If new Moka pots bode no good, this ‘initialisation’ ritual for coffee pots will ensure you obtain delicious, fragrant and satisfying coffee right away for a pleasant coffee break that puts a smile back on your face.
The Moka pot is still as popular as when Alfonso Bialetti invented it in 1933. Although new electric coffee makers and machines have been designed to make espresso in your home, the traditional Moka continues to be a favourite in the daily preparation of coffee. Essentially identical to the original, this is one of the most popular small appliances in Italian homes and abroad. If you have changed your coffee pot or received one as a gift, follow these simple tips and the results will be surprising right from the start.
Three Simple Steps to Make Perfect Coffee
Whether your brand new Moka pot is in porous, lightweight aluminium or resistant steel or has the top section in glass or ceramic, the first step is to wash it to eliminate any industrial processing residues. Water and baking soda are great for this purpose due to their odourless, cleaning and disinfecting action. Vinegar is equally effective but less advisable because of its strong smell that is difficult to eliminate.
The second step is to make the pot work with water only: fill the bottom chamber with water to just below the level of the valve but don’t add coffee to the filter. The boiling water passing through the filter and the funnel will clean the pot, removing any processing residues that give an unpleasant metal aftertaste to your coffee. Empty the upper chamber and repeat this operation at least twice.
The last important step impregnates the Moka pot with the smell of coffee, eliminating that ‘new coffee pot taste’. How? It’s simple! Make one or more pots of coffee, filling only half of the filter with ground coffee. Throw away the brew you have obtained since it will be of rather poor quality. In the meantime, the waxes and oils in the ground coffee will have created a thin layer inside the filter, the funnel and the upper chamber, practically acting as an ‘insulator’ for the metal so that future coffees have only the delicious aromas of your favourite blend.
Wash the Moka pot with hot water and dry thoroughly. It is now ready to give its very best, exalting the aroma and taste of the coffee and infusing the air with its unmistakable fragrance each time you use it.
And after its use?
To keep your coffee pot at its best, always remember to wash it only with hot water after each use, or at least once a day. Do not use detergents that, besides removing the layer formed by the coffee, would also make the brew taste of soap. Check that the filters and gasket are always in good condition and keep your Moka pot completely dry until… it’s time for another coffee!