Mokapots, Moka, or Stovetop Espresso, Period.

[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!

[TheRealBonger]

Just picked up my first name brand Bialetti Mokapot. Way better than my original BonJour. Makes better coffee, with less mess. 3 cups is the way to go. Had two pot fulls this morning, I was feeling good on my way to work. Now I need to order some beans and start trying out different coffee.

[Mister Moo]

Originally Posted by TheRealBonger

Just picked up my first name brand Bialetti Mokapot. Way better than my original BonJour. Makes better coffee, with less mess. 3 cups is the way to go. Had two pot fulls this morning, I was feeling good on my way to work. Now I need to order some beans and start trying out different coffee.

Go 'bonger. Any crema yet?

[TheRealBonger]

First round had some crema, I think getting good with the harder to use BonJour made me an instant success. Now must work at getting copious amounts of crema to the cup. I love this thing, even bought one for my brother for Christmas, and scored me free shipping from amazon

[Ashcan Bill]

Well, two brews under the belt and I'm pretty pleased with the 3 cup Brialetti. The first brew was strong but a bit harsh. Switched to a different blend with the second brew, and it was better. Whether that's the beans talking, or the pot going through a break-in period, I don't know. The grounds are coming out in a puck, so it looks like the grind is in the ballpark.

The 3 cupper produces just over half a coffee cup, which is just about right for me. Cool little toy.

[Mister Moo]

Originally Posted by Ashcan Bill

...The grounds are coming out in a puck, so it looks like the grind is in the ballpark. The 3 cupper produces just over half a coffee cup, which is just about right for me. Cool little toy.

Sounds just right - great start to what could be a lifetime of spectacular coffee.

Mokapot done badly, not a rare thing, is way below awful. I regret so many people - not CA people, I hope - get mokapots with expectations of instant no-brainer rich, Euro-coffee that they believe will exemplify "espresso". Bad grind and/or bad packing means no compression during the brew. The result is always underextracted, bitter, stringy nasty brown water. The stale beans most use for their morning electric drip coffee might make an OK drink with cream and sugar; the same stale stuff run thru a mokapot makes super-enhanced bad stuff.

Nice to see so many folks starting of with a smaller pot. That's always a plus for an easier, better brew. Understanding in advance that burr ground med/fine is required is another key to success. And, of course, freshly roasted quality beans brewed for 45-seconds approx. is the finishing touch to perfection.

Who's next up?

[Sancho]

Well, Im starting to get hard pucks (while usually ~1/2 the basket worth is a hard puck after I beat it out of their). But I am confused by this brew in 45 seconds thing, mine almost always takes longer, generally on the order of 2-3 minutes to full brew. Is this a function of the 3 cupper vs my 6 cupper?

I have been using low heat to get a nice pressure build up but Im not sure if I should try high temp to spike the pressure then let it finish on its own seperate from heat?

[Mister Moo]

Originally Posted by Sancho

Well, Im starting to get hard pucks (while usually ~1/2 the basket worth is a hard puck after I beat it out of their). But I am confused by this brew in 45 seconds thing, mine almost always takes longer, generally on the order of 2-3 minutes to full brew. Is this a function of the 3 cupper vs my 6 cupper?

I have been using low heat to get a nice pressure build up but Im not sure if I should try high temp to spike the pressure then let it finish on its own seperate from heat?

I call "brew" time the time from the first spurt out the post until the spurting stops. If you're getting dribbles and drools of coffee for 2-3 minutes (instead of 45-60 seconds), how does it taste? Good? Sweet? Crema? Not bitter?

45-60 seconds is the "rule" someone taught me but, to be sure, I've made good coffee that took one or twominutes to brew. If it tastes good, that's all there is is. If it tastes a little on the bitter side, try a slightly lighter pack for a slightly faster extraction. 3 minutes does sound a bit too long too me, though.

[Sancho]

Alrighty, I'll give higher temp a try tommorrow or maybe tonight. I have been very carefully monitoring my pack and have been tamping it down to maximize the pre-puckage before brewing. Thanks Moo!

[Mister Moo]

Originally Posted by Sancho

Alrighty, I... ... been tamping it down to maximize the pre-puckage before brewing. Thanks Moo!

Alrighty then! Sounds like you're getting ready to blow the safety valve! Very excellent! Learning where the edge of the envelope resides... love it - love it. This is real courage folks, tap dancing with a kitchen covered in boiling water/coffee spew.

(If you're mooshing in a filter full of coffee plus a dome on the top and it's taking 3-minutes to run a pot, you either need more heat to make more pressure - and risk blowing the valve or blowing up the pot - or a less dense pack, or a coarser grind.)