Moka Pot - Coffee grounds leaking out the top

Coffee preparation techniques besides espresso like pourover.
Spoon&Fork
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Joined: 10 years ago

#1: Post by Spoon&Fork »

Hey guys! I'm largely new to making coffee and experimenting around. My dad got me a Moka Pot and I've really loved that thing, it makes delicious coffee in a few minutes.

Although recently I have been experiencing a bit of a problem that I don't seem to be able to diagnose. The ground coffee seems to be coming out of the top of the moka pot with the [liquid] coffee. I usually used to have a significant amount of golden froth too but that doesn't seem to appear anymore either. :( It's more like a light gold froth that immediately fizzles away in a few seconds and not that dark gold froth that made my coffee extra delicious.

What am I doing wrong? My moka pot is branded "Pedrin". I usually fill up the base halfway and the ground coffee holder half way too (since the packaging says its meant for 6 cups of espresso and I usually only want to make 2). Sometimes the ground coffee doesn't escape from the top and some other times a lot of it does.

Anyone know what's wrong? Thanks! :)

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Boldjava
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#2: Post by Boldjava »

Spoon&Fork wrote:...The ground coffee seems to be coming out of the top of the moka pot with the [liquid] coffee. . .What am I doing wrong? I usually fill up the base halfway and the ground coffee holder half way too (since the packaging says its meant for 6 cups of espresso and I usually only want to make 2)...
Two things come to mind. If you have coffee coming out of the top, you have the unit way too hot. I set ours at medium and turn down to medium-low as it approaches bubbling. Some folks use preboiled water to fill the kettle's base. Pull it off the heat the minute it begins to gurgle.

Second, moka pots do not make good partial pots. Fill the water reservoir to just below the valve on the base and fill the coffee basket to the top. If you want less coffee, you will need to buy a smaller moka pot.
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drgary
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#3: Post by drgary »

This method works. It's James Hoffman's guide to moka pot brewing.

http://vimeo.com/2905947
Gary
LMWDP#308

What I WOULD do for a good cup of coffee!

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canuckcoffeeguy
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#4: Post by canuckcoffeeguy »

Spoon&Fork wrote:The ground coffee seems to be coming out of the top of the moka pot with the [liquid] coffee. I usually used to have a significant amount of golden froth too but that doesn't seem to appear anymore either
Two things that haven't been mentioned:

Sometimes if your grind is too fine it can push through the filter screen, into the brewed coffee. Are you using pre-ground coffee or grinding your own? You want to use a coarser grind than for espresso.

Also, do you regularly remove the filter screen and gasket to clean your Moka pot? I'm not familiar with the design of your particular model, but coffee residue/gunk can accumulate inside my Bialetti Brikka if it's not cleaned and maintained regularly. Especially inside the spout. Take it apart and give it a good scrub if you haven't. It might be clogged. But don't use soap, just hot water.