if you switched to fresh beans from a quality roaster.
Rave Signature Blend is good for Moka Pot - tastes a bit like Bourneville. Rave Fudge Blend is also good. I wouldn't choose these for an Espresso Machine but they are decent blends for a Moka pot.
I would say you are washing your pot out too often. Rinse out the coffee after every use. Only use the fairy liquid or steep the internals in puly caff once a week.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0033FYR0I/ref=cm_sw_r...
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0033FYR0I/ref=cm_sw_r...
I can sense an Italian friend glaring daggers at you. With a mokka pot you need to season it and so you should only ever rinse the top unit out, never wash. If you get dried coffee build up in a corner use a damp piece of kitchen cloth to wipe it away. You need to keep the coffee oils there.
Now from my experience, one trick is to never forget you've put it on. Aside from burnt coffee you do ruin the gasket over time (plus your next few cups will still taste burnt). I still have a spare gasket/metal filter from when i regularly used mine.
(edit - note the steam whistle on my Bialletti 6 pot never worked, unlike on my much older unbranded 2-pot I picked up at a kitchen shop in the mid 1980s).
Now from my experience, one trick is to never forget you've put it on. Aside from burnt coffee you do ruin the gasket over time (plus your next few cups will still taste burnt). I still have a spare gasket/metal filter from when i regularly used mine.
(edit - note the steam whistle on my Bialletti 6 pot never worked, unlike on my much older unbranded 2-pot I picked up at a kitchen shop in the mid 1980s).
Edited by dapprman on Tuesday 20th July 14:52
dapprman said:
I can sense an Italian friend glaring daggers at you. With a mokka pot you need to season it and so you should only ever rinse the top unit out, never wash. If you get dried coffee build up in a corner use a damp piece of kitchen cloth to wipe it away. You need to keep the coffee oils there.
Now from my experience, one trick is to never forget you've put it on. Aside from burnt coffee you do ruin the gasket over time (plus your next few cups will still taste burnt). I still have a spare gasket/metal filter from when i regularly used mine.
(edit - note the steam whistle on my Bialletti 6 pot never worked, unlike on my much older unbranded 2-pot I picked up at a kitchen shop in the mid 1980s).
'Seasoning' a Moka pot (in other words leaving dried, burnt, stale coffee grease in the chamber) doesn't not make it taste better. Now from my experience, one trick is to never forget you've put it on. Aside from burnt coffee you do ruin the gasket over time (plus your next few cups will still taste burnt). I still have a spare gasket/metal filter from when i regularly used mine.
(edit - note the steam whistle on my Bialletti 6 pot never worked, unlike on my much older unbranded 2-pot I picked up at a kitchen shop in the mid 1980s).
Edited by dapprman on Tuesday 20th July 14:52
It is an old Italian tradition but it shouldn't be followed.
Whoozit said:
RobbieTheTruth said:
'Seasoning' a Moka pot (in other words leaving dried, burnt, stale coffee grease in the chamber) doesn't not make it taste better.
It is an old Italian tradition but it shouldn't be followed.
I'm curious, why not? Did you taste a deterioration?It is an old Italian tradition but it shouldn't be followed.
For the first week or so I 'seasoned' my new moka pot as I'd read that's what should be done. The coffee from it got more and more bitter.
I then gave it a good wash out as I described above and the result was immediately much better.
Riley Blue said:
Whoozit said:
RobbieTheTruth said:
'Seasoning' a Moka pot (in other words leaving dried, burnt, stale coffee grease in the chamber) doesn't not make it taste better.
It is an old Italian tradition but it shouldn't be followed.
I'm curious, why not? Did you taste a deterioration?It is an old Italian tradition but it shouldn't be followed.
For the first week or so I 'seasoned' my new moka pot as I'd read that's what should be done. The coffee from it got more and more bitter.
I then gave it a good wash out as I described above and the result was immediately much better.
RobbieTheTruth said:
Riley Blue said:
Whoozit said:
RobbieTheTruth said:
'Seasoning' a Moka pot (in other words leaving dried, burnt, stale coffee grease in the chamber) doesn't not make it taste better.
It is an old Italian tradition but it shouldn't be followed.
I'm curious, why not? Did you taste a deterioration?It is an old Italian tradition but it shouldn't be followed.
For the first week or so I 'seasoned' my new moka pot as I'd read that's what should be done. The coffee from it got more and more bitter.
I then gave it a good wash out as I described above and the result was immediately much better.
Riley Blue said:
Stuff
Crikey - quick swill around with water and I'm done - nothing to do with building up a residue - just daily use. Followed by a quick blast on the hob to dry the base out properly.I have a 3, 6 and 18 cup - (the latter being for when we have people round - you'd be peeling me off the ceiling if I drank all that) works well for me.
Wash it once it’s cooled down after every use. Strip it down to clean it thoroughly once a week. I use freshly ground stuff from a local roaster, get them to grind it since they have a superior grinder to my Porlex hand one. I get through a bag in under 2 weeks so doesn’t taste too stale by the end of the bag.
I use the method James Hoffman posted a while back, boiling water in the chamber and cool it down as soon as it starts bubbling towards the end of the brew. Does the job for me!
I use the method James Hoffman posted a while back, boiling water in the chamber and cool it down as soon as it starts bubbling towards the end of the brew. Does the job for me!
Gassing Station | Food, Drink & Restaurants | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff