Is this a Moka Pot?

[OmegaEdge]

I bought this a few years ago from a vendor in Italy. It has no name brand on it. I paid about 67.00 US I think...

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y87/omega2008/P1010075.jpg
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y87/omega2008/P1010074.jpg

[Jac]

Sure looks like one... Pretty neat design.

[Trius]

Yes, that is a moka pot. It looks like it's stainless rather than the more usual aluminum. That would account for the higher price. Unless it is from a high end maker, the price is pretty high for a moka pot.

[sehrgut]

It's not from a high-end maker. All the mokas worth spending the money on are hallmarked. So, good news and bad news. The bad news is you've been had for something like thirty or forty bucks. The good news is you'll have some of the best brewed coffee available whenever you use it.

[OmegaEdge]

well I am not worried about the money. When I first bought it I though you used regular auto-drip grind coffee in it. Well lets just say it didn't come out right. I recently learned that Illy makes a expresso coffee just for moka pots. Going to buy some of that and give it a go.

By the way, what does "hallmarked" mean?

[sehrgut]

By the way, what does "hallmarked" mean?

Just that it's stamped with the manufacturer's name.

[Trius]

well I am not worried about the money. When I first bought it I though you used regular auto-drip grind coffee in it. Well lets just say it didn't come out right. I recently learned that Illy makes a expresso coffee just for moka pots. Going to buy some of that and give it a go.

By the way, what does "hallmarked" mean?

That's a good move ... I find for my pot that something just a shade coarser than espresso works well, though I have used "pre-ground" in espresso grind without a problem.

One tip: Don't tamp down the coffee prior to brewing as you would with an espresso machine portafilter. It is not recommended, at least by Bialetti.

Wiki: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moka_pot

[OmegaEdge]

Does anyone have any opinions on Illys coffee?

[sehrgut]

Does anyone have any opinions on Illys coffee?

It's better than other prepackaged espresso grinds (Bustelo et al.), but still not "good", simply because preground coffee can never approach "good". A moka will actually work reasonably with a cheap whirly-blade grinder (at least, reasonably compared with using preground coffee), so I'd recommend that approach if you really don't want to spend the money on a decent grinder.

[letterk]

Does anyone have any opinions on Illys coffee?

Good for a few seconds after opening.

[OmegaEdge]

Well I do have a burr grinder, so I could get Illys beans and grind it myself. Do you recommend any other brand of coffee thats sutiable for a moka pot?

[letterk]

Well I do have a burr grinder, so I could get Illys beans and grind it myself. Do you recommend any other brand of coffee thats sutiable for a moka pot?

Illys is fine, but anything that is pre-ground will go stale quickly.

[OmegaEdge]

What kind of grind should I use with at Moka pot, currently I am using an expresso grind. I have been told that a coarser grind should be used.

[Who?]

I have one as well and just use ordinary coarse ground coffee. No espresso stuf or whatever.

[Suzuki]

Illy's is fine, but way over priced IMHO.

Any decent freshly roasted coffee is going to be better than anything that's been sitting on the shelf of a supermarket or shipped over from Italy by boat.

If you're happy with the Illy's, then stick with it, but I'd suspect you can find a local roaster - you'll likely get coffee that's better (or at least just as good) as the Illy's for less $$.

While an espresso grind will work, slightly coarser is best and, as said above, no tamping.

[OmegaEdge]

I will look into finding a local roaster here in the tampa bay area, I would perfer the fresher coffee and saving some green.