Why is My Moka Pot Coffee Bitter? 1 Reason You Haven’t Thought of

The other day I was wondering ‘Why is my Moka coffee bitter?’

I have been brewing with my Moka pot lately for a change as it’s much easier to clean and it takes about the same time to brew as with an espresso machine. But I noticed that my coffee tastes bitter lately and looked online to find out more. I discovered interesting things I’d like to share with you – stick around. 

Without any further ado, let’s dive straight into it. 

Why is my Moka pot coffee bitter? 

One of the most common reasons Moka pot coffee tastes bitter is because you let it brew for longer than’s needed and because Moka pots are made of aluminium that gets heated easily, your coffee gets burned and this spoils its taste. 

6 reasons that make your Moka pot coffee taste bitter 

Let’s go over 6 common reasons that make your Moka pot coffee bitter.

You brew longer than you should 

Moka pots are made of aluminium which helps during brewing. 

The heat is passing from the stove to the aluminium and it’s heated within seconds, then it passes this heat to the water which creates pressure in the lower part of the Moka pot and this forces the water to run through the funnel and the coffee grounds and all the way up to the upper bit of the pot. 

When you brew longer than you should the aluminium gets heated more than it should, passes the heat to the coffee and coffee starts to get burnt and stuck on the inside of the upper Moka pot. 

Top tip: to avoid burning your coffee be observant and once coffee starts flowing on the upper part turn down the heat, once it starts sputtering you’re done, quickly lift the Moka pot from the stove and put it on a cold stove.  

Stale coffee beans

It’s easy to assume that coffee that has been open in the cupboard for longer than 2 months is OK. The truth is that coffee beans in an open pack for longer than a month (and for ground coffee is about 2 weeks) are going to be stale and make your brew bitter. It’s wise to throw away old coffee beans and buy a new pack.

The use of cold water 

This is another common mistake, it makes sense to put cold water in your Moka pot, right? 

Although it doesn’t seem to be wrong at first glance cold water can make your coffee cold. 

Here’s why: 

The longer your Moka pot sits on a hot stove, the more the chance your brew is going to be bitter. When you use cold water it takes longer to reach the right temperature so pressure is built up, so the coffee grounds are exposed to heat for longer. 

As a great rule of thumb mix up 2 thirds of hot water with 1 third of cold water. All you need is 170ml of water in total

Let’s do the maths:

• 170ml in total
• 112.2ml hot water 
• 57.8ml cold water

Too thin coffee grounds 

The coffee grounds you use for brewing with your espresso machine are too thin for a

Moka pot.

Let me explain:

It’s critical, no matter which gadget or machine you use for brewing, to use the right grind size to brew delicious coffee. For example, if you want to brew with a French press (or reverse French press) you’ll need coarse grinds. In this case, to brew the perfect espresso with a Moka pot, it’s wise to opt for fine-to-medium grinds.

Tamping coffee grounds 

One of the most common mistakes people make when brewing with a Moka pot is to tamp the coffee grounds as you do when brewing with a coffee machine. 

In reality, you don’t need to tamp your coffee grounds at all as the hot water in your Moka pot won’t go through easily and the chances are that you might overheat the water which is going to turn your coffee bitter. 

Simply fill the funnel up with coffee grounds and remember to not tamp it.

Your Moka pot isn’t clean enough

This is another reason that your coffee tastes bitter and the good news is that it’s easy to fix it. 

It’s wise to give it a proper good wash right after you’re done with brewing. It’s also key to avoid using the hard surface of your sponge much as the shiny colour of your Moka pot fades away.

Once your pot is pretty clean, you’ll see the difference in the taste of your coffee. To keep your Moka pot in top condition and prolong its life it’s good to clean it with vinegar (dip a dry cloth in it) to descale it and remove hard minerals from water that build up on the inside of it. 

The stove type you use

That’s another reason that not many usually think of that might affect the taste of your coffee.

If you use a gas stove it’s typically easier to burn your coffee as they get heated quickly, meaning if you’re a few seconds slow to lift your Moka pot off the stove when it starts sputtering you are likely to burn your coffee. Instead, with electric stoves you have more control of the heat and you can easily turn it down when you’re halfway through to let it brew a bit longer which extracts more flavours and aromas making your coffee richer. 

Let’s wrap it up

I now know why my Moka pot coffee is bitter and the most important is I know how to 

fix. Do you also know? Good for you. Stay tuned, I’m going to write more articles about coffee and how to perfect brewing with the Moka pot every single time. 

FAQ

Let’s go over a couple of burning questions to help you understand more about the topic. 

Is Moka Pot coffee more bitter than other brewing methods?

The short answer is: not really 

Typically, a well-brewed espresso made with a Moka pot isn’t more bitter than coffee made with an espresso brewer or Aeropress (learn the right Aeropress water temperature). The machine and gadget you use won’t change the taste of coffee much as long as you follow the best practices of each. 

How do you make Bialetti less bitter?

The quickest way to fix Bialetti bitter coffee is to try to use a slightly coarser grind and this will do the trick and make it taste better. If not, consider trying a new coffee brand and preferably light or medium roast that typically produces slightly sweeter and fruity coffee. 

How do you fix bitter espresso?

One of the most popular and effective ways to go about it is to add some sugar (white or brown) and this will do the trick to sweeten your espresso. Another simple way is to add hot water and turn your espresso to americano. 

What kills bitterness in coffee? 

Fat really kills bitterness in coffee and more specifically fat you can find in butter or cow milk. For example, cow milk contains lactose which is a natural sugar that gives this subtle sweet spin to milk. Adding a splash of cow milk to your coffee, it makes it sweeter.