Mokapots, Moka, or Stovetop Espresso, Period.

I keep trying mine, but it tastes burnt. I think I am running to hot?

[Mister Moo]

Originally Posted by TRicker

I keep trying mine, but it tastes burnt. I think I am running to hot?

Well... cut that out.

Slow brewing under pressure is the key. And you can't get that good, slow gooey brew if the grind isn't fine enough and the filter isn't filled FULLY and EVENLY.

Here's the deal. When water hits the ground coffee in the filterbasket it expands. The expanding coffee, soon to be a rock hard puck, creates resistance to the flow of water. The resistance creates a lot of pressure inside the lower pot, capice? It's the water, moving slowly thru the puck, that drags all the good stuff out of the grind. To get the pressure and the good stuff from the ground beans and to NOT get a burnt or bitter taste... the water needs to move thru all the coffee in the puck.

• If there isn't enough coffee in the basket it won't be able to swell up (enough) and create real pressure; and/or
• If the coffee isn't packed in the basket uniformly, water will cut a channel thru the path of least resistance and bypass a lot of the grind.

So you need to use a burr grinder (or buy professionally ground coffee) to get uniform grounds that won't encourage water channeling. Also, you have to fill the basket fully and uniformly to avoid channeling, insure even wetting of the grounds and to create the pressure that really gets the oils emulsified, out of the grind and into your cup.

Short version - grind evenly and pack the filterbasket full and uniformly. Brew slowly.

I hope this helps.

Originally Posted by Mister Moo

Well... cut that out.

Slow brewing under pressure is the key. And you can't get that good, slow gooey brew if the grind isn't fine enough and the filter isn't filled FULLY and EVENLY.

Here's the deal. When water hits the ground coffee in the filterbasket it expands. The expanding coffee, soon to be a rock hard puck, creates resistance to the flow of water. The resistance creates a lot of pressure inside the lower pot, capice? It's the water, moving slowly thru the puck, that drags all the good stuff out of the grind. To get the pressure and the good stuff from the ground beans and to NOT get a burnt or bitter taste... the water needs to move thru all the coffee in the puck.

• If there isn't enough coffee in the basket it won't be able to swell up (enough) and create real pressure; and/or
• If the coffee isn't packed in the basket uniformly, water will cut a channel thru the path of least resistance and bypass a lot of the grind.

So you need to use a burr grinder (or buy professionally ground coffee) to get uniform grounds that won't encourage water channeling. Also, you have to fill the basket fully and uniformly to avoid channeling, insure even wetting of the grounds and to create the pressure that really gets the oils emulsified, out of the grind and into your cup.

Short version - grind evenly and pack the filterbasket full and uniformly. Brew slowly.

I hope this helps.

Thanks for the tip, I got a burr grinder,so I think I'm ok there, Pretty sure I just need to slow down the actual procees.

[md4958]

Originally Posted by Mister Moo

So you need to use a burr grinder (or buy professionally ground coffee) to get uniform grounds that won't encourage water channeling. .

Originally Posted by TRicker

I keep trying mine, but it tastes burnt. I think I am running to hot?

Tim, if you need some coffee, ill set you up on Friday.

Originally Posted by md4958

Tim, if you need some coffee, ill set you up on Friday.

Thanks for the offer but I'm good for now. Just got a couple a pounds of killer beans coffee I'm playing with.

[md4958]

Originally Posted by TRicker

Thanks for the offer but I'm good for now. Just got a couple a pounds of killer beans coffee I'm playing with.

If the roast and blend arent right youll never make good italian coffee... what kinda coffee are you using

[Mister Moo]

David! Tricker! Good deal.

Please keep us posted on your results.

[SteveDMatt]

I know this may be sacrilegious,but the Dr. says no caffeine. Can you recommend a decaf blend for this type of brewing? My moka pot has been on the shelf since the Dr.s recommendation.

Great thread BTW.

[macms]

md4958 gifted this to me and now my wife and I are enjoying wonderful "coffee"

[GoodFella]

thanks for the insight, now i have to go try this

[Spect]

I've tried my best to stay away from this, but I think it's time to head down the coffee slope too. Moo would you mind a grinder/tamper clinic as well? I know from previous threads both tools are important.

[md4958]

Originally Posted by SteveDMatt

I know this may be sacrilegious,but the Dr. says no caffeine. Can you recommend a decaf blend for this type of brewing? My moka pot has been on the shelf since the Dr.s recommendation.

Great thread BTW.

Steve, many of the italian brands now have decaf blends... some decent ones (Illy) comes to mind can be found at the supermarket or whole foods.

if you dont have any luck, pm me... I carry several different brands.

Moe

[gvarsity]

Originally Posted by SteveDMatt

I know this may be sacrilegious,but the Dr. says no caffeine. Can you recommend a decaf blend for this type of brewing? My moka pot has been on the shelf since the Dr.s recommendation.

Great thread BTW.

Norm at UncleBeanz has some fantastic decaf.

http://www.unclebeanz.com/merchant2/...egory_Code=DEC

The Opus1 exotic is quite good and an interesting story. As I understand it, the Opus1 is actually a arabica bean genetically bred to be less than 1% caffeine.

For decaf in general, I prefer coffee treated with the Swiss Water Method that doesn't require chemical solvents to remove the caffeine.

In general there is no shortage of good decaf coffee from good roasters it just tends to cost more due to the extra processing. I do know some companies will use a lower quality of bean for their decaf to keep the price per pound the same as their caffeinated coffee.

I did a lot of research on decaf as I got my wife hooked on coffee and then got her pregnant... twice and she wanted good quality decaf during her pregnancies. Even though I don't need to drink decaf after a cup or two of regular sometimes I still want coffee and having good decaf around is a nice thing.

Originally Posted by Mr_Moo

three-cupper for one hophead ex-crack addict

When I was in grad school I used to have six-cupper every morning. What does that make me? It was pretty crazy I would have a travel mug with with ten oz of moka pot coffee with honey and half/half at 6:30 and still be tweaking at 10pm. After two years of that I had to cut back.