This Just In!!
Mokapot Goes Main Stream

The latest Target television commercial features a Bialetti Brikka "espresso maker".

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It is now official… from now on all mokapot post must feature this logo.:-)

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I never layed hands on one but reliable slackers who frequent this forum claim it makes excellent coffee + crema with no personal investment in skill, style or grace. Sounds like it just... works.

Still... what's the point?
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I don't really know how important the "no soap" admonition really is. That could be more conventional wisdom which is just silly, like the "never let french press coffee sit or it'll go bitter" (it doesn't).

The chatter sez that there is some kind of metallic flavor with new aluminum pots that goes away after you use them for a while (and don't soap them clean). Theory is that coffee oils lingering in the upper pot seal the aluminum and protect coffee flavor. Maybe it does and maybe it doesn't. (shrug-shrug)

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As for me, I rinse lower, filter and upper with hot water after use. If I can see any grunge hanging on after a hot rinse I'll wipe them "clean" with a paper towel. Oils remain? Sure.

If the upper pot or filter start to look grungy (not too often) or smell anything except good (not too often) then I wash the whole shooting match with hot water, soap and a soft dishcloth or sponge (nothing that would scratch or scour the metal finish). Oils remain? No, except inside the centerpost. Taste suddenly suffers? I think not.

Your sense of taste may say otherwise.
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Thats a great price on the Brikka!


Dish soap MAY affect the taste because it leaves a residue and cuts the oils (basically it does what its supposed to do). At my shops we NEVER use dish soap on any of our coffee pots, or porta-filters. We use a coffee soap called PuroCaffe wich will not leave any residue and gets all the build up off with little or no scrubbing. We always re-season the portafilters by pulling a couple shots of espresso on each group first.

The moka pots do need seasoning... the more you use it the better it tastes (like a cast-iron skillet). I usually tell my customers buying mokas that they should brew and toss the first two or three pots of coffee.

That being said, my mother has used dish soap on her moka for years and years with no second thought. As Moo stated above dont use any abrasive cleansers (SOS, Softscrub, etc) on your mokapot.

You shouldnt put them in the dishwasher however.
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OK, the cigars weren't enough of an obsession / drain on the budget.
Last night I bought the Moka pot pictured above from Target (it is NOT a Brikka, but a 6 cup Moka).
Just brewed the first pot with whatever beans we have in the kitchen, using a whirly-blade grinder (it's the only one I currently have, taking baby steps here).
Sipping on it now, and while I understand this is the first batch out of a new device, it's very interesting to note the difference between the Moka coffee and the coffee from the Capresso brewer I usually drink (same beans, same grinder).
This brew is better than anything I managed to get out of the French Press I had years ago, this could get very interesting.
There is some underlying bitterness, but there is also a whole new palette of flavors at work here.
I do have one question, I pulled the pot off of the heat as soon as the flow of coffee changed from liquid to foam, as I didn't want to overcook it. Should I have left it for a bit longer, to let it develop its own "spume"?
It is still too hot to open to see how much water is left in the "little tank".
The top section filled to within less than an inch of the top, so I know I was getting close.
I also tried to not over apply the heat, started with the electric stove burner on Med, and dialed down just slightly when the coffee began to flow.
I know I am asking a pile of questions, but I am still new to this process.
Thanks for indulging my ignorance, and I look forward to what this little beastie can produce once it "cures".

Chris
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Post #1, item #2 clearly states:

"Requirements:
a mokapot - smaller ones (1-3 cup) are the way to go. The big ones seem like a good idea but they are not. A one-cupper is very cool; two-cupper most useful; three-cupper for one hophead ex-crack addict or, perhaps, a normal married couple couple."

Six cuppers present their own special challenges, the least of which is, "Where will all the coffee come from and who is going to drink all that moka?" They're a bit harder to pack correctly because of the volume. If you're already happy given the that you're using a whirleyblade then you are going to be downright orgasmic when you get some med-fine burr-ground stuff in that brewer.

As far as heat and brewing, you'll have a hard time gauging the brew from a large pot with a whirleyblade. When you get some burr-ground just try to keep the brew moving slowly and steady according to heat on/heat off - aim for about 45-seconds to brew the pot from first drool to the moment brew starts to run clear.

I hope you get a lot of pleasure from the new mokapot. :-)
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New update:

As I sit here chomping my steel cut oats (thanks for that again Moo) I am sipping sweet Moka from my new 2 cup mokapot (Moe has reached god-like status to me now). I got a beautiful batch this morning. No burned smell or taste,check. Crema,check. The perfect amount for me to drink by myself,check(my old pot was a 6 cupper and now I think I will live longer now that I am not drinking the whole pot myself). This cigar forum is so awesome because now I have cigars, moka and steel cut oats. And my new espresso machine is set to arrive today. We will see what the day holds!! Thanks again guys
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We will cover crispy, thick bacon in another thread.
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mmmm.... Bacon

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haha was just about to post that but you beat me too it.
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This is a wonderful tool in the coffee arsenal.
For those who are JUST READING...
This is so VERY EASY.
Reading all this stuff seems to make it difficult or that you need to FOCUS on this while heating.

Just low heat and a watchful eye.
Fill the basket full
Grind the coffee fine

Enjoy the 3 ounce results

I do.
Today was an espresso with sugar and cream. heated the cream to warm not hot.
Smokin a PERDOMO RESERVE CABINET SERIES
Wonderful combo.

Course I follow it up with Aricha 27 coffee press..16 ounces of goodness
Tom
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No! Not! Never! It takes a LOT of words and a LOT of reading and a lot of physical conditioning and expert coaches and it is VERY, VERY difficult even on an indoor rink with perfect wind conditions. Ignore what this man says. I guess he doesn't know squat about ice hocke... Huh... coffee? My bad. Nothing to it, especially if you're a Brikka-sissy (which I don't believe Tom is).
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Here, above, it is explained why big mokapots are not for most people. The little whippers make plenty enough coffee for most moka drinkers. The big pots are for crowds and, by and large, it's still hard to find a crowd of moka drinkers in most of our houses.

If I ever drank a six-cup pot of moka they would find my remains orbiting Jupiter. GermantownRob, contrary to laws of normal human physiology, can drink enough moka to kill a horse and then enjoy a cigar. Except for Icelandic fishermen, Rob is the only exception I know to the "small pot saves lives" rule. :-)
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Do you have to use expresso, or can you use any coffee?
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Any coffee, just make sure the grind is right. It's part of the fun to experiment with not only different roasts, but mixes of roasts and beans of different origin. The difference in flavors can be striking, just the right kind of variety to keep you coming back year after year.
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I find moka made from espresso blends less satisfying than moka made from a single origin bean or the typical drip-brewing blends. Can't say why that might be. I pretty much avoid espresso blends with the mokapot. Could just be me. Try it all!
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hmm...I was under the impression that you had to use expresso so thats all I have been using. I will have to go try out some new stuff, I love this thing!
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Like Muziq said, any coffee works as long as it is ground fine enough and, of course, the fresher the roast the better.

Good espresso blends reward the brewer after a 9-bar+ extraction. The lower pressure mokapot leave espresso blends a little bite-ie, IMO. What passes for "the utterly stunning complexity of vanilla-scented 17-year old Madagascar arabica" under 9-bar of pressure might finish from a mokapot as, "just a little too bitey for me, thanks." Not to say you won't like moka made from espresso blends but you might like some single origin beans or conventional drip blends even more.

Lotsa kinds of coffee out there, each with its' own bright spot. Don't limit yourself. I don't ever recall saying this-or-that kind of coffee made moka I couldn't drink... it ALL drinks pretty good if it's fresh.
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Sound advice. I've learned that for my Mukka/Mokapot brewing, I tend to like single bean in medium and dark roasts: South and Central Americans I'll do at either roast, but for the African beans I don't enjoy the dark quite as much (with a very few exceptions). When it comes to experimenting with my own blends, which I've been doing a lot lately thanks to a gracious and patient local roster, I'm now trying out mixing not only origins but roasts as well. It's great fun going through the combinations and finding unexpected flavors in your coffee every week or so.

For my french press, I make other choices. But that's another thread.

Will someone now please direct me to the crispy, thick bacon thread? :-)
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Great advice guys thanks! Everything and more that I needed to know
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