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Quick recipe (Italian moka pot)
- Start with hot water: boil water in a kettle, then pour it into the base up to just below the safety valve. This shortens contact time with the metal and prevents the “cooked” taste.
- Grind: medium-fine, like sea salt with a few finer particles. Finer than drip, coarser than espresso.
- Coffee: fill the basket level. Do not tamp. The screw-down lid creates the pressure you need.
- Heat: medium, not low. Lid open so you can watch the brew.
- Stop here: when the stream coming up the spout turns from dark brown to light honey, pull the pot off the heat. Do not wait for the sputtering noise. By then you have over-extracted.
- Wrap and run: wipe the base with a damp cloth to stop residual heat from cooking the coffee further. Pour and serve.
- Cleaning: rinse with hot water and dry. No soap. Coffee oils season the pot and improve every brew.
For more no-power brewing methods (French press, cowboy, pour-over), see our guide to brewing coffee without electricity and our French press primer. For full step-by-step detail and the troubleshooting most guides skip, read on.
I grew up watching my grandmother make two kinds of coffee. One was the everyday coffee, brewed in a stainless steel percolator she pulled out when company came. My mother called it an acquired taste, which was a polite way of saying it was bad. The other kind, the one she made for herself on the stove every morning, came out of a small aluminum moka pot. That coffee was rich and dark and so good that my favorite breakfast trick as a kid was pouring a splash of it over my cornflakes with the milk.
I bought my own first Bialetti Moka Express, a 3-cup, at a kitchen-supply place in 2009 for $19. I followed the instructions in the box, made three weeks of undrinkable coffee, and almost put the pot in the donate pile before a friend who’d grown up in Naples spent twenty minutes in my kitchen showing me what I was doing wrong. Eight years and one rubber gasket replacement later, that pot still lives on my stove. The recipe below is what his grandmother taught him (and turns out is more or less how my own grandmother had been doing it all along), with a few additions from the long comment thread on the original version of this article, which a lot of Italian-trained readers had real notes on.
What a moka pot actually is
A moka pot is a three-part stovetop coffee maker invented in 1933 by Alfonso Bialetti in Italy. Fully assembled it looks like a small hourglass. The bottom chamber holds water, the middle is a funnel-shaped filter basket that holds ground coffee, and the top chamber is where finished coffee collects after the brew. Heat the base; pressure builds; water is forced up through the grounds into the top.
What comes out is not espresso. Real espresso requires 9 bars of pressure; a moka pot produces about 1.5 to 2 bars. What you get instead is its own category: stronger and more concentrated than drip or French press, with body and intensity that approaches espresso without the crema. In Italy it is the everyday home brewer. In the US it is almost forgotten outside of Italian-American kitchens and a small specialty-coffee revival. It deserves better.
Pick the right moka pot
- Bialetti Moka Express ($30 for a 3-cup, $40 for a 6-cup) is the standard. Aluminum, octagonal, made in Italy. The 3-cup brews about 4.5 oz / 135 ml of finished coffee (enough for two small Italian-style cups); the 6-cup brews about 9 oz / 265 ml. Buy the size that matches the number of cups you actually drink at one sitting, because a moka pot brews best when the basket is full and matched to its water capacity.
- Bialetti Brikka ($55) is the Moka Express with a pressure-regulating valve in the top. It produces crema, which a standard moka pot does not. If you have a real espresso machine, skip the Brikka. If you do not but want the closest stovetop approximation to a crema-topped shot, this is the one.
- For an induction cooktop, you need the Bialetti Venus or Moka Induction line in stainless steel. Aluminum moka pots are not magnetic and will not heat on induction. The Venus is also dishwasher-safe, which most aluminum moka pots are not.
You will see arguments that stainless steel moka pots make cleaner coffee because aluminum is “porous” and absorbs flavors. The Italian tradition is the opposite: aluminum is the traditional material, food-grade aluminum is safe (the cancer concerns have been studied and rejected), and the slight seasoning effect of coffee oils on aluminum is considered a feature, not a flaw. Buy aluminum unless you have a specific cooktop or dishwasher constraint that requires steel.
The grind is everything
Moka pot grind is medium-fine: finer than drip, coarser than espresso. Think table salt with a few finer particles mixed in. If you grind too fine (espresso-fine), the puck packs too tight, pressure builds too high, and the coffee comes out bitter and burnt with a metallic edge. If you grind too coarse, water rushes through, and the cup is weak and sour.
Pre-ground supermarket “moka” or “espresso” coffee will get you in the neighborhood. A small burr grinder will get you to the right spot every time. If you are using a blade grinder, pulse in short bursts and aim for the salt-grain texture by eye. As for the coffee itself, a dark Italian-style blend is the traditional pick. Many Italian moka blends include a percentage of Robusta beans, which northern European and American specialty roasters typically avoid but which contribute the body and bite that defines moka coffee in southern Italy. Hat tip to longtime reader Keith, who learned this from his Sicilian friends and shared the detail across multiple comments below.
The brewing technique that actually works
Most printed instructions tell you to fill the base with cold water and put the assembled pot on low heat. That works, but it leaves coffee sitting on hot metal for an extra five minutes and tends to “cook” the brew. The technique below comes from a comment by a reader named carter, who posted it in 2011, and is consistent with what modern moka enthusiasts and Italian baristas teach.
- Boil water separately in a kettle. While the kettle heats, grind your coffee (or measure your pre-ground).
- Pour the hot water into the base, filling to just below the safety valve. Do not cover the valve. That valve exists to release dangerous pressure if the pot ever clogs.
- Drop the funnel basket into place and fill it level with ground coffee. Do not tamp. The screw-down top creates the pressure you need; tamping creates too much pressure and produces bitter coffee.
- Screw the top on firmly. Use a folded dish towel; the base is hot now.
- Put the pot on medium heat with the lid open. Watch the spout.
- Wait. Coffee will start coming up the spout within 30 to 90 seconds depending on size. It will run dark brown.
- Watch for the color change. When the stream goes from dark brown to a paler honey color, the brew is finishing. The flavor in those last seconds is over-extracted and bitter.
- Pull the pot off the heat immediately when you see that color shift. Do not wait for the gurgling or sputtering sound. By the time you hear that, you have brewed for ten or fifteen seconds too long.
- Wipe the hot base with a damp dish towel to stop residual heat from continuing the brew. This is a 3-second move that meaningfully improves the cup.
- Pour and serve. Pour all the coffee from the top chamber promptly so it does not continue to sit on residual heat in the pot.
Cleaning and seasoning (the no-soap rule)
The single most counterintuitive moka pot rule, and the one that comes up most in the original comment thread: do not use soap on an aluminum moka pot. Rinse with hot water, scrub the basket and the top chamber with a soft brush if needed, and dry all three pieces thoroughly. Soap residue will work into the cast aluminum surface and contribute a soapy off-taste to every brew afterward. Every Italian I have talked to about this is emphatic on the rule.
Coffee oils season the pot over time, much like a cast-iron skillet. A new Bialetti will brew slightly metallic for the first three to five batches; that goes away as the pot seasons. If you only use your moka pot once a week or less, wipe the inside dry with a paper towel after the rinse, because old oils can go rancid in a damp pot left in a cupboard for days. That tip comes from reader S.P. in 2009 and explains a problem I had wondered about for years.
Replace the rubber gasket and the metal mesh filter every 1 to 2 years of regular use, or sooner if the gasket cracks or the filter clogs with coffee fines. Both parts are cheap on Amazon or any kitchen supply store and screw in by hand in under a minute.
Common mistakes (and how to fix them)
- Tamping the grounds. Almost every American moka pot guide says “do not tamp,” and almost every American then gently presses down anyway. Resist. The screwed-down top compresses the puck enough. Tamping creates too much pressure and brings out bitterness.
- Starting with cold water. Works, but produces a “cooked” cup. Always start with water from a hot kettle.
- Heat too high or too low. Too high: the metal scorches the coffee, and the brew finishes before flavors fully extract. Too low: the brew is slow and the coffee sits on metal too long. Medium is correct.
- Waiting for the sputter. The sputtering noise means the water is gone and the brew is done. By then you have over-extracted the last 10 seconds. Pull off at the color shift, not the sound.
- Using soap. Covered above. Hot water only.
- Wrong-size pot. A 6-cup moka pot used to brew 3 cups of water will brew weak coffee, because the basket is sized for full capacity. Match your pot size to how many cups you actually want at once.
Troubleshooting
- Bitter, harsh coffee: over-extraction. You probably waited for the sputter or used too high a heat. Pull off earlier. If grind is espresso-fine, go coarser.
- Weak, sour coffee: under-extraction. Grind finer (closer to table salt), make sure you filled the basket level full, and check that your heat is high enough.
- Metallic taste: new pot still seasoning. Brew and dump three to five batches with inexpensive coffee. If the taste persists past 10 batches, check that you have not used soap; the residue takes several plain-water cleanings to lift out.
- Leaking from the middle seam during brewing: the rubber gasket is worn or misaligned. Unscrew, reseat the gasket, or replace it.
- Soapy or “off” taste suddenly appears: someone used soap on the pot, even just once. Brew and dump three batches of plain coffee to lift the residue.
- Cake-y bitter sediment in the top: grind is too fine and pressure is forcing fines through the metal mesh filter. Go a touch coarser.
Frequently asked questions
Is moka pot coffee actually espresso?
No. Real espresso requires 9 bars of pressure from a pump-driven machine. A moka pot generates about 1.5 to 2 bars from steam pressure. The result is its own thing: stronger and more concentrated than drip, with espresso-like body but without crema. Italians distinguish between “caffe” (moka pot) and “espresso” (machine) for exactly this reason.
What size moka pot should I buy?
Match it to how many cups you actually drink at once. A 3-cup brews about 4.5 oz / 135 ml total; a 6-cup brews about 9 oz / 265 ml; the 9-cup brews about 14 oz / 415 ml. The “cup” in moka pot sizing is an Italian espresso-style cup of about 1.5 oz / 45 ml, not an American 8 oz / 240 ml mug. A 3-cup Bialetti is plenty for one person who drinks one strong serving in the morning. A 6-cup works for two drinkers or one drinker who wants a larger mug filled with hot water or milk after brewing.
Can I use a moka pot on a glass or induction cooktop?
Glass-top stoves: yes, but you need a moka pot with a flat, non-warped base. Modern aluminum Bialetti Moka Express is fine on glass-top electric. Induction: no, unless the pot is stainless steel and explicitly labeled induction-compatible. Aluminum is not magnetic.
How much coffee does a moka pot use per brew?
A 3-cup uses about 15 to 18 grams of ground coffee; a 6-cup uses about 25 to 30 grams. Fill the basket level with the top of the basket walls. You do not measure water; the safety valve sets it for you.
Is aluminum moka pot coffee safe to drink?
Yes. Food-grade aluminum cookware has been studied repeatedly and is not linked to Alzheimer’s or any other condition at brewing temperatures. The Italian moka pot has been used for nearly a century without epidemiological evidence of harm. If you prefer steel for personal reasons, the Bialetti Venus line is the standard option.
How long does a moka pot last?
Decades. The body of an aluminum moka pot has no moving parts and no electronics to fail. The rubber gasket and metal mesh filter wear out every 1 to 2 years of regular use and are cheap to replace. I know households where a single moka pot has been in daily use for 30 years.
Can I make moka pot coffee with milk instead of water?
No. The bottom chamber is sized to generate steam pressure from water. Milk does not behave like water under pressure and you will likely scorch it onto the metal, ruin the seal, and damage the pot. Brew with water, then add steamed or warmed milk after the brew.
Why this article changed
The original version of this article ran from 2007 to 2026 and collected 171 comments along the way, many of them from readers who knew the moka pot far better than the original writer did. The version you just read is a rewrite that incorporates what those readers taught us: the no-soap rule (Keith and several Italian-trained readers), the 10-step modern technique (carter, 2011), the infrequent-user residue insight (S.P., 2009), and the color-not-sputter cue (Keith again, 2012). The original instructions to “fill to the pressure gauge line” and “wait for the throaty sputtering” were, in retrospect, the two biggest mistakes the article taught. If you ever printed those out and could not figure out why your moka pot coffee was bitter, this is why. The thread on this page is still open. If you have refinements, please add them.
Discussion 171
Tea or coffee, the stories are remarkably similar. Never wash the pots, always rinse. Always use freshly drawn water. Both can only be made properly if allowed to ‘brew’. Tea leaves must be scalded, coffee must be made using water at a lower temp. Not doing these things turns people off great experiences – having to wait 4-5 mins for the drink to brew also puts people off. The best things are worth the wait, I still grind my own beans by hand.
Hi Crystal,
I have a vev vigano 6 cup stainless steel, and haven’t had this problem yet. As you know, when the water in the lower chamber is heated to boiling temp. Pressure is created in the sealed chamber. The pressure is meant to force steam through the coffee and into the upper chamber. If the release valve is triggered, then something may be blocking the water and steam from leaving the lower chamber. Check to see if there are any coffee grinds caught in the upper shaft or the coffee basket. Remove the metal screen and gasket, and make sure nothing has collected there either. Hope that helps.
Also on your next attempt try filling the coffee basket loosely, not packing the coffee or tamping it too tight.
–Josh
Has anyone had problems with the pressure valve? I have the 3 cup vev vigano and it steams from the pressure release valve. I’ve tried it with just water also. Any ideas?
Hi Miriam,
This sounds strange, could the upper shaft be blocked with loose grinds? Try taking the gasket out, along with the metal screen and look up that shaft. If it is not blocked, you should see some light. Also sometimes coffee grinds can clog the lower basket, try tapping the basket on a hard surface. Then rinse the basket out with hot water, this usually will help to free up any loose grinds in the basket. The strange thing is that after only two uses, this should not be a problem. The only other thing that I can think of, is maybe the upper chamber is not screwed on tight enough to the bottom. If that is the case then there will not be enough pressure to force water through the grinds and into the upper chamber. When you heat the water, does any water bubble out the sides, between the upper and lower chamber?
Hopefully this helps, let me know if you have any other questions.
—-Josh
Recently bought a Vev Vigano Kontessa stovetop pot. Worked great the first two times. Now even when water is boiling, there is no coffee in the upper chamber. Gasket seems to be okay, and using the same Lavatazza espresso grind. Any thoughts?
Hi all. There have been a few questions about “burned” pots which have gone unanswered. I cooked my stainless pot till it turned a golden brown color at the base. Since then, I’ve had some great pots and some horrendous pots. My conclusion is that the pot must be ok if it can produce any good coffee at all. Anyone have authoritative knowledge about burned Moka pots? Also, my six cup pot has a “gb” for a logo. Does anyone know which manufacturer uses that logo? Excellent site. Thanks!
Okay then, thanks for your advice Keith!
@Rebecca: “also at the seal where the two parts screw in together there were little bubbles and steam coming out, do you think the seal isnt right?”
That’s the problem! The seal isn’t giving a hermetic seal. Most likely, this is due to extraneous particles on the seal. Make sure it’s spotlessly clean, and screw up tight. That way, in theory you should have no further problems. Hopefully…
Don’t worry! It’s normal that there’s always some water that remains at the bottom, sometimes browned with the colour of the coffee grinds. Nothing to worry about…
Hi, I just bought the Bialetti Moka Pot a few days ago so I am new to this. I notice that sometimes coffee gets leaked into the bottom chamber after a brew. What am I doing incorrectly, and how can I fix this problem? Thanks for all your help!
got our moka pot todayand had a go.The coffee came so slovely out of the top just a dribble and wouldnt take up all of the water from below. the water in the bottom compartment had coffee in it, should it have !!!also at the seal where the two parts screw in together there were little bubbles and steam coming out, do you think the seal isnt right? any ideas please thanks
Sorry Carter, forgot to mention your interesting variation.
But careful, don’t dismiss the combined experience of a whole nation. All Italians I know swear by the method of heating the water from cold, going through the so-called (?) crema stage and, with 99% of those I know, also going through to the spluttering stage. This is the country where the humble yet noble Moka pot hails from, virtually every family uses one every day so there is the cumulative experience of a national population of 60 million… And personally I absolutely LOVE the flavour that comes from their method of brewing. Not withstanding your crema taste test.
Everyone to their own taste, n’est-ce pas…
@ Jane, The Timor coffee sold here:
http://www.formaggiokitchen.com/shop/product_info.php?cPath=28_105&products_id=582&osCsid=mc9rdh3t1ppphlj186v88pr135
Supposedly has a naturally low caffeine level. It is definitely delicious.
Hi again all,
For the best tasting moka pot you have ever had, please see post 120.
A couple of notes:
The moma pot makes no crema, that foamy stuff at the end of the cycle is extremely weak and bitter. Try pouring out the pot just as the stream starts to turn honey colored, then let it finish. Put the last bit in a separate cup and do a taste test. You will be shocked.
The method in post 120 will result in a smaller cup, and will leave water in the bottom.
The most important part is the preheat, this avoids the coffee cooking on your stove while the water is brought up to a boil.
For a great instructional site, go find Stumptown Coffee Roasters website. Detailed instructions on lots of different methods. Great coffee too.
Good Luck.
C
To your first question, for me, normally yes. I say normally because sometimes I’ve deliberately taken the coffee off the heat before crema stage and, if I recall correctly, I was satisfied with the (different) result. However, normally I like to have some crema in the coffee. Try and see! What is right is what tastes good to you.
Very important: it IS normal that a bit of water is left in the bottom compartment. If you make a point of letting it brew until all the water at the bottom has disappeared, you will get a nasty bitter taste (imo).
Great!
But letting some ‘crema’ into the coffee is essential for the taste in your opinion?
I think now I’ve taken it off too soon as there was still a bit water left in the bottom compartiment.
Great fun to experiment though :)
Four stages to making a coffee in a Moka pot:
1. heating the water – high gas
2. coffee pours into top compartment – medium gas
3. crema trickles onto the top of the coffee – minimum gas (you will only observe this happening if the pressure in the lower pot is not too high)
4. spluttering stage,- you should take the pot off the gas just before or at the moment when this starts happening.
Note: my personal method for making an afternoon coffee is slightly different. I take the coffee off the gas DURING the crema stage (see above post).
No, not too late. Too soon. First the coffee pours into the upper compartment smoothly. At the very end it starts spluttering (that’s when it starts making a noise). You should take the coffee off just before or just at the moment it starts sputtering. For me that depends on the bean and on the roast.
Also (this is a personal choice), for my afternoon coffee, I will take it off even a bit earlier than that in order to get a milder taste. Indeed, for the afternoon coffee I will make sure the rubber seal, the screw threads and the filter are still wet as this decreases the pressure at which the coffee rises into the upper compartment. At the last stage I will bring the gas down to minimum and watch the “crema” (the foamy bubbly stuff) creep down onto the top of the black coffee and judge the right moment to cut off the gas. This is more of an art than a science and it depends on the taste of each individual person.
Regarding your last point, conventional wisdom says that the flame should not exceed the edge of the base of the pot. I find this to be correct (so maximum but not too maximum). However, when the coffee starts pouring into the upper compartment, I lower the gas to a “medium” or a “low to medium” heat.
You need to experiment a lot with different coffees and different variations on this basic theme. Personally, I swear by a special Moka roast that I and my local coffee roaster have worked on for a couple of years to perfect. Nothing beats it! But then, everyone to their own taste :-)
So you mean I took it off too late?
Also: do you reckon in general it’s best to start from cold water and low fire or put it on a small gasring but “full blast” ?
Take it off the flame when or just before it starts spluttering :-)
Hi there,
I tried to take my pot off the fire after the first coffee came out but the coffee stream just stopped…
Am I doing something wrong?
If I put it back on the (low low) fire it continues nice and smooth.
Jade,
You can just put hot water in (not boiling, but around 50 degrees, i just use the hot tap). Turn up the heat a bit in the beginning and then lower it while brewing. Burned coffee is one of the biggest problems of a stovetop espresso.
Hi I am using Bialetti 6-cup venus. I usually put my moka pot on medium heat, and it takes a while to brew. And today, the taste was bitter. My issue is the bottom part is quite burned. The stainless (water reservoir pot) looked light brown. :( Is the bitter taste related to this issue? Also since it takes a while, will it be ok to put the pot on medium-high heat or high? Please help!
I keep trying but only steam comes out of my Brikka. Am I missing a seal. Also, I checked my grind, even tried with no coffee in it at all and same results. Help!
Hi I’ve been given a 6 cup stove and I was wondering if it’s possible to produce just 2/3 chips without wasting any beans.
Hi all, I’m wondering if anyone can help me with my own conundrum about coffee. My problem is that I love coffee – a nice rich espresso or moka-made cup, and I have a good espresso machine and a 6-cup Bialetti. But I’m really sensitive to caffeine.
So I wonder if anyone can give me advice on what beans/method etc to use to make a good cup of coffee with lots of flavour but with not too much of a buzz to it. Sorry – I know the sane thing would be to drink tea instead, but with so much expertise on here I couldn’t pass up the chance to at least ask if someone has any pointers. Just to add – I’ve tried decaffeinated but all the flavour seems to be sacrificed.
I just wanted to report on my own positive experience with the pre-boiling method. It sounded crazy to me, but for that very reason, I had to try it. After three days, I’m hooked.
My moka pot, the Alessi 9090 Richard Sapper pot (described in my post wayyy up there, above) is well-designed for this: since the top part fastens onto the base by a clip mechanism, it’s easy to assemble while the base is hot. You clip on the top, perhaps holding the bottom for stability, with a towel; and then you lift it onto the burner via the (still cool) handle.
Carter, I’m raising my cup to you, thanks!
P.S. I recently discovered an Italian coffee I did not know before: Hausbrandt, from Trieste. It’s an arabica blend. I love it. But (@ Keith) Giamaica Caffé of Verona is North Italian roaster who swears by light roasts. I have enjoyed his Caffe Cubano (silky smooth) and Bababudans, a delicate Indian coffee with tiny beans.
Yes, the moka pot is an Italian creation, but please don’t let that stop you from experimenting. To me, light roasts generally have more interesting flavors, and don’t forget, they also have more caffeine. A nice little added bonus.
Yeah, thanks Carter for your suggestions. As I said, I’m going to be trying more tests and so I may well be tempted to contribute more posts to this thread regarding your interesting variation.
Incidentally, light roast in an Italian coffee pot??? That sounds like a REAL contradiction in terms–like mixing oranges and apples or whatever the expression is. For me, the Moka pot necessitates by definition an Italian roast. However each to his own personal tastes and preferences. For example, my method is not 100% authentically Italian/Sicilian brew but a slight *variation* on it.
Hi Keith,
I am glad you liked the method. To go along with this, I am super critical about my coffee as well. Personally, I seem to like single origin light roasts. (and always go for coffee roasted within the last two weeks.) Companies like Stumptown, Intelligentsia, Barismo and Terroir all roast excellent varieties. My favorite being the African varietals as they are often citrusy and bright. Personally, I haven’t had much luck with local roasters as most tend to over roast their beans.
Also, for Josh, I would classify the coffee that the moka pot method makes as somewhere between an espresso and drip. Not as strong as an espresso, but much stronger than a drip. As such the amount I drink is also between the two, about a half to three quarters of a good sized cup.
Yep, I am a bit crazy about coffee.
Take care,
Hi carter.
Just tried your method for elevenses. Quite pleasantly surprised with the results. Very nice, smooth flavour :) .
I had seen this suggestion before but had never taken it very seriously, but you sounded so assured in your post and like an old-hand, that I felt I just had to try it out!
Personally, at the end I would allow just a bit more splutter in order to get more bite into the flavour, but then I have the advantage of having a local roaster who prepares a special “custom” roast for me that has all the advantages of a typical Italian roast without having any of the drawbacks of that yukky bitter taste that you ALWAYS seem to get from industrially prepared supermarket brands…
I’m going to do further tests on your method. See what happens.
PS. For Josh: for me (just personal) it’s small and strong: that is, 50 ml cup quantities. At breakfast I’ll knock back about four of those cups. After lunch, I prefer a slightly milder brew, and two cups is enough. As for when: surely that’s a question of personal taste, isn’t it???
THERE IS AN EVEN BETTER WAY!!!!!!!!!
1. boil the water separately.
2. grind the coffee with a burr grinder to about the same as drip. i personally like it about medium fine.
3. pour the hot, just boiled, water into the bottom, up to just below the valve.
4. insert basket.
5. fill basket with fresh ground coffee. don’t tamp.
6. screw on the top section. use a dish towel to keep from burning yourself with the now hot base.
7. put on medium stove.
8. keep the top open and watch the coffee come out. it comes out almost immediately.
9. when the stream of coffee starts to turn honey gold color, close top, remove from heat, and then run cold water over the bottom to stop the process.
10. pour into cup.
11. enjoy the absolute best stove top espresso you have ever had.
notes: preboiling the water allows the coffee to brew instantly when put on the stove, vs. cooking the fresh ground coffee for five minutes while waiting for it to boil. stopping the process at the honey gold color, keeps just the best part of the coffee for drinking. the last bit while it sputters is nastily bitter.
ok then. enjoy.
I just purchased my first stove top expresso maker. It is a Vev Vegano 6-cup version. I have made a few pots, but I am not entirely sure what a good cup of expresso is. This probably sounds foolish, but I really want to learn about this so called “real coffee”. Also I would like to know more about the etiquette, when is expresso best served IE. after dinner or any time. I am used to drinking coffee in large volume, so I am not sure how much expresso to drink at once. Also I want to make cappucino and mocha latte, I believe that I would use the expresso made with my moka pot for this. Does anyone have any recipes, or possibly ratio of expresso to milk, etc.
Difficult to say without seeing the pot. If the rubber ring is the right size and there are no extraneous particles compromising the seal, then there should really be no problem. But is the ring the same make as the pot?? If not, there could be a size mismatch. Btw if you get coffee grind spilling over onto the rubber ring, that can also compromise the seal. Hope that helps.
So happy to hear Im not to clean! EVERYONE gives me grief about this!
My problem is similar to comment 20. I just replaced the O-ring and now it just sputters and I get about a teaspoon of coffee. Ive tighten the top part down as much as it will go. I thought about soaking the O-ring so it will ‘fatten’ up. Any other thoughts? This happened once before several years ago and we got so frustrated we just bought a new coffee maker!
I do, although I don’t believe this is standard Italian practice. This allows me not only to clean (by rinsing only, it goes without saying), but also scrupulously dry this part of the coffeemaker thus allowing a more hermetic seal, leading to greater pressure in the brewing process, and therefore a different, punchier taste. I do this for my breakfast coffee. Btw I use a cocktail stick to remove the gasket.
Does anyone think it makes sense to remove the gasket and filter on a regular basis to rinse? I feel like coffee grounds get in there and cause problems.
No one has really addressed the issue of using the moka pot on a glass cooktop.
It takes a good long time (maybe 20 minutes) to finish the coffee – which must impact the the taste? I have not tried turning off the heat once it starts bubbling but am pretty sure it would just stop.
Should all the water in the bottom be gone? I have only made a couple pots but not all the water steamed through. Taste was not bad.
From reading, aluminum products are your own preference. So any suggestions on a name brand? I took mine back.
Hi. Very interesting thread. I’m relatively new to moka pot as I just bought one from eBay a few weeks ago. The problem is I notice that there is aluminum oxide building up on the inner wall of lower compartment. It doesn’t ruin the taste of my coffee or anything, but I’m a little worried that it might not be safe for my health in the long run. Is there anyway to remove it? Many thanks.
BonJour Cafe Milano is what I just came home with. Now wonder if I should take it back. Have read a lot of posts here and other sites. This is Aluminum Cast frame and filter. Is that really safe? And the shop didn’t really know if it could be used on the electric stove top. I’m thinking about taking it back. HELP PLEASE Thank you.
Well, got my Spong coffee grinder for Christmas, a Number 4. After adjusting the adjustment mechanism I’ve got it to a nice fine grind. Now feeling RATHER wide eyed after three cups of espresso 8-). It makes a lovely grind. I realised the adjustment is very simple, with the screw moving the grinders closer to the body of the device to make a smaller gap between the grinders and the body, with the little lever simply being a locking mechanism. A wonderful simply device, very ‘vintage’ and very fulfilling grinding ones (organic Fair Trade) coffee.
Hi Tom (not YOU, Tom; I’m talking to Tom)…I’m actually not sure what brand it is, I was hunting high and low yesterday for the box or instructions. Not sure if it a Bailetti, there are no marks at all on it. The instructions I remember said to fill it only to the pressure valve; normally I go a tad more, so the water JUST comes up to the bottom of the basket.
BTW, someone posted about water left in the bottom. Of course this will occur as the stem of the basket that the water/steam travels up doesn’t go ALL the way to the bottom, which actually suggests to me it’s water not steam traveling up the stem through the coffee in the basket, if all the water turned to steam there’d be no water left in the bottom.
I always turn the stove off just as it’s starting to spurt. I did wreck a pot when I took it camping (gotta have real coffee in a tea cup out bush) and burnt the bottom out with a mini camping gas stove!
About Italians and recipes, got a nice recipe once from someone incarcerated in a prison where I work, a mafia type fellow for all intents and purposes, but my wife refuses to believe that Lasagna has chopped eggs and peas in it, I say, ‘You CAN’T argue with TONY!’
I think Carl’s post illustrates an important point: one must experiment to find the method that produces one’s preferred coffee. Question for Carl: doesnt your moka pot have a star or line inside as the waterline? Every Bialetti I have ever seen has one.
Happy holidays, all.
What a great thread about Moca Pots!
I never clean my pot with soap, though I DO clean it from time to time (I’m not as ‘obsessed’ about NOT cleaning it as Tom and ‘his’ Italians :-)
I use my pot daily. I do feel a film of old coffee oils would be detrimental; not beneficial to the taste.
I never fill my pot to the pressure valve, always a little more, though the coffee does spurt out the spout when done. I currently use pre-ground coffee, though am about to get for Christmas a Spong hand operated coffee grounder; I’ll let you know how that goes.
I always have my coffee in a tea cup (never a mug) and always with sugar (two) and cream.
@ Leonard. Sounds like the particle size is too small. If I understand correctly, you are using pre-ground coffee. . . You might try other grinds–French press or drip for example. Or grind your own. Some stores have in-store grinders you can set for different particle sizes.
If you take the more extreme route of grinding at home, you can grind your coffee right before you make the coffee. Since I started to do so I haven’t looked back. Tastes great! But if your coffee tastes fine, it probably does no harm if there are grinds in it, unless they build up in the filter, at which point you will have a tough cleaning job.
Hope that is helpful.
Great blog for us OCD moka addicts always looking for the best technics. So, I have a 2 cup Brika and wss wondering how much espresso should I be using? I notice there are some grinds in the finished product. Can anyone advise on that? Lastly, I have noticed grinds are stuck in the filter holes. Do these grinds affect brewing or are they blown out from subsequent brewing. I use Illy Moka .
Soooo glad I found this site and all the great comments. I “inherited” an in the box Pezzetti brand coffee maker. Well, with no idea where to start with it, but loving my coffee, the search began. I think I’m brave enough to try using it now. My biggest concern was having NO instructions, a ceramic/glass top/smooth top stove and whether both could be used together. Hopefully I won’t destroy my kitchen and after a few trials and errors, will end with a decent cup of coffee after suffering through many a cup of what is “America’s” idea of coffee. Wish me well!
Well, I’ve given it a few more tries, and on a medium heat setting it takes almost exactly 25 minutes, about 12 of which are necessary just to get the water boiling. I feel kind of stupid not to have tried it on maximum yet… From your friend’s method, Keith, it seems to be the key element. I’m definitely going to try that next.
(You made me smile by mentioning my “ancient coil type” cooker. I “inherited” it from my parents; it’s over 25 years old and still works like a charm!)
And I forgot to say…he puts the heat on maximum.