I don't know if the Aeropress can make a Cuban coffee the way a Moka Pot can? Or just that nice thickness a Moka can. Something about a Moka used with Cafe Bustelo or Pilon is incredible, growing up in South FL and especially the Miami area, Cuban coffee is soooo good and packs a wallop.
I love my moka pot. Ever since I picked one up a few month ago, it sees constant duty mostly because I drink Americanos and it excels in that vein. All my other stuff (french press, gaggia) has been gathering dust while I work my way through my new obsession.
A 9-cup moka might be too big for a nuanced "technical" approach. If you want control, flexibility and repeatable results while brewing reasonable amounts of coffee you might like a 2 (or 4) cup Bialetti Brikka. Whether or not the "crema" makes a difference is a bit moot - the tophat also controls pressure and temperature.
Since the pot always does the same thing at the same time, you can vary water volume, grind etc to control extraction a lot more easily. Take the pot off the heat as soon as brewing starts and with everything right the flow cuts before you start drawing burnt/bitter/overextracted coffee.
A 9-cup moka might be too big for a nuanced "technical" approach. If you want control, flexibility and repeatable results while brewing reasonable amounts of coffee you might like a 2 (or 4) cup Bialetti Brikka. Whether or not the "crema" makes a difference is a bit moot - the tophat also controls pressure and temperature.
Since the pot always does the same thing at the same time, you can vary water volume, grind etc to control extraction a lot more easily. Take the pot off the heat as soon as brewing starts and with everything right the flow cuts before you start drawing burnt/bitter/overextracted coffee.
I considered that, and I'm sure I'll revisit some day. If/when I do, I'll probably start with the small one. My investigation plan is well past 6 months out right now, and seems to gain weeks of items every time I discover something I haven't seen before. That's with the brew methods I have now...
------------------------------------------ ----------------------------------------- Le café doit être noir comme le diable, chaud comme l'enfer, pur comme un ange, et doux comme l'amour.
"There is no right answer with coffee. There is only the elixir in your cup at the moment you partake."
"...I often say that when you can measure what you are speaking about, and express it in numbers, you know something about it; but when you cannot measure it, when you cannot express it in numbers, your knowledge is of a meagre and unsatisfactory kind;..." - Lord Kelvin RECIPES thread => http://www.coffeegeek.com/forums/coffee/machines/585708
And another thing... is everyone really that worried about aluminum exposure?
I hope people understand that you get 10X more exposure to aluminum using an antiperspirant than you do with a well-cleaned moka pot. ;^D
------------------------------------------ ----------------------------------------- Le café doit être noir comme le diable, chaud comme l'enfer, pur comme un ange, et doux comme l'amour.
"There is no right answer with coffee. There is only the elixir in your cup at the moment you partake."
"...I often say that when you can measure what you are speaking about, and express it in numbers, you know something about it; but when you cannot measure it, when you cannot express it in numbers, your knowledge is of a meagre and unsatisfactory kind;..." - Lord Kelvin RECIPES thread => http://www.coffeegeek.com/forums/coffee/machines/585708
I get the gist of how it works, I've made a couple 19% and 20% extractions, I've had them clarified and yes, they're pretty good - but I've got a backlog of other things I need to work on and just don't feel I need add "mastering a moka pot" to my "to do" list... LOL
Gets pretty good results right out of the gate, acknowledges there is a learning curve/understands these good results will only improve, AND even got a great deal on it...
I love my moka pot. Ever since I picked one up a few month ago, it sees constant duty mostly because I drink Americanos and it excels in that vein. All my other stuff (french press, gaggia) has been gathering dust while I work my way through my new obsession.
Wow! You have my same experience. I just sold my Gaggia classic because I have gotten so good with my Bialetti moka pot that I felt bad seeing it sit there collecting dust. I use only a Chemex pour over and my multiple moka pots. I love the Americanos and Cubans I can get with it. I also agree with the writer that commented that a nine cup moka might not be the best to start out with. I would recommend mastering the 3 cup first. Do it over and over until you get the flow to just spill out of the spout. It is heavenly. It is also a very forgiving method of brewing that can make a great cup out of even 10 day old beans----- or even ground from a can!! I gotta admit I like Cafe Bustelo when I cant get fresh beans.
I'm seriously considering using my 6-cup moka pot for camping (to replace the Rapid Brew percolator). Either one takes about as much effort to clean in the field, plus it looks cooler. And I found one in Goodwill the other day...but when I tore it down, it looked like someone had been brewing with battery acid. Yuk!
$7.74 at WalMart for a 6-cup actual knockoff of a moka pot. I figure it's worth almost $0.14 of aluminum or thirdworldium alone. It's better than $28, even if I don't use it much.
It looks amazingly like a real one. Set them side by side and except for the casting flashing on the lid...
Any guesses on what I'm up against?
So, it's here. FWIW. I'll give it a try later when I'm bored and thinking of something to do... LOL
(Click for larger image)
------------------------------------------ ----------------------------------------- Le café doit être noir comme le diable, chaud comme l'enfer, pur comme un ange, et doux comme l'amour.
"There is no right answer with coffee. There is only the elixir in your cup at the moment you partake."
"...I often say that when you can measure what you are speaking about, and express it in numbers, you know something about it; but when you cannot measure it, when you cannot express it in numbers, your knowledge is of a meagre and unsatisfactory kind;..." - Lord Kelvin RECIPES thread => http://www.coffeegeek.com/forums/coffee/machines/585708
It is a fairly simple device so I would expect it to operate just like the "real" one. I have a knockoff I bought at Pier one imports, when I was on vacation in Seattle in the early '70s when I was still a young pup, it still works though I have not used it for many, many years.
In real life, my name is Wayne P.
Feed the newbs, starve the trolls and above all enjoy what you drink!
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