Mokapots, Moka, or Stovetop Espresso, Period.

[Mister Moo]

Originally Posted by muziq

...Will someone now please direct me to the crispy, thick bacon thread?

http://www.cigarasylum.com/vb/showth...3205#post63205

The official thread of thick, crispy bacon.

[muziq]

Originally Posted by Mister Moo

http://www.cigarasylum.com/vb/showth...3205#post63205

The official thread of thick, crispy bacon.

Thank you, thank you kind sir. Okay, back to Moka/Mukka talk...

[Mister Moo]

Originally Posted by muziq

Thank you, thank you kind sir. Okay, back to Moka/Mukka talk...

What is moka without bacon?

[muziq]

Enjoying a particularly nice blend of El Salvador medium and Peruvian medium in my Mukka this morning. Excellent flavors, good crema. We need some coffee smilies...

This is all very interesting! I'm hoping for one for Christmas! Although, it's interesting the comments about the size. I have read many comments on Amazon that the 3 cup seemed too small. So, I figured the 6 cup was the way to go. Although, I'm concerned now that my grinder will make insufficient sized coffee (since I do not have a burr grinder and my current grinder does not make fine ground coffee). Although, I'm still hoping to get one for Christmas Although, with the way the economy is going, I might be just happy to still have a home and family

[Sancho]

So I picked up a SS mokapot this afternoon, loaded it up preparing for excellent coffee but the coffee was bitter and somewhat bitey. Any thoughts? How packed is packed? like a pipe bowl or tighter? I did use my whirlyblade on med/coarse (after the preliminary pot to the coffee gods per the instructions) using some one origin beans and the results are nice but it sure didn't make a lot of coffee

[TOB9595]

The moka pot I have yields 3 ounce of liquor.
I'm told/believe that a whirleybird cannot grind fine enough for the Moka...I use a burr grinder on the finest setting and when the 1-3 mokapot is finished making delish faux espresso the remains in the basket is removed as a hockey puck. VERY dense.
Pack it tight...or should I say FILL it tight
hahahahaha

PIPE joke...

As you've read in this forum you have to pack the basket pretty tight...without packing it down...I know this seems counter to what I'm saying...but the water will swell the coffee somewhat...
I think.

Also...I did a first pot of coffee and tossed it out to clean the pot out.."cure"it?

Best
Tom

[Mister Moo]

Originally Posted by Sacmore21

... I have read many comments on Amazon that the 3 cup seemed too small. So, I figured the 6 cup was the way to go. Although,

...(since I do not have a burr grinder and my current grinder does not make fine ground coffee) ...(

A six cup pot (for your first and only moka brewer) IS too big. For sure, get a one one-three- cup brewer to start. Amazon comments are not the true path to coffee perfection. There are dedicated coffeeheads here (with nothing to sell you) who care about you getting the best from your efforts.

Problem: if you're not grinding coffee with a burr grinder you will have better luck buying preground coffee. Don't let yourself down by trying to make moka with a whirley-blade. Irregular grind from a whirley blade lets water channel thru the puck creating bitter, under-extracted coffee. If you're not buying preground, grinder comes first.

[Mister Moo]

Originally Posted by Sancho

So I picked up a SS mokapot this afternoon, loaded it up preparing for excellent coffee but the coffee was bitter and somewhat bitey. Any thoughts? How packed is packed? like a pipe bowl or tighter? I did use my whirlyblade on med/coarse (after the preliminary pot to the coffee gods per the instructions) using some one origin beans and the results are nice but it sure didn't make a lot of coffee

I never made good moka with a whirley blade chopper, not that I invested years trying. (And I am sure someone will claim they make fabulous moka with a Ronco herb chopper, two rocks or a hammer. Maybe so.)

Simple straight skinny:

1. moka is moka because it's made under pressure.
2. the pressure comes from resistance to the upward movement of water thru the coffee grounds.
3. even resistance (REALLY EVEN resistance) to the water causes all the grounds to be wetted during the brewing period.
4. all the grounds being wetted extracts the most stuff from the puck.

5. (this is the real deal) - if you grind for moka with a whirley blade, the grind will be irregular and lumpy and the upward moving water in a brew cycle will cut a channel thru the path(s) of least resistance, failing to extract much from the larger chunks or the areas distant from the channel(s).

A mokapot really needs medium fine, evenly ground (read "burr" grinder) coffee to do well.

(Now, for the guys who are happy with a mokapot and a whirleyblade, the hammer (or two rocks), I honor you in advance and respecfully request you start you own "how to" mokapot thread. I am also sure there are some people who paint "show quality" vehicles with Krylon from Lowes and a 4" nylon bristle paintbrush from the Sherwin Williams store. I'm not saying it can't be done. And I'm not saying you can't put a man on the moon with SCUBA gear and lots of gunpowder, either. I'm just saying I never tried and won't pretend I ever got good results with anything but a burr mill plus mokapot.)

Tom - I guess it can't hurt to season a new brewer. Most folks do pitch the first pot or two I think. The pack is the critical thing. It needs enough to let the water thru slowy but not so much to plug up the process and blow the safety valve. All I can say is, when you get it right with a little experimenting, it's easy to keep it right. Like riding a bicycle.

[replicant_argent]

Originally Posted by Mister Moo

A six cup pot (for your first and only moka brewer) IS too big.

Let's not make judgments on how thermonuclear, scalp crawling with buzzy happiness some of us would prefer, now, Moo-san...
My only Moka right now is a 2 cupper, and it, (for me), is far too small.
Of course a 12-16 oz Moka Latte for me can be a "gulper" at times, and when the voices in my head argue a little too vehemently with the angel and devils on my shoulder, I may have had one too many. I was at Williams Sonoma yesterday getting a part for my ISI foamer and longingly looked at the incredibly overpriced coffee equipment. Lots of pretty stuff there, but they rarely get my hard earned dollar.


Do we have a "source listing" of places for procuring our "coffee things" at appropriate bottom feeder pricing?

Maybe we can even get a sticky. You "know people," right?

I know a guy or two.....

[Sancho]

Originally Posted by Mister Moo

A six cup pot (for your first and only moka brewer) IS too big. For sure, get a one one-three- cup brewer to start. Amazon comments are not the true path to coffee perfection. There are dedicated coffeeheads here (with nothing to sell you) who care about you getting the best from your efforts.

Problem: if you're not grinding coffee with a burr grinder you will have better luck buying preground coffee. Don't let yourself down by trying to make moka with a whirley-blade. Irregular grind from a whirley blade lets water channel thru the puck creating bitter, under-extracted coffee. If you're not buying preground, grinder comes first.

Well gave it another try this morning and I think Im getting it, FWIW when I cleaned the filter basket out there was a disk of grinds that came out as a unit in a puckish form. I'll give some preground stuff a try and see what happens Now to find a suitable grinder for no monies

[Mister Moo]

Originally Posted by Sancho

Well gave it another try this morning and I think Im getting it, FWIW when I cleaned the filter basket out there was a disk of grinds that came out as a unit in a puckish form. I'll give some preground stuff a try and see what happens Now to find a suitable grinder for no monies

... or try some fine-grind from grocery (Bustelo, for example) or local coffee retailer. The post-brew puck is a good thing. When they come out in one uniform rock-solid piece you will probably have just finished a smart looking brew.

I de-puck my filter by turning it upside down and running warm water into the filter tube. It'll fall out in one piece, showing a clear imprint of the filterbasket holes. You can do coffee technique archeology by breaking the puck apart and seeing if it was uniformly wetted though the interior. If you find dry spots inside then the extraction was incomplete.

[Mister Moo]

Originally Posted by replicant_argent

Let's not make judgments on how thermonuclear, scalp crawling with buzzy happiness some of us would prefer, now, Moo-san...

Do we have a "source listing" of places for procuring our "coffee things" at appropriate bottom feeder pricing?

Maybe we can even get a sticky. You "know people," right?

I know a guy or two.....

"scalp crawling... buzzy happiness..."?

Please to forgive my presumptiousness. Some people DO like the feel of invisible ticks, snakes and spiders crawling all over their bodies and I did not account for that. Each should explore toxicity in his or her own way. For those who have never experienced tachycardia and wild blood-pressure swings accompanied by sweats, uncontrollable trembling and distorted vision a six, eight or 10-cup mokapot would be a great opening salvo on an otherwise stable vascular system.



All I'm saying is, it's usually easier to get good results from a smaller pot than a larger one. And it's more useful (for most of us) to have two three-cuppers rather than one six-cupper. However, for those who want to go willy-nilly off into moka-universe with a big pot, have at it. I am sure many people cheerfully use a six-cup mokapot for their own daily brew. People like Bruce Banner. Heh heh heh.

[TOB9595]

What TERRIFIC spresso I made in the 3 cuo Moka today. 3 cups back to back....
2 for Kevin...he's off to base so gotta get him primed.

It's 16 degrees here...

I am learning to tamp a wee bit AND to be patient for the bubbling of the coffee to stop.
Takes me 15 minutes from lighting stove to finished spresso..
WONDERFUL stuff..


I was just about to order a 6 pot spresso and remember that Mr Moo has some reservations on the 6 cupper.
Perhaps uses more coffee grounds???

t5hat is a consideration. I would think that the size of the 6 cupper is exactly twice the size of the 3 cupper...

WHAT happens when we assume?????

RIGHT!!!

ANYONE???
Is there a reason/s to have two 3 cup MOKA POTS instead of ONE 6 cup pot???

Is there noticeable increase in grounds consumed....
Share your thoughts and experiences. please



Seems like a good Q?????
Tom

[md4958]

Originally Posted by TOB9595

I was just about to order a 6 pot spresso and remember that Mr Moo has some reservations on the 6 cupper.
Perhaps uses more coffee grounds???

t5hat is a consideration. I would think that the size of the 6 cupper is exactly twice the size of the 3 cupper...

WHAT happens when we assume?????

RIGHT!!!

ANYONE???
Is there a reason/s to have two 3 cup MOKA POTS instead of ONE 6 cup pot???


Tom

The 3 cupper is easier to control, consistency-wise. At least until you know what youre doing. The volume of water and amount of grounds you have to use make it very easy to either under, or over pack. You dont really need two three cuppers, by the time you drink your first three, the pot should be cool enough to handle, and re-load. (you might wanna use a dishtowel when unscrewing the base)

Just rinse out and dry the filter basket before you re-load it.

[TOB9595]

Ahhh but I want to drink with a partner and enjoy the cup together..
That's why I want to complete two pots at the same time..or one 6 cupper...
Good thought. Thanks for the tip on easy cleaning.

Tom
Tom

Will have to pick one of these up and give it a shot

[Ashcan Bill]

Well, as I was doing a little on-line Christmas shopping last week, I stumbled across a 3 cupper and thought what the heck.

It's a cute looking little bugger. Sometime in the next day or two I'll take it on a maiden voyage and see what I can get out of it.

Just hope the 3 cupper is enough for me. Seems so, well, small.

[Moglman]

The 6 cupper is a three cupper for me, and my demitasse aren't that big.

[Buena Fortuna]

Hawthorne Appliance in Rochester,MI has the 6 cup aluminum Moka Pot by Bialetti for $13.99. I made sure Santa's helper grabbed me one...can't wait for Christmas morning!