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#3 Weekly Coffee Thread (sh.itjust.works)

In this thread you can share what new coffee, equipment, techniques etc. you have tried this week.

What have you enjoyed and what didn't you like? Have you learned anything new?

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[-] BurntWits@sh.itjust.works 3 points 1 week ago

I mostly use a 3-cup and it sounds like yours is closer to a 6-cup so ymmv, but,

  1. Have you tried playing with water temperature? Lance Hedrick did some testing and found when you start with boiled water, the brew ends up extracting at a much higher temperature, which could cause bitterness. I’ve done hot and cold and didn’t find a huge difference so I stick with boiled water to save time, but it’s something worth testing out.
  2. Try testing with less amount of water. I find right up to the valve to be fine but I’ve seen some people have better luck going about 1cm below the valve.
  3. I don’t ever go above medium heat (electric ceramic, not induction), then temp surf, trying to have the least amount of flow until it’s done, so in my experience just having the edge of the pot touching the heat, or sometimes just fully removing it from heat until flow stops and putting it back on.

Everything else looks good from your technique. How’s your grind size? You want to be a bit courser than espresso but finer than pour over. And are you doing any kind of puck prep? I know it’s not espresso but I’ve found doing a bit of distribution can help prevent channeling. I use a WDT since I have one anyway for espresso, but you can even just use an acupuncture needle or something else similarly fine. Have you played with paper filters at all? Aeropress filters work quite well on most moka pot sizes.

[-] synapse1278@lemmy.world 2 points 1 week ago

How’s your grind size? You want to be a bit courser than espresso but finer than pour over.

On my manual grinder, I use between 2.5 and 4.0 out of 10.0 for V60, and I found 2.0 works best for the moka.

And are you doing any kind of puck prep?

I just tap the basket with my finger to distribute the ground, I don't do anything else. I don't have a WDT, I will try to find a needle or toothpicks and try that.

Have you played with paper filters at all?

No, I don't have this type of filter at hand.

I will try to play with temperature, and maybe get myself a smaller moka pot, as this one is indeed a bit too big. It forces be to make a big batch every time.

[-] BurntWits@sh.itjust.works 3 points 1 week ago

For what it’s worth, I find the 3-cup moka pot to be substantially more forgiving than the 6-cup, to the point where I’ll oftentimes brew two 3-cups rather than one 6-cup if I need a larger brew. At the same time, a 6-cup is absolutely still doable. I’ve made some really good coffee in a 6-cup but it’s been far more finicky.

[-] godot@lemmy.world 2 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

FWIW, my experience with Moka pot starting temp mirrors Lance's. Everyone recommends to start with boiling water, but I find it easier to control the flow of the brew when starting with room temperature water. I don't mind waiting the extra minute or so to boil the water in the Moka pot and I don't have to screw the top to a searing hot aluminum container that I'm trying to hold with a towel.

[-] BurntWits@sh.itjust.works 2 points 1 week ago

Yeah, trying to assemble the whole thing while it’s that hot can definitely be a pain.

[-] sqw@lemmy.sdf.org 1 points 1 week ago

imho adding aeropress filter improves moka more than anything other than buying good quality coffee.

this post was submitted on 16 Aug 2026
20 points (100.0% liked)

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