Anyone got a mokka pot (is that what they're called?)

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I have recently been introduced to noisette coffee in France which was gorgeous

Better than cortado and macchiato.

I dont drink a lot of coffee. I cant drink buckets of drink in any case and would probably only have a small coffee once or twice a week

But Ive been looking at these little espresso pots that you put on the hob, is this going to be another gadget cluttering up my cupboards when Im trying to shed items?
Are they too small to put on the hob?

OH likes instant coffee or sometimes does a weak cafetiere coffee at the weekend. Abroad when we get to our self catering accommodation he is straight out to the carre four to buy over priced Nescafe (because no one decent drinks that shit abroad)

Ive seen this

amazon.co.uk/0007303-Bialetti-MINI-EXPRESS-8006363030489/dp/B08BRYT5Y4/ref=rvi_d_sccl_3/258-1646786-6637245?pd_rd_w=hUeM7&content-id=amzn1.sym.d56e60fb-87bc-405a-a95d-c5e322a9b3d9&pf_rd_p=d56e60fb-87bc-405a-a95d-c5e322a9b3d9&pf_rd_r=Y3YX3TKZ6EZK560QTS2B&pd_rd_wg=0Uooi&pd_rd_r=e5b68913-d0cb-4e84-b66b-0a12ff4f595e&pd_rd_i=B08BRYT5Y4&psc=1

I love my moka pots - I mainly have varying sizes of the ones to go on the gas hob, but also have a small electric one for the office (works in the same way, but you plug it in for the bottom to be heated.). For induction hobs, you can buy one specifically made for them if you don’t have or want the adapter thing.
For me, it makes the best coffee, but you do need to ensure the water is below the steam outlet / nut and leave it on long enough for all the water to go through. Personally, I like my coffee strong so I put a bit less water in and really pack the coffee in (just lavazza). Then I put it on high until it starts spluttering and when I open the lid I can see the water is no longer coming through and the crema / paler frothy bit is there. (My Italian family tend to add a bit more water so doubtless im not making it authentically, but I’d rather have one or two strong coffees a day than four weaker like they do…)
Cleaning wise, I generally leave it to cool, but if I decide I want another coffee when it’s too hot to grip, I run it under a cold tap,
separate the top and bottom, knock the bottom against the side of the sink to get the bit with the coffee in out and then knock
that against the inside side of the bin and it comes out like a hockey puck. If yours isn’t coming out or is still watery, it might be you're not letting the coffee finish (especially if there’s still water in the bottom part of the pot) and / or that you’re not packing the coffee in enough.
Hope you come to love it.
(I don’t care what people say about an aeropress, it’s nowhere near as good.)

Hello, congratulations on your new coffee pot! Another positive vote here, I use my Bialetti single serving Moka pot daily as I like espresso and no one else does. It fits on my smallest gas ring so I don't need another gadget with it. You're right, you do need fine-ground coffee or you will end up with some water in the bottom section. I either buy the espresso-labelled coffee (Illy is good in supermarkets) and for beans I have a grinder - check the make for an 'espresso setting' if you're buying one though.

I have a 4-cup Moka if someone else does want a cup as they take a while to cool after use but you can put it into the sink and run water over the top of lid to cool the metal down if you're in a hurry. I turn the coffee+water bit upside down and tap gently to separate them in the sink when cool, the coffee tends to stay in the Moka then I tap it straight into the compost bin, and wash the whole thing out just with water.

Quite. I'm always pretty shocked on the price of groceries threads when people talk about how much their instant coffee costs! I mean, they're paying at least double the price for something that doesn't taste as good- wtf?!

And the Nespresso pods- I don't know how much they cost in the UK, but while we were on holiday this year we had various holiday accommodations with Nespresso machines, and the pods were NOT cheap!!

You can buy a stainless steel reusable filter for the Aeropress so no need to buy paper filters .

I can’t be doing with the faff of pods. It’s environmentally unfriendly and expensive. I think the moka pot coffee is actually better. It’s a different routine to get used to but no more trouble.

The Aeropress filters come in a pack of 350 though so it's not like you have to buy then every week. Most independent coffee shops even Whittard sell them. (Reminds me we are down to last 50 or so and I need to get some)

We’ve a coffee machine at home, but in Italy we use Bialettis. Indestructible and easy to take away on camping trips etc. Just don’t ever put them in the dishwasher. I once did, and ruined the beautiful shine. DH still to this day doesn’t know how it happened. Just rinse out with water.

Im updating this with my mokka experiences

Im treating it less like a new born baby now and even leaving it the next day before washing sometimes!!

I still have my 2 bowl system because its really impossible to get the coffee funnel out, without tipping the whole thing upside down

The coffee also never comes out with a 'sharp tap on the side of the bin' or even a massive bang on the side of the bin, it has to be scraped out with a spoon. Doesnt matter whether its hot or cold or has been left or hasnt been left, its like thick paste in there.

We're using the espresso grind from Illy in the tins and keeping the open ones in the fridge.

I don't know what's going on with the grounds coming out. I normally just use a bog standard ground coffee rather than a specific espresso grind, but then I remember that I have used Lavazza a few times and it's still been fine!

Do you take it off the heat the moment it starts bubbling? Because I always leave it for about 30 seconds, to ensure all the water is forced through.

Just give it up and buy an aeropress!

I have a four cup cafetière and a single cup mokka pot. I use the mokka pot more as it is quicker to boil for a single cup of coffee. I have a ceramic hob and it’s fine on a small ring, just be careful as handle can get hot. You can buy a trivet for gas cookers/camping stoves to reduce the ring size. I heat the milk in the microwave. Mokka Pot easier to clean too as grounds are compacted and tap into bin easily. Do need to check the funnel if it’s been drying on the draining board overnight, once found a spider in it.

Used mokka pot for years. Think it's much better than caffitere. I have recently switched to cold brew concentrate which I'm make and I then dilute with boiling water. It's sooooo smooth. I still like mokka pot though.

I dont take it off the heat the minute it starts bubbling because although I keep reading you're meant to do that, essentially it means it stops the water coming through

I dont need to give up?

Im not unhappy, Im just updating how Im using it.

It is what it is.

The handle never gets hot so thats ok. What I do find difficult is that I pour hot water into the bottom bit and then in order to grip that and screw on the top bit, its really hot to hold on to the bottom bit and my fine motor skills and dexterity is very poor and so I find it difficult to grip with a cloth or tea towel to screw it on without tipping it over or burning myself on the metal.

Thats a bit of a nuisance.

My husband has an all systems to blast off Sage grind to froth large lump that takes up too much kitchen surface space and even he admits that my little Mokka makes much nicer coffee than his machine. It’s a small one ( there’s a bigger one in the cupboard for occasional use) and I don’t have any trouble balancing it on the gas hob. I put it in the centre to cool down and then it’s a simple job to unscrew and remove the basket to put the grounds in the caddy. You don’t need to remove the filter from the top container unless you are changing the seal, just rinse lightly.

Love mine.
Its Pretty easy- just make sure you screw it in tightly enough, and turn it off as soon as it gurgles, otherwise it will be overcooked.

I do use it on the gas burner ( I have a tiny one which does fit on the burner). I put it on and at the same time I put milk in the frother. Yum

Re: getting the grounds of the funnel...

1. Take the funnel out of the pot and hold it over your food waste bin
2. Turn it upside down (the compacted grounds will stay in)
3. Put the tip of the funnel spout in your mouth
4. Blow quickly and hardish
5. Hey presto, the compacted coffee will fly out
6. Give the funnel a quick rinse under the tap if needed

No need for scraping out with a teaspoon and coffee grounds in the sink...

Just use cold water in the bottom bit when you're putting it together to make the coffee.

Far less risky...

I fill the bottom with cold water then boil it on the hob. Sure that is how you are meant to use them. Cool thoroughly before dismantling/washing.

Do you tamp the grounds down when you put them in? This creates the coffee 'patty' to just be tapped out in the bin. If you're getting a lot of water pour out when you turn it upside down you're putting too much in, but you'll always get a little pour out, nothing really to write home about though, just leave it until it's cold to clean.

Nice idea but my bin is in a cupboard so I would have to pull the bin out to do that. I will try it and feed back.

Its true, but everything Ive read says put hot water, just off the boil, if you put cold water in and heat it in the pot, it makes the coffee more bitter. We tried it to experiment and its true, the coffee isnt as good. So hot water is what I use.

Theres not tons of water in the bottom, but enough to cause a mess unless I tip the bottom bit out into a little bowl. I only put enough water in, just to the safety valve, exactly what Ive read and see on youtube so Im doing it right

I dont tamp it down as you're not meant to.

Last year I stayed with a friend whose only coffee-making equipment was a moka pot, and it went straight to the bottom of my league of coffee-making gadgets and stayed there. So high maintenance and inconvenient, especially as I like to have several cups of coffee first thing in the morning. My gadget of choice is the little push-button filter machine that makes one cup of coffee at a time.