# Moka pot...........have you tried one



## Wuyang (Mar 21, 2014)

Possibly considering buying one for my induction hob.....not sure yet though.

Just wondering what your personal experience of using one was.....also how fine do you grind and is it better to use day old freshly roasted beans or beans that have been left to stand like for making an espresso from a machine.

Interested to hear your your comments.......you don't seem to read much about them on here.....taking that might not be a good thing.


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## MWJB (Feb 28, 2012)

They're actually pretty repeatable & relatively faff free. Just watch them during the brew, don't leave it & walk away. Kill the brew (take it off the heat, or quench the base) when you see the very first puffs of steam from the centre pipe.

If you want to control every aspect you can weigh in/out & time the flow from the centre pipe, adjust grind based on taste.

They're quite forgiving of bean.

Never used an induction model through.


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## Zeuscup (Apr 25, 2016)

Hi there!

Moka grind should be a bit coarser than the espresso grind for a pump driven machine. The most usual can be found when buying the Lavazza "red" ground coffee from a supermarket.

Freshness of the beans shouldn't bother you in such a detail (doesn't make a big difference as with a machine)...just keep it fresh in general and you will find the rest in practice..









The advantages of the Moka pot are its size, ease of use, portablity and durability.


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## Vieux Clou (Oct 22, 2014)

By all means get one, they're not expensive and they are fun.


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## froggystyle (Oct 30, 2013)

I would check before you buy that you can use on an induction hob, the ones i sell in the shop all state not to be used on one.


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## El carajillo (Mar 16, 2013)

I have a stainless steel one and the bottom is marked as suitable for various hobs including induction. 18 /10 stainless


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## Wuyang (Mar 21, 2014)

Mmmmmmm not sure which to buy yet.....balietti do a few different type of induction ones.....all stainless seems to be there cheapest £20 for a 6 pot or they do a stainless bottom, aluminium traditional looking one but they cost a bit more.

The full stainless seems to have mixed reviews about build quality and also a few have mentioned it leaking onto the handle.....this was from people who have used the traditional shape one prior to this.


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## Phil104 (Apr 15, 2014)

If it helps, I think the quality of the Balietti is good - and you can easily get spare parts for them.


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## Snakehips (Jun 2, 2015)

Pre my espresso machine and home grinder adventures I used a Bialetti stove top.

Pretty forgiving of grind, they can repeatably produce enjoyable, intense coffee liquor which you can dilute or not with water or milk as you please.

Back then I used pre-ground from Whittards, at their standard espresso grind. Also used an Aerolatte battery operated frother to whip up milk. - Happy Days!









As MWJB says, the stovetops need a watchful eye. I ended up swapping stovetops for two sizes of the original 'Easy Timer' electric model which you could happily switch on and leave. Still use the small one now and again. Cosmetically at least the base unit has changed but if it performs as good as mine then I would recommend it.


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## Obnic (Jan 14, 2014)

Love them. Somewhere between filter and espresso so nice breakfast drink. Bialetti induction model works well. Alessi ones are pretty.

Moka pots are also good camping gear. Light to carry and you can just sit the base in hot charcoals.


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## Vieux Clou (Oct 22, 2014)

Isn't there a plate you can put on an induction hob that'll allow you to heat non-induction pots?


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## Wuyang (Mar 21, 2014)

That's for all your advice..before I buy...

1,, which size should I buy.....I like a decent size cup.....sort of third hot milk rest would be topped up with clever dripper or French press....at say 20g coffee....should give you the idea of strength....in total around 350ml/ 12 oz of drink inc milk.....6 pot?

2,, what size grind..?

3,, not many induction bialetti pots,,, so probably going for the bialetti Venus.....anybody tried this or what would you recommend ?

thanks


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## MWJB (Feb 28, 2012)

Don't brew based on finished cup/mug size expectations, the pot (water & coffee) is largely pre-set in terms of ratio, expect 40-50g of finished coffee per "cup". It will be on the strong side so dilute if necessary. A 2 or 3 cup pot will maybe take a 20g-ish dose. A 6 cup pot might take more like a 30g+ dose.

Grind size will be that which gives you a balanced cup, usually just a bit coarser than espresso/fine drip. Time the flow & vary heat/grind to slow it down if sharp/tart.


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## Vieux Clou (Oct 22, 2014)

If I put 10 cl of water into my Brikka I get about 8 cl out. I always use the same grind, but the weight of coffee to fill the filter - and I always fill it completely - varies with the age and roast of the coffee, by as much as a couple of grammes according to residual humidity.

When I got the Brikka I bought a standard Bialetti as well for comparison. IME the Brikka yields a sweeter brew; it's not espresso but partakes rather more of espresso characteristics than the straight moka pot, the yield from which I didn't much enjoy. If you can get a induction interface plate to put under it, the Brikka is well worth a try.


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## MWJB (Feb 28, 2012)

Vieux Clou said:


> I always use the same grind, but the weight of coffee to fill the filter - and I always fill it completely - varies with the age and roast of the coffee, by as much as a couple of grammes according to residual humidity.


Out of interest, what kind of weights are we talking here?


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## caramel (Jun 22, 2016)

I have had a good number of these, this one seems to be the best: "Bialetti Brikka 4 Cup Espresso Maker with Cream Valve" it has a little pressure valve on the top of the internal spout.

The quality of them has been terrible though, probably worth buying in a shop so you can check it screws together properly, I went through 4 at amazon until I got one with a smooth thread and tight seal between the top and bottom.


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## Vieux Clou (Oct 22, 2014)

I've had two, both good. Two because I did the Puly Caff trick with the first one.

Re weights: 15 to 18 grammes for a 2-cup, depending on age/roast of coffee. If you use a fine grind you get more in. This is close to the classic 7 g/cup rule-of-thumb.

Oh - they say 2-cup but as far as I'm concerned it's all mine.


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## Wuyang (Mar 21, 2014)

I've ordered the 4 pot stainless bialetti Venus for the induction. Given I needed stainless it reduced my options some what, most been different designs from the normal moka pot. There was one bialetti that was stainless on the lower half and aluminium on the top which was more of the traditional design, but it cost a fair bit more.

from Amazon it cost just over £17 for the four pot...not too bad really.

So couple more question......... How loose do you pack the grinds? And this may have been mentioned already but is the grind espresso or a bit courser?

thanks


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## Wuyang (Mar 21, 2014)

I got my bialetti Venus 4 cup yesterday and did my first drink which was fun to do. I did espresso grind and had it with a fair bit of hot milk, it was really nice. I still need to know if you pack your coffee down slightly.....? I weighed out 20g and levelled it out which left about 4g left over. I suppose I'll be trying different methods so with which best suits me.


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## MWJB (Feb 28, 2012)

If the coffee was really nice, why change what you are doing? Some people fill to the rim, others leave a slight dome & compress when screwing together, some even tamp the basket. Slight compression of a gentle dome vs filling only probably doesn't make much difference as the coffee will expand when wet. I'd do whatever you do, the same way each time, until you get a bad result & have to change.


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## Wuyang (Mar 21, 2014)

Because that's what us Yorkshire folk do.....always strive for better....thing is I always aim for the stars, but end up pissing in the wind.

Think I'm going to send the moka pot back, yesterday the induction temp gauge flickered once on the induction ring, today it went to switch itself of about 20+ times....tried it again the same. I did discover however if I placed thick thick handle of a knife handle next to the Moka pot it crated enough surface area to keep the induction hob running.

The diameter of the four pot is 9cm across the flat before it curves up, plus strangely it has 4.5 cm diameter circle in the middle where it is indented and not in contact with the induction...crazy. My wife's just checked out the 6 pot at house of Fraser.....10 cm across and she can't remember the indent although I would have to check that..... Nearly half price on Amazon to house of Fraser! Anyway I may have to buy the six pot.


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