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I may be doing it wrong, but I find it tastes too strong or burnt when using the Moka pot.
I prefer the French press.
The trick is to stop the brewing the moment it stops flowing and starts sputtering. But it‘ll still be rather strong coffee. It was supposed to be the next best thing to espresso when invented, after all
Also pre boiling the water helps. I used to find it tasted burnt, but now I like it.
Aeropress is less of a hassle to clean, but I do like the taste of moka pot coffee when I have time. Chemex (pourover) is for my daily cup though.
The pour over method is my daily driver as well. It makes a decent cup.
I also own a Bialetti Kaliffa (the rather rare precursor to the Brikka) and the crema valve is also an improvement. Gets a little closer to espresso thanks to the higher pressure
I have a 3 cups bialetti, it's roughly 150g of water. What I do is use a 1/11 or 1/12 ratio of coffee to water (that's 11 to 13g of coffee depending on the roast). I grind it fine but not too fine (9 on my Baratza Encore). I boil the water, and put an aeropress filter between the seal on the upper part and the coffee grounds funnel. I put the boiled water in the reservoir, up to just under the valve, dump my coffee in the funnel without stamping (it should be cone shaped). I leave the lid open and I put it over medium to low heat. When I hear/see the coffee rise, lower the heat and let it flow,l. Then I remove it from the heat the moment it starts sputtering. I close the lid and serve immediately.
The ratio makes the coffee more balanced, not too strong/syrupy and with a proper taste of the beans.
Thanks. Other than the aeropress filter, I'll try your method and see how it goes. Maybe I leave the heat too high too.
Edit: just tried it this morning. I left the base on the heater at low-med heat, poured boiling water in it before putting the coffee holder thing and screwing the top on.
Left it on the stove on medium until it started to pour into the top then reduced the heat a little. Then when it was just bubbling I took it off and poured in my cup.
It's an improvement, but it's still a bit bitter.
I enjoy a good espresso from time to time, but I think my preference is really the French press which gives a much smoother brew in my opinion. Especially with lighter roasts.
Just out of curiosity, what does med-low mean in terms of the numbers on an induction top? Mine goes from 1-14 in heat, but I usually need to put it to 7, as anything below that just doesn't make it warm enough or I was too impatient to wait? So whemat number do you usually out yours on?
I'll need to try to pre-boil my water too!
I haven't used my mokka on an induction hob for a while, but I guess you can try 7 and lower. I use gas and my pot brews in less than 5 minutes or so if that can give you an idea.
Try a number around 3 to 5, if it takes too long, try hotter; if it goes too quick lift it off, turn it down, keep trying
Other people already answered the question, but is just worth knowing that that last bit is what tastes the most bitter.