Moka Pot to clean or not to clean????????

[PaulSB]

.........that is the question

I've always enjoyed good coffee but until a few months ago used instant at home. My son bought me a six month subscription to a very good local coffee roaster which pushed me to brewing at home. I didn't have anything suitable to make coffee for one and after a lot of deliberation bought a two cup Bialetti Moka Pot. This is working very well for my morning coffee. I might move on to something more sophisticated in future, we will see.

We've owned 6-8 cup Moka for perhaps 45 years but it's very rarely used and never cleaned other than a quick rinse.

I'm keen to get the best coffee out of my two cup Moka which leads to the cleaning question. I've found two schools of thought; never clean the Moka with anything other than hot water as this helps the essential oils build up in and on the pot improving the coffee flavour. The other is the opposite; clean the Moka by "brewing" a 50/50 mix of water and white vinegar in it. Do this every two months to prevent the build up of any residual bitterness which can distract from the coffee's flavour.

Bialetti recommend a deep clean using baking soda, citric acid or vinegar. The description of how and why on their website is a joy to read. Only an Italian could have written this!!! So far I've only rinsed. I'm very inclined to follow Bialetti but thought I'd ask for other ideas. Any experience or views on this???

 

[Profpointy]

I just swill mine out with hot water. As it's aluminium alloy I'd be reluctant to treat with anything acidic or alkaline as it is attacked by both which will cause pitting in the surface.

 

[fossyant]

Just rinse out and a wipe. That's it. We have a 9 cup Bialetti and a six cup stainless Ikea one for camping.

 

[Shortfall]

I have a stainless steel one which I just swill with hot water. I also use an Aeropress which makes great coffee with a bit less faff than the mokka pot (not that using the mokka is difficult anyway). There's some interesting stuff on YouTube about home coffee brewing and also a lot of absolute bollocks from coffee snobs who seem to outdo real ale aficionados and wine connoisseurs for pomposity.

 

[glasgowcyclist]

Daily cleaning after use should, according to Bialetti, be a rinse out with hot water (never with any kind of detergent) and then dry with a clean cloth. Don’t reassemble it until you’re certain all components are completely dry. Every now and again, clean it with the suggested method of either water and vinegar or water and lemon juice by filling the pot with your chosen mixture and boiling it as you would when making coffee. Discard the result and rinse again before making fresh coffee.

The main factor to consider is the water hardness where you are. You may have to do the deeper clean more often than, say, I do here in Scotland, where our water is famously soft. If you are in a hard water area, maybe use bottled or filtered water instead.

 

[Yellow Saddle]

Just wash the damn thing like any other food appliance. This nonsense going around about only wiping this with essential oil this and microfiber that is all BS.

There's this gross thing going round that one should not wash jeans. Apparently you shouild freeze (as in freezer) the stink away when it arrives.

Wash your bike, wash your jeans and wash your coffee pot.

 

[Pat "5mph"]

Daily cleaning after use should, according to Bialetti, be a rinse out with hot water (never with any kind of detergent) and then dry with a clean cloth. Don’t reassemble it until you’re certain all components are completely dry. Every now and again, clean it with the suggested method of either water and vinegar or water and lemon juice by filling the pot with your chosen mixture and boiling it as you would when making coffee. Discard the result and rinse again before making fresh coffee.

The main factor to consider is the water hardness where you are. You may have to do the deeper clean more often than, say, I do here in Scotland, where our water is famously soft. If you are in a hard water area, maybe use bottled or filtered water instead.

I was going to post like @glasgowcyclist: do as Bialetti suggests, but be aware of the level of water hardness in your area.
I have never needed to do a deep clean on any of my coffee machines, just a rinse with hot water followed by a wipe with a wet cloth, then air dried.

There's this gross thing going round that one should not wash jeans.

Really? Still? I thought this was a thing only up till the 80's!

wash your coffee pot.

Yeahbut, do not use detergent, just water

 

[Veronese68]

Traditional Italian way as taught to me by my mother, just wash it with hot water and no detergent. In winter put the bits on a radiator to make sure they are completely dry. That’s it. Also, yes, there’s a lot of utter codswallop on YouTube, instagram and whatever from coffee snobs. Ignore as you see fit.

 

[PaulSB]

Thanks, all. I agree there is a lot of snobby nonsense about regarding this, coffee snobs are worse than wine snobs, though they seem to be mercifully rare these days. I get a nice coffee in the morning and that's all I'm worried about!

Day to day a quick rinse and thorough dry has worked well for me so far and I'll continue with that. I was already leaning towards the Bialetti advice and will give it a go and see what happens. I can't imagine one or two cleans will cause a problem. I'll have a think after that.

Cheers for the responses

 

[diplodicus]

We have a stainless steel moka.
We just rinse after each use and occasionally put it in the dishwasher. Doesn't seem to do it any harm.

 

[Pblakeney]

Aluminium pot here. Rinse using only warm water, hand wipe residual, rinse again, and air dry.
Soft water supply helps.

 

[DaveReading]

Agreed, quick rinse in hot water and remove any grounds stuck to the bottom of the rubber ring.

Dry with a kitchen towel then leave for an hour or so before reassembling.

 

[PaulSB]

Well, I did the clean and feel it was worthwhile. I've noticed three things; the pot definitely felt oily before the clean, inside and out, that has gone, my coffee is clearer and a bitterness I was tasting was disappeared. I'm possibly fooling myself with that one but I had good coffee yesterday and the one I have beside me is very good. 👍

 

[fossyant]

I think the only main advice is no aggressive cleaners. Nothing wrong with a rinse in soap and water.

 

[Yellow Saddle]

I think the only main advice is no aggressive cleaners. Nothing wrong with a rinse in soap and water.

What would you consider to be an aggressive cleaner?