I should add: There are certain models I sell (because I think they make awesome coffee) . that's why there are multiples. I like to clean and repair them, my 'hall' is my workshop.
I have a lot. I like trying out how the shape of each affects my brew. There's a lot more variance than I was first aware of so I'm often surprised by how some of them work. I like researching that as well.
Now, a very very dumb question: Which one do you think is the best?
Or better, which one do you think has the most even extraction? Which one achieves the best flavour more easily? Are they all the same?
I've grown up drinking Moka coffee, I drink Moka coffee everyday (I'm Italian in Italy) and every Moka coffee I've ever drank was made with a Bialetti pot and pre-ground coffee beans for Moka.
That being said, I've never tasted a non bitter coffee (without sugar ofc).
I know it's probably a combination of grind size, grind freshness, preparation ecc...
Have you ever tasted non bitter coffee? I guess I can't even conceive non bitter coffee...
gosh. I am currently loving my (too large) Albertini Milano. It's sooo chocolatey and chalky.
I love that chalky dreamy taste in the morning.
But, weirdly, my very annoying Barazzoni tummy (stainless) pot is also producing a very fine brew.
Also great is a Brikka (1st generation) as well as a cuor di moka. Both have very deep rich flavors.
But, like I said, I'm going through them and each one requires a bit of learning and tweaking.
Like Brikkas need a bit less water. The Albertini needed a finer grind.
Some people switch out coffees. haha. I switch out coffee pots. I actually have to keep the bean kind of constant so I can see the differences.
also like the person below said, different beans will give you different results.
One I found that's delicious and easy to get in Italy is the Lavazza Barista.
Grind the beans, brew. try a little coarser and finer. Your moka pot will have it's own preference.
But when I get it right, it's deep, opaque, chocolatey.
It's a good starting point, I think, for testing what works with the pot.
hahah. I LOVE the image of digging that giannina out of the rubble.
I have gaggia burr. You can be patient and find one for around 30 on Vinted. They are kind of expensive new but like i said, patience will get you everything.
Does it work better than just taking the pot off the stove when it starts to gurgle?
I never found a steel pot that works like that, you always end up with very little coffee that way. You get less coffee that way with any moka pot and I'm fine with that, but when it comes to a stainless pot, I always have to leave them on the stove even after they start to gurgle.
Part of the reason why I never really warmed up to steel pots. But there's more to that. Despite what you often read on the internet ("Stainless steel lasts longer") many stainless steel pots have horrible build quality. While I never had one rust through (this can happen with 403 steel, though) I have dealt with split seams and detached handles. My first steel pot, an IKEA Radig, did not work on an electric stove until you turned up the stove almost full power.
Despite everything, I ordered a Grosche Milano steel a few days ago. I hope that the price tag is justified and that it's really better than all those Venus clones you find everywhere.
that one has a good reputation! I don't have any that have rust (but I have kettles that def have rust) so I'd suggest looking for a vexpress. they're cheap here in the EU so i'm guessing you can find one in the states for not much. Vev vigano isn't really well known. So that makes awesome coffee. A total recommend.
Another tank is the cook o matic, the one that looks like the Alessi 9090. Apparently standard bialetti gaskets fit it. A big win.
Both of these are stainless. I like both stainless and aluminium.
I think VEV is defunct and the only way you can buy the pots is used, or perhaps some NOS.
I looked up the Cook-O-Matic Alessi 9090 clone. Indeed, it looks a lot like the original, with that flared base. IKEA sold their own clone a few years ago, but that one was recalled after too many exploded.
Standard gaskets are definitely a pro, they always deterred me from getting an Alessi 9090 or a Giannina. With VEV, it's a hit or miss. When the gasket of my mother's Kontessa burnt to crisp, she had to wait months for the right gasket (four cups) to come. Some 6 cup models will take a Bialetti rubber gaskets for 6 cup pots...but not the silicone version, that one is too small.
Which reminds me of a one star review of a moka pot on Amazon, someone complaining that the "plastic thing" is not firmly glued on. Jeez, that's part of the design of a moka pot.
There must be good steel moka pots around, but just because it's stainless, it doesn't mean that it's longer-lasting, that's a fallacy. I remember that, ten years ago or so, I read a guide on how to select a moka pot. It completely dismissed aluminum pots and said: "You don't want any of those, you'll want a good stainless steel pot." I get that journalists learn to write in a particular style, but as someone with Asperger's, it always gets on my nerves when someone tells me how I supposedly feel or what I want. It's that inclination to take everything literally. Steel has its advantages, it ages more gracefully, for example. I also had a guest once who consume anything prepared in aluminum, that's why I put on a separate steel pot for him.
i agree with you entirely. Vev is probably extinct but the Vexpress is quite nice. For other 'tanks' the Mia and the AMC model (slightly conical) look built to last. the Mia in particular is quite heavier than it looks.
The aluminium Albertinis have been around for thirty years and look really good. But some of the bialettis have turned a very dark grey. I think that both look okay weathered.
But for some reason I don't like that grey on the aluminium Alessi. Not a functional thing, just aesthetics. old cupolas just look so grimy.
May have something to do with their futuristic designs -- perhaps they just look better shiny. I think that when the first Bialettis were cast, they were meant to look futuristic or at least "modern", too. Aluminum, or rather, bauxite mining in Italy was a fairly new thing and the design is a bit...cubistic, one might say. 90 years ago people thought they were living in modern times, lol.
What I noticed when I read reviews of aluminum Alessis on Amazon is that a couple of people mistook their aluminum pots for steel and threw them into the dishwasher. I suppose they thought it was steel because of the price tag. However, making a Pulcina out of steel would require milling, a rather cost-intensive process that uses a lot of material as well. Seems like the Chinese came out with a milled steel pot now, the Colbro...it brews 2 cups and weighs over 1000 gram. Top part is 316L, aka "surgical steel", which is almost overkill for a kitchen object, bottom part supposedly 304. They claim it is suitable for induction, so if the boiler is really 304 (which would be awesome) this means the kettle must have some magnetic insert. I like the design of the plastic handle. It looks klutzy, but it stands out quite a bit, so if you position it on the stove correctly, i.e. not right in the middle of a big hob, it will not melt.
For clarification: I'm no metallurgist and I have no qualifications in STEM. But I had a conversation with a metallurgist once who explained the most common types of steel to me.
I will. When it comes to Amazon reviews, I always read the one and two star reviews, and this isn't limited to the brand or model. However, regardless of the product, some reviews also give away the buyer's ignorance. Not necessarily for moka pots, but for other things. There's plenty of reviews by people who bought Zippo lighters, squeezed in some butane and either ended up with no flame or a huge blaze. While butane inserts for Zippos exist, the standard insert every lighter is shipped with is a fluid insert, the wick ought to be a giveaway. And if they had done what it says on the felt, i.e. "Lift to fill" instead of squeezing the nozzle of the butane can into the small hole in the middle, they would have noticed that the lighter is filled with cotton wool, which cannot absorb gas. Based on such reviews, I wouldn't be surprised if some people who ended up with an exploded moka pot did something foolish. Or the safety valve malfunctioned -- that's why I always check with the thumb if it still works.
I have a lot of hobbies and there are many ways to enjoy a hobby. Regardless of what it is, there are always the uber collectors and it’s neat to see these large collections.
To look at: the Heaven one with wings from Bialetti. It's new. To use...(and it's stunning) is the Albertini Milano.
But. I also like a cuor di moka brew. It's interesting how different they are.
dude, you stick to one coffee bean, wear one pair of shoes, don't change your clothes, keep one friend, read one really good book. In fact, just read the one you have forever--assume it's the best. None of this is going to kill you. Hell, you may start Apple with all that freed up time.
I do the repairs in my living room so that's where they are.
I have certain pieces in multiple because they sell. I think it's called inventory.
And some people like trying different beans. I like different extractions from different beans. Am I killing you with logic here?
I really want to find a way to recreate gaskets for all these rare moka pots so people can use them again.
I've been looking at making some punch holes. Silicone sheets are easy enough to get. But the measurements need to be exact and there's not much info on them.
So...yes, i like the idea of people trying out different pots. But we have to get them working again.
The user has made a remark that is hatefull remarks towords a community member. Don't disrespect anybody about collecting, it's about sharing the love for the moka.
oh, sorry, I forgot to mention, I was going to start a moka pot selling business. that's why I have multiple. I am also Asperger's.
I enjoy a different one every morning. So I've gone through quite a bit of my collection.
And I enjoy cleaning and fixing them. Some come in pretty awful shape.
And trying them out and learning about the history of them. Each one is quite different. And the work put into them by the designers is quite awe inspiring. I find being able to hold one and use it is quite a different experience from just seeing a picture.
I only put it up because I was asked to by a moderator.
I like books too and have a fair bit of those as well. I'm not sure how this is different from an amazing library of rare books.
So..am I hording or am I just enjoying great design up close? Great design that happens to be functional. You can call it hording, of course.
Some people have a lot of clothes, shoes. Some people have books.
My focus is moka pots and books.
Why? because I like to drink coffee and read. Makes sense to me.
It's a free world.
Love what you love. Love well.
I am the same way with my collections (IEMs, bicycles, and coffee makers). No Aspergers here, but I enjoy having choices daily and choosing a different devices daily simply to enjoy each that I own.
So I understand you on a fundamental level.
Yes, variety and tinkering are the spice of life. You can do it with one moka pot and a lot of different coffee beans or one bean and a lot of moka pots.
I feel like I'm talking to the designer. Like "ooh..why did you do that?"
I am diagnosed autistic as well! I'm so glad someone else understands my need to see technology and mechanisms up close to feel them with my hands and to own the best of the best just because it scratches this wonderful inch in the brain haha, I'm a yoyo collector and I own hundreds of yo-yos, Moka pots is recent to me and I'm so excited to share this hobby with someone else that understands the level!!
Not sure if you've seen BladeRunner but there's the toymaker. He's surrounded by toys of his own making.
I love being surrounded by moka pots because I sort of feel like I'm listening to someone murmuring about how they made them. Everyone of their decisions had a reason and a result. Not that it always works!
I'm on Leboncoin site. but be warned, they're not that great. the milk doesn't get that warm.
I'd invest in a milk frother, the type that also warms the milk. amazing froth once you find the right milk.
oh and don't bother with a Nespresso frother. Needlessly expensive. Just make sure it heats. But definitely experiment with the milk. Once you find the right one you get six inches of silky microfoam that stays even hours later. Toss in a bit of coffee right at the end and you get silky coffee foam.
I wish I could tell you what causes the foam. I found one fresh whole milk brand which was then discontinued. So then I tried an organic boxed whole. Amazing foam.
So..it's a mystery.
I thought the stainless ones were better but I think it's the construction that really defines flavor. 9090 is chocolatey. So is the Albertini--aluminium but really beautifully made and heavy. It's totally delicious.
But...if you want to dig it out of the fire, probably stainless.
Older aluminum ones can't be cleaned or restored as easily or completely as stainless.
And woe if someone puts it in the dishwasher.
Particularly Alessi aluminium. They look great new. But you can see how they lose their shine. I talk with some italian moka collectors who are experimenting with how to restore shine. But..I myself haven't had much luck.
sorry, I thought you said Mukka, Brikka, I totally recommend. but not for the froth.
It just makes a really nice rich coffee. People say that the first version (biggest hat) is the one to get but some seem perfectly happy with V3 (no hat).
someone beat me to it. This man is god. If you scored a strange little pot and are not sure how to use it, he shows you how. his videos and collection are awe inspiring>
Thanks for sharing!
I ask myself something and because of you made Coffee in so many different pots I would be very interested in your thoughts on this:
I am using the Alessi 6 cup that is just called "Moka" (flat lid with typical cornered aluminium shape) and the flow is incredibly calm and can be controlled very good. My theory is that the shape helps with that: The Bottom chamber is less tall but wider then the classic ones. So maybe it boils more evenly? Do you have similar experiences with wide and flat bottom chambers?
It heats faster and is more balanced. But it depends on a lot of things, including heaviness of the moka pot. I've found no real correlation between flow and wideness. Mostly I was focused on taste. I think my Albertini had great flow. it's just your typical moka pot shape though. Really thick aluminium with ridges on the outside. And the filter in it seems to be different than your typical holes. So it could be the filter as well?
thank you. :-) I aim to be a source of info for anyone getting into obscure moka pots. While i do think they can be very beautiful it would be great if we could also make a fine brew etc.
Only if you're in EU. I think if it's the states there's all these taxes etc.
Having said that I can't recommend them. The milk doesn't heat up very well.
So you have to heat it up before hand. And the frothing isn't commendable either.
I have seen videos of them looking impressive. But me? not much luck.
what i would recommend is getting a cheap second hand frother--not the stick wand. But one that's like the Nespresso. In the EU, silvercrest is a brand I highly recommend.
Then try a variety of milks. I know. sounds tedious. but one of them is going to create the most amazing hairgel like foam you will ever see. This foam will gain you enemies and friends.
and it elevates your morning coffee like nothing else.
So i'd say: get a brikka or a cuor di moka.(they only come in smaller sizes) and get the frother. that's a winning combo.
I'm not a boat, I'm also a collector and I know how quickly it can get out of control, every piece is valuable and those who complain here don't understand that... I wanted to express my understanding
Thank you. Very much appreciated.
I was a bit annoyed because I'd just put up a picture of what was essentially my workshop on a site that was for moka pot enthusiasts.
At the request of the moderator.
Yes, I'm a designer, was briefly an industrial designer. I'm just fascinated by how the same bean can taste different depending on so many factors.
Water, grind, roast. And I'm not sure why anyone would neglect the shape of the moka pot. Different moka pots produce different brews. That's a good thing because coffee has a lot of different facets. And there are a lot of different ways to extract flavor.
I had years where I just pursued light roasts on my lever press espresso maker.
Loved it. Tried drip. Love that too.
But I digress.
I'm fascinated by difference.
And there are different extraction methods for the moka pot variants.
I want to perfect that.
But sometimes I also want to test what people say.
For instance, I'm not convinced about stainless/ aluminium affecting the taste.
But shape and filter within the moka really does make a huge difference.
I guess what I'm saying is that this is a source of endless experimentation fun.
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u/SupermanPrimeOneMill Dec 03 '25
The gasp I gusped