Hi everyone. Not my first visit here, but first post!
I'm beeing bugged by my mocha pot for some time now. I can't get consistent results.


(How???)

The results from this little steampunk-brew-machine varies, from something that feels close to the sweet creamy taste of a good espresso, to something sour, pitch-black and face-twisting bitter.

Problem is I can't quite put my finger on what is causing this? Is it the wrong temperature? grind size? amount of coffee? too much water?

So I'd like to ask those of you who manage to get a good, consisent result with the mocha pot; how do you do it? Anyone got any experience to share before I spend an entire bag of coffee-beans figuring this out? What matters in making good coffee with this thing, and what does not?

Anyways, thanks in advance.

Hi Erik,

Welcome to H-B!

Here are some good guides to consistent moka pot use.
(Search the web for James Hoffman moka pot guide and it will find that for you if the code isn't working here. James Hoffman recommends the next video too.)

The secrets of the moka pot - How to video

Also the moka pot brews good, concentrated coffee, but not espresso. Don't get me wrong, i love my Bialetti, but it's a different brewing device. You can do a search for formal definitions on this site, but to shortcut that espresso is a concentrated coffee brewed under about 7 to 9 atmospheres of pressure using hot water heated below boiling for about 25 - 30 seconds. The result is a rich coffee with crema, which is a little different than a moka pot brew. The second video shows you a moka pot equipped with a valve to create a crema-like foam, but it won't have the buttery richness of the crema produced by a good espresso machine. A properly brewed espresso also has more flavor nuances than a good moka, which accentuates caramel flavors in the coffee.