Mokapots, Moka, or Stovetop Espresso, Period.

[Mister Moo]

or a Brikka - http://www.bialettishop.com/BrikkaMain.htm

[T.G]

Originally Posted by Mister Moo

or a Brikka - http://www.bialettishop.com/BrikkaMain.htm

I saw that one the other day when I was looking at Bialetti's online shop & webpage. Seemed like some people here were less than impressed with them. Seems like a lot of money for a mediocre piece of coffee making equipment.

[T.G]

Originally Posted by Mister Moo

Damn hard to find a 2-cupper anymore - don't know why. I have a Bialetti Dama and a Guzzini pot both in the 2-cup model and they're just right for me. I like the way the 1-cuppers brew best but, yes, they don't brew more than a double shot. They make one great Americano or cafe-au-lait, but not one and a half.

Never used that bent-spigot double thingie; REI sells them and I keep thinking it'd be fun to try each time I'm in the store. Memory says I read some bad reviews on it a while back but I can't say that firsthand. A Bialetti Express 3-cup isn't so bad but you might want to cruise the net hard looking for an real 2x. Or get an AeroPress.

Thanks.

Yeah, the 2-cup pots seem to be pretty much non existant.

So, Bialetti and Guzzini, any other manufacturers that are decent? Any that should best be avoided?

The Aeropress and the mokapot seem to be very different in operation and principle to me. I was thinking that the mokapot would be more capable of producing what I was looking for, the aeropress is more of a coffee maker, correct?

[Mister Moo]

Originally Posted by T.G

...any other manufacturers that are decent? Any that should best be avoided?

The Aeropress and the mokapot seem to be very different in operation and principle to me. I was thinking that the mokapot would be more capable of producing what I was looking for, the aeropress is more of a coffee maker, correct?

Guzzini's are hard to find and very pricey but well made; anything Bialetti is going to be fine. I never tried the $6.95 Chinese versions at the grocery store.

AeroPress and mokapat are two ways to approach the taste of espresso without the $ investment or learning curve. I recently ran espresso (Nuova Simonelli Oscar), moka and AeroPress coffee from the same batch of beans and taste-tested them, side by side. The grinder was a Mazzer and the grind was specific to each coffeemaker. Tell you what - they were all different but not THAT different. Each was good in its own way; the AeroPress makes a VERY smooth espresso-like brew, by the way.

Originally Posted by T.G.

I saw that one [Brikka] the other day when I was looking at Bialetti's online shop & webpage. Seemed like some people here were less than impressed with them. Seems like a lot of money for a mediocre piece of coffee making equipment.

I never used one but some reliable non-purist coffee'ites I know swear by (not at) the Brikka. I wouldn't have one - prefer making my own crema the olde fashioned way. I believe the pressure/crema widget in the Brikka in similar to that in the Mukka (of which I have a pair); it works well to produce latte-like milk froth in coffee if it is milk froth you want.

[T.G]

Originally Posted by Mister Moo

Guzzini's are hard to find and very pricey but well made; anything Bialetti is going to be fine. I never tried the $6.95 Chinese versions at the grocery store.

I noticed that the one or two Guzzinis I found online yesterday were rather expensive, I think $90 or so, That's way more than I want to spend for casual use. I happened to be in the neighborhood of a CostPlus Worldmarket yesterday, so I ducked in to look what they had. Meh. They had the $6.95 Chinese knock-off of the Bialetti, piced at $19.99 (3-cup). Looked and felt like total junk compared to the Bialetti I looked at the other day at Target.

Originally Posted by Mister Moo

AeroPress and mokapat are two ways to approach the taste of espresso without the $ investment or learning curve. I recently ran espresso (Nuova Simonelli Oscar), moka and AeroPress coffee from the same batch of beans and taste-tested them, side by side. The grinder was a Mazzer and the grind was specific to each coffeemaker. Tell you what - they were all different but not THAT different. Each was good in its own way; the AeroPress makes a VERY smooth espresso-like brew, by the way.

Ok, so it seems I was a bit off on my understanding of the Aeropress. I'm liking the 1-4 cup versatility, I'm liking the fast brew times (can't stand bitter, acidic coffee/espresso - the lower caffene content is a bonus), liking the filter to prevent sludge & crap in the coffee/faux-espresso. Also interesting is that I can't seem to find any negative reviews on the Aeropress, usually there is always at least someone who hates something, but with this nope, zip, zilch, nada. Closest I can find is someone sayig "350 filters lasting two years is misleading. Who only makes one espresso every other day?"

Will the Aeropress work with the pre-ground espressos? Or is that too fine a grind?

Lastly, how much coffee does each scoop hold? I saw someone on amazon write that each scoop is 3 tablespoons. Not teaspoons, but tablespoons. So to make 4 aeropress shots you need 3./4 cup of ground coffee??!?!?

Originally Posted by Mister Moo

I never used one but some reliable non-purist coffee'ites I know swear by (not at) the Brikka. I wouldn't have one - prefer making my own crema the olde fashioned way. I believe the pressure/crema widget in the Brikka in similar to that in the Mukka (of which I have a pair); it works well to produce latte-like milk froth in coffee if it is milk froth you want.

Ok, seems I phrased that poorly or mistook some commentary about the device then.

Not really into lattes to be honest.

[T.G]

Dan,

Thanks. You've given me some things to think about & go look for.

[Mister Moo]

New (old) mokapot with frother from a consignment store in Raleigh - needs a little repair on the filter but it works. $11. Too cool.

Dan I am so glad to finally find this thread. I am just beginning my coffee/espresso journey. Unfortunately I have to do it on a rather limited budget. In another thread you mentioned that my Capresso grinder is the best of the cheapest burr grinders. I was afraid to even mention my new Bialetti 3 cup pot. Now things are looking up. If my order from Unclebeanz would just arrive...

Thanks.

[Mister Moo]

Originally Posted by Jenady

.. If my order from Unclebeanz would just arrive...

Thanks.

Have at it, brother bean. No moka question to big - none too small. I love sweating mokapot details.

If you are not already a wizard, practice with a bag of the cheap grocerystore shine-ola before Norman's stuff shows up. Who knows - you might like it! I cop stellar moka from grocery beans once in a while.

[replicant_argent]

Originally Posted by Mister Moo

New (old) mokapot with frother from a consignment store in Raleigh - needs a little repair on the filter but it works. $11. Too cool.

I would love to see a video of that thing in operation. Neat design.

[Mister Moo]

Originally Posted by replicant_argent

I would love to see a video of that thing in operation. Neat design.

I'm trying to edit a (regular) mokapot "How to" for youtube right now. I might do one for this pot next year. I fooled with it the other day and managed to get a shot out and managed to froth milk about 20% of the way. It was pretty stinky coffee though, even after I cleaned it out. It needs a little, uh... conditioning.

Best as I can figure, you fill it with water to the desired line inside the lower pot (3, 6 or 9 cups) and fill the basket with the requisite amount of grinds. You then screw down the top, close the steam wand knob-valve, open the coffee knob-valve and fire the mother up.

When coffee is done flowing you must close the coffee valve and wait for a few minutes to build up steam and hear a rumble. Put a frothing pot under the wand, crack open the wand knob-valve and blow some steam. Presto-presto.

I gotta say this... When something is as rare as this pot it must have gone away for a reason, right? There is the original Atomic or the Bellman reproduction but - seriously - who uses one of those?

[burninator]

I've just finished reading this thread (again) in its entirety, and you have my interest. I have nearly given up on finding a 2-cup bialetti (or other), so I suppose a 3-cup will have to do. I have a feeling it's going to be more than I really want on a regular basis, though.

I currently run a Cuisinart DBM-8, which has always been serviceable for drip and press (thought chewy at the bottom), but I'm wondering if anyone has any experience with fine grounds produced by this model. Will it perform for moka?

Alternately, I may have the opportunity to make a choice between some mid-range grinders, and I'm wondering if it's really necessary.

[Mister Moo]

Most any burr grinder will make a very passable moka; should grind quality improve with acquisition of better or exotic mills down the road you can then make miraculous claims. Until then, expect a good moka. I think a whirley blade pretty much craps out on moka, however.

[688sonarmen]

Received a 3 cupper Bialetti for Christmas. I have a few questions, first is the rubber o ring needed? I brewed 2 pots with it and it did not melt so I assume it is fine, I just ask since I have not seen it mentioned. 2nd until I get a burr grinder I am using some lavazza espresso grind that was so so but had a pretty sour note to it. I also took apart a few of my K-cups and used that as well since the grind seemed right, but that was WAY sour. Based on the sour taste should I turn up or down the heat?

About a week ago i destroyed my french press trying to get the last bit of tea out of some wet leave in the bottom. I made breakfast, and wanted some coffee so I found my Moka Pot. (It's a Primula Espresso 3cup Aluminum Pot)

I washed it out in Hot water, and Ground up Some Beans and i'm about to give it a go. I'm going to find Mr. Moo's instructions and let 'er rip! I'm assuming that the first pot is for "seasoning purposes" because the box said not to drink it!

[Mister Moo]

Originally Posted by 688sonarmen

Received a 3 cupper Bialetti for Christmas. I have a few questions, first is the rubber o ring needed? I brewed 2 pots with it and it did not melt so I assume it is fine, I just ask since I have not seen it mentioned. 2nd until I get a burr grinder I am using some lavazza espresso grind that was so so but had a pretty sour note to it. I also took apart a few of my K-cups and used that as well since the grind seemed right, but that was WAY sour. Based on the sour taste should I turn up or down the heat?

Flat rubber gasket at base of filter? I can't imagine how the pot could pressurize without it.

I heat up the pot as fast as possible (for convenience) and, when I hear the rumble (or see the first spit of coffee or steam out the post) then drop the flame (or lift the pot away from the element on an electric stove) to slow it down and produce a slow trickle of coffee - 45-seconds worth for a 2-3 cupper, approx.

Burnt or bitter taste is usually too much heat. Slow down.

Sour taste is usually underextraction - too fast a brew and/or not enough coffee in the filter. Also, stop the brew to avoid the extraction running pale or clear. That last clear bit doesn't help.

Merry Christmas, coffee nutjobs.

[burninator]

Much appreciated. The grinder upgrade is set for an, as yet, undetermined point in the presumably near future, but I didn't want to purchase a stovetop set that's going to be useless with my setup. I like to think I've gotten used to drinking darn good coffee, and I don't want to diminish the product, if you read me.

Now, Bodum offers a stovetop unit that is comparable in size to the 3-cup Moka. Has anyone tried it out? The aluminum pot runs about the same price at this size.

[Mister Moo]

Originally Posted by burninator

Much appreciated. The grinder upgrade is set for an, as yet, undetermined point in the presumably near future, but I didn't want to purchase a stovetop set that's going to be useless with my setup. I like to think I've gotten used to drinking darn good coffee, and I don't want to diminish the product, if you read me.

Now, Bodum offers a stovetop unit that is comparable in size to the 3-cup Moka. Has anyone tried it out? The aluminum pot runs about the same price at this size.

That's a sporty little three cup stainless pot for $70; they are very proud of it. Seems like the Bialetti aluminum three-cup pots are more like $25 or less; Fantes show a six-cup ss pot (and the rarely-seen ultra cute aluminum 1-cup Express for $9.99) for $53.

http://fantes.com/espresso-stovetop.html

http://remodelista.com/products/bodu...stovetop-maker

[burninator]

Originally Posted by Mister Moo

That's a sporty little three cup stainless pot for $70; they are very proud of it. Seems like the Bialetti aluminum three-cup pots are more like $25 or less; Fantes show a six-cup ss pot (and the rarely-seen ultra cute aluminum 1-cup Express for $9.99) for $53.

http://fantes.com/espresso-stovetop.html

http://remodelista.com/products/bodu...stovetop-maker

Ooh, lawdy mercy! No, I was looking at this one here for about $25 shipped. I'm getting the Bialetti...I was just curious about the Bodum, since I've enjoyed my press so much.

So last Saturday I bought a cheapo ceramic moka pot (cups and plates included), which made so-so Italian coffee. It turned out that the upper ceramic portion was glued together with the lower aluminum portion of the pot, and after three runs on the stove it unglued, leaving me with with quite a mess to clean in my kitchen.

I went to the department store where I bought it, exchanged it for a Bialetti Moka Express and bought a set of proper espresso cups. I came back, threw away the first brew and then... wow! What a coffee! Huge thanks to Mr. Moo for his detailed procedure and indications. I still have dial in the crema, but it's far better than most espressos I've ordered in restaurants or coffee shops.

BTW, nice write-up about the Moka Pot here: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jennif..._b_744350.html