Summer has abruptly turned into winter in Big D, so moving on from my iced coffee adventures to Moka pot coffee. Thus far, these are my two guiding videos. The Readers Digest version... - filtered water - start brewing with hot, not cold, water - coarser grind than espresso - don't compact the coffee in the filter - pull it off the fire at the first gurgle - cool the pot with running water or damp towel once you pull it off the fire Image Unavailable, Please Login - 3 cup Bialetti - 4 one oz scoops of coffee - Starbucks Casi Cielo from Guatemala, a medium roast Not bad. Not as good as an espresso. Need new gasket; old one is kind of funny looking. A darker, more intense roast would be better, I think. T
My favorite bagged is Lavazza Crema e Gusto & it's surprisingly cheap, too [Bulk on Amazon]. Being a mix of Arabica & Robusta, you get the Crema & Flavor. I prefer some tamping rather than as-is grinds [too loose, bleah] & also a dampened Aeropress Filter between grinds & mesh raises the minimal BAR just a shade. Over the spout, put an espresso cup, jigger measurer or shot "glass" that can withstand heat. Like a Brikka, this helps prevent and oxygenate any splash from top, thus adding to "Crema" & IMHO, further improves flavor compounds. If so inclined, once coffee starts flowing, add a ~ wee ~ bit of your favored sugar or dairy to receptable. Ignore whoever's calling & be quick, as the brew isn't waiting. Once one finds the right moment to stop, there's no burn, bitterness or watery excess. Toms Of America Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-J727A using FerrariChat.com mobile app
My mother-in-law (I think) bought me one of these for Christmas about 15 years ago and I had no idea what to do with it. If I can ever find it (I've moved house 4 times since then), I'll give it a go. All the best, Andrew.
Give it a try. It's a fun way to make coffee IMO. Very manual, satisfying to the frustrated chemist who doesn't get to mix chemicals in the lab any more! Takes a bit of time, but on the mornings I am not in a rush, it gives me time to putter around, start the wife's breakfast, etc. T
Great ideas, wax. I've tried the Lavazza C&G before ; loved it. I have a metal shot glass that could work. Do you have a preferred grind? I think for my last batch of beans, I went a bit too high above espresso grind. T
Ah, our burr grinder's tired & needs an overhaul, but is great for brewing or french press & as My Bride finds it therapeutic, I'll leave it be until it doesn't fulfill both duties. Illy makes a Moka Grind, which is perfection. If I'd had any brains, I'd have saved a little of 6 cans [all at half price] to be the bog standard to measure granularity. Boke is an illy man thru and thru - buys it in kilos & runs thru proper espresso machine ~ dunno which variety is favored, though. Highly recommend one to get a can of that Moka Grind via Amazon & have something for all others to measure & taste against. There's lots of suckage out there. A plain Lavazza is completely meh. Lavazza Santa Maria [Gold Label] is generally available where I am. Beaks mentioned an unused unit. It needs to be seasoned right. As-is, the gasket will likely leak like crazy. Reset gasket until it doesn't & leave it alone. Wet all edges like at oil filter change to help seal against pressure leakage. If pot is aluminum, scrub, clean, rinse & dry inside like hell. Run old coffee grounds or cheap Cuban Style thru the pot multiple times, clean, rinse & dry like hell. Run old coffee grounds thru the pot multiple times again, cleaning bottom chamber only with paper or cloth towel, but not completely remove oils in top chamber. This seasons pot, removes excess aluminum & gives basic idea of how & when to pour & when to stop. Once in a while, one needs to give both of the inner stems a cleaning & a pipe brush is best for that. That's best time to give gasket & filter components their touchups as well. I pile canned/bagged Espresso grounds high with stem filter atop espresso cup & effortlessly flatten grounds with inside lid from a can. But note that a proper Moka Grind doesn't need to be that high, otherwise you'll have too much. Do over a plate, sweep excess to bag or can. Notes about the Aeropress Filter ~ While it produces a clean output, every variety of coffee has it's pluses and minuses in size & flavonoids & some are best without that filter. Unless Moka Grind is without fines, gotta experiment with each. Wet filter is smoothed across bottom of the top chamber's filter. After a brew which wasn't watery, etc.; there isn't much "wastage" ~ some grounds are in bottom ~ basket is still full of grounds ~ it didn't turn into a hockey puck ~ less overhauling all around. After usage & cooldown, clean & dry thoroughly. Do not put back together until completely dry. For all the seeming complications at outset to break you and the Moka Pot in, it is not that much different than turning your Moka Pot from a Mercedes into an AMG. One builder of an engine. Factory tested. Turnkey operation. Easy, satisfying, high octane fuel & skid marks. Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-J727A using FerrariChat.com mobile app
That is the sexiest Moka Pot Shot Glass I've ever seen. [emoji6] Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-J727A using FerrariChat.com mobile app
I don't drink a lot of coffee, so certainly not a connoisseur, but? Best coffees I've had were either done in a French press, or an old fashioned percolator. I'm sure a brew out of that contraption could be fantastic, but sure seems like a lot of effort & mess...
Nice! Seeing one of these takes me to a very nice memory. I first met Ania in Amalfi back in 2012 and at the end of the few days we had there, she gave me one of these as a gift. I had never seen one nor had any clue how to use it. But, it meant a lot to her to give me a little gift/memento of our meeting... One would think I would have valued it and still have it safely tucked away today...but one would be wrong...sadly, I lost it somewhere in the many moves I've had over the years...and, other than trying it once when I first got it to see what the heck it was, I never used it again (I have a Jura that I happily use each morning). She won't admit it, but she's pretty sad that I didn't cherish it...but I do cherish her and our meeting...so, she's got that going for her. Which is nice.
We are stuck in an "aparthotel" for 2 months while we wait for our December 1 move-in date for our London flat...so we bought one of these to use until we move into our flat and can unpack our belongings and get out the Jura. It was $50 for the machine and the pucks are 65 cents for a two-puck set (espresso and milk) that makes a cappuccino or 40 cents for only an espresso. I'd never seen one of these puck machines that makes the frothed milk part. Speaking of chemistry, lord knows what is in the milk puck that is in the set! But, these are surprisingly good cappuccinos! Image Unavailable, Please Login
It's a bit of extra effort, but it's how I get my chemistry freak on now that I don't mix chemicals in the lab any more! [emoji2] I'm still refining my method to get my coffee the way I like it - black, concentrated. I'm up to 4 oz of coffee, lightly tamped, 2 cups of water preheated to near boiling, a steel shot glass over the spigot (a la Wax!), and an immediate cool down of the Moka after the first major gurgle. Of course, on mornings when I'm pressed for time or lacking patience, I just pop a capsule in the Nespresso! T
A gazillioni Italians can't be wrong! How are you liking the beverage itself? Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-J727A using FerrariChat.com mobile app
I've never seen one of those! The Ferrari dealer here has a contraption that takes pods that look like those Bosch pucks. It does a decent ristretto. T
I have 2 Mokas- the small one and the 6 cupper. I use the big one to fill up a thermos whenever I go to the deer stand. But for my everyday cup of joe- I pull a double every morning. I get my beans from a local roaster so I haven’t had the itch to roast my own as they’re very fresh.....but I’m tempted to try it. My set up: Image Unavailable, Please Login Sent from my iPhone using FerrariChat.com mobile app
Image Unavailable, Please Login Sunday morning and time to let that beautiful aroma permeate the house.
wow, some very serious coffee making going on with f-chatters! Tip of the cap to you! (I'm in the lazy camp with the jura or this new puck thingy)
It's good. Not great. Yet! I don't think I have the grind perfected. Now that I'm back from travel, I need to order up the Illy moka grind you suggested and use that as a guide...T