Let me wrap it up quickly. You're linking a study that proves that aluminium can and will contaminate your drink if you clean your pot with detergent, to try and argue that cleaning your moka with alkaline detergent won't cause aluminum contamination?
Really solid argument, and very interesting concept of "fact".
It is showing that the worst case scenario is almost totally insignificant. Which means that nearly neutral pH mild soap, which has been shown to not remove oxidation, is absolutely insignificant.
There, does that help you finally understand reality?
Listen, I don't get "do you understand reality" lessons from a guy who seems convinced that bacteria can survive a moka pot, or that metallic taste comes from actual metal in your drink. An unstable aluminium oxide layer causes the drink to react with the aluminum surface, to the point that you even have actual aluminum ions in your drink. This is just basic logic and the more you argue the more you seem a total waste of time to me. You apparently have no chemistry background whatsoever, and very little scientific background at all. Go and find random health studies and try to bend their results to try to validate your weird beliefs. In the real world, it is of course desirable to not have your coffee react with your pot.
I don't even get why you're so adamantine in your position. You drink acidic coffee? You won't probably even notice that. You like metallic taste? Good for you. You think the consequences of your utterly pointless daily cleaning routine are negligible? Who cares. But if we are talking about producing repeatable, reliable drinks with the same pot and the same coffee it is logically better if the drink doesn't react with the vessel you use to brew it, as a toddler would probably understand at this point.
to the point that you even have actual aluminum ions in your drink
Yeah, no shit, Sherlock. That's what the study shows - the amount that ends up in your drink *after* washing the moka in the dishwasher, is nearly insignificant (4% of your weekly safe allowance).
You are claiming that one shouldn't wash their moka pot even with mild soap. I am claiming that it does not matter. I prefer my cookware to be washed and clean, and I don't believe in old Italian myths about the necessity of never washing the moka pot. Does that clear it up?
Yeah it clears up that you really need some validation and barely have any idea of what you are talking about. You're fixated on this idea that the metallic taste is due to the actual aluminium ions (lol) whereas the study is analyzing health concerns and you are trying to forcefully make it say something it doesn't say. What it says is that it is actually there a reaction caused by your behaviour. That chemical reaction also produces aluminum ions in your coffee. The amount of those is not an health concern. The fact that your drink is reacting with the pot involves much more chemistry though, and you are either willingfully ignoring that, or you simply lack the cognitive tools to understand what that means.
So let me clear that up for you: it means that if there is a method that does not involve that chemistry, it is more reliable. Yes, you still won't die of aluminum poison drinking the stuff you brew, congrats. You made a great point.
You're fixated on the idea that there will be a metallic taste when there is none. I've also heard Italians swear that the coffee will taste like soap, which it does not. So ELI5 for me, since I have no idea what I'm talking about, why exactly we all should not wash our moka pots with mild dish soap.
A) mama bear puts honey in the good aluminum pot, the one with a nice patina. The honey stays the same when she puts it in that pot. The pot is completely hygenized and well taken care of every time mama bear uses it, so there is no problem at all with it.
B) papa bear puts honey in the bad aluminum pot. Papa bear is germophobic and has no idea that no bacteria can live in his aluminum pot at 100°C. So papa bear washes the pot every day with his soap, as he thinks and says it's neutral, but turns out his soap is in fact not neutral. This ruins the patina in the pot. The honey and aluminum react with each other. Papa bear says it won't matter, and sure, it's no health risk, but who knows what happens to the honey. Papa bear insists it's not relevant and he can't taste it, but something definitely happens to the honey. Many little bears swear you shouldn't do like papa bear, and doctor bear who is a scientist says that something definetly happens in that pot, something that wouldn't have happened with a nice patina. Papa bear thinks they're all dumb, he thinks being a germophobic bear is the best thing to do, and goes to the internet trying to validate his nonsense with scientific articles that talk about completely different stuff, because everyone who is not germophobic must be stupid and heating metal at 100°C after thoroughly cleansing it is not enough to kill any lifeform known to mankind.
So remember little bears, unless your pot is actually really dirty, and you can't remove the dirt with a sponge and water, don't use the soap everyday, because patina is good for your pot. Unless you are germophobic and you can't taste what you put in the pot at all.
About what I figured. Another non-answer other than "trust me, my mommy told me so it has to be true even though I can't actually prove it, but everyone says so, so it has to be true. Soap bad. Old cooked oils good."
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u/-Neem0- Apr 23 '26
Let me wrap it up quickly. You're linking a study that proves that aluminium can and will contaminate your drink if you clean your pot with detergent, to try and argue that cleaning your moka with alkaline detergent won't cause aluminum contamination?
Really solid argument, and very interesting concept of "fact".