I finally gave in and tried a moka pot after years of hating on them

Always thought moka pots made bitter, muddy coffee compared to my French press. Then my buddy Mike brought his over last week and showed me you're supposed to use hot water in the bottom and take it off the heat right before it starts sputtering. The cup I got was actually smooth and strong. Anyone else have a method that completely changed a coffee tool for you?

4 comments

4 Comments

julia_carter6110d ago

Totally disagree that hot water in the bottom is a game changer. I've always done cold water and it's perfectly fine. Actually that seems weird and dangerous, like you're asking to get burned.

sarahpark10d ago

Actually the hot water in the bottom method is pretty common with older pressure canners... my grandmother's Presto from the 70s says to do that in the manual. The valve and pressure gauge are on top so you're not really at risk of getting burned if you're paying attention. A lot of the safety testing was done with hot water starts too, so it's not just some random thing people made up.

tessaperry10d ago

Hot water in the bottom isn't really about getting burned in my experience. That old Presto manual is right - the steam and heat come from the bottom anyway, so the water temp at the start doesn't change much once you get going. If you're worried about splashing, you just put the jars in gently and don't slosh it around. The real danger with canning is usually from not processing long enough or improper sealing, not from hot water in the pot. I've done both ways and honestly the hot water method saves maybe 10 minutes of preheating time, not a total game changer for sure but also not dangerous if you're careful.

harperp2410d ago

Right there with you. I tried it once and the steam burst up in my face when I put the lid on - never again, cold water works fine for me.