How to clean moka pot: tips and tricks to have it shiny and ready for use

How to clean moka pot, how can we have a shiny moka pot as if just bought with which to prepare a coffee worthy of the name? How to do it at home, without chemicals? What mistakes should we avoid in order not to ruin the moka pot and with it our beloved coffees? Let’s find out the tricks and secrets for a perfect moka pot.

In Italian kitchens, two things can never be missing: pasta and moka pot for coffee. A coffee maker invented almost 100 years ago and so important that it deserves a place in the permanent collection in the MoMA in New York, the moka pot is a symbol of our culture and a precious ally at any time of the day. Is yours a little black, has limescale stains or annoying molds? Do you want to clean it and see it shine like just purchased without using chemicals? Here is a simple guide to clean the moka pot and some mistakes to pay attention to to always have it ready for use.

How to clean moka pot

Without chemicals or soaps of any kind, it is possible to clean the moka pot and always have it shining, let’s see how, piece by piece:

The external part of your moka pot does not require particular attention, to clean it correctly, in fact, you just need to rinse it well with each coffee with running water and dry it to avoid the formation of halos. Every now and then, using a soft sponge (so as not to scratch the machine) with water and white wine vinegar, you can easily polish the lower part which, in contact with the flame, could blacken. If necessary, you can also add a pinch of baking soda to the vinegar and your moka pot will shine like new again.

The filter: even in the case of the filter, essential for a good result of the coffee, we will have an ordinary and an “extraordinary” cleaning. Ordinary: to have a clean filter it is important to rinse it well with cold running water before filling it with dust. Extraordinary: every now and then, when the small holes “get clogged”, leave the filter to soak for 30 minutes in boiling water and lemon juice, then rinse and dry well. If the holes do not want to clean them, arm yourself with toothpicks and free them.

The tank: probably the piece to pay more attention to is the tank because inside it often, even if we do not notice it, stains can form due to the limestone present in the water. To clean it, just fill it with water and white vinegar, add a pinch of salt and “pretend to make a coffee”: close the machine without filling the filter with the coffee powder, bring it to the stove and let all the water out. Before reusing the moka pot, it is advisable to make an “empty coffee”: to know what we are talking about, just continue reading.

The seal: with time and coffee, the seals tend to accumulate residues of coffee powder and wear out: if they are only dirty, just clean them with hot water and vinegar and put them back in the moka pot; if they are now eroded and worn, you just have to buy new ones.

All the pieces to soak: once a month, to have a shining moka pot and to guarantee you coffees worthy of the name, we advise you to give them a nice bath: remove all the pieces and leave them to soak in water and vinegar for 30 minutes (if the moka pot is made of aluminium you can also use citric acid or lemon) then rinse and dry the pieces but don’t forget to make a coffee empty to eliminate the vinegar smell.

clean moka pot

Mistakes to avoid

Now that you have learned how to have a moka pot that is always clean and sparkling, it’s time to discover 5 mistakes not to commit to always have a perfect moka pot that guarantees you a creamy and fragrant coffee.

Never use soap: if you don’t want to ruin your moka pot forever, you will never have to clean it with soap. In fact, using soap has two consequences: it needs a lot of water to rinse (especially the tank) and a terrible aftertaste of soap that will make your coffee undrinkable.

The “empty coffee”: have you bought a brand new moka pot and can’t wait to make yourself a coffee? Please stop, for heaven’s sake and prepare an “empty coffee”: fill the filter two-thirds and let all the water rise; once the flame has gone out, leave the coffee in the machine for two hours before throwing it away, the time necessary for the coffee to act on the sides of the moka pot and eliminate the ferrous taste of the metal.

Do not leave the coffee in the moka pot for too long: if you are a coffee lover you probably do not run the risk that it will remain in the machine but it is well known that, especially in summer and with high temperatures, coffee left for too long in the moka or used powder left in the tank could mould and ruin the moka pot.

Dry well: before storing the moka pot in the kitchen cabinet, remember to disassemble it, wash it and dry it well with a cotton cloth, in this way you will avoid the formation of halos or, worse, molds.

Watch out for the closure: when it comes to coffee, there are some small tricks and some simple rules: in the case of the closure in medio stat virtus, as the Latins would say, therefore neither too narrow nor too wide. If you tighten the moka pot too much you risk that the gasket will wear out quickly, if you don’t tighten enough your coffee will end up on the stove and not in the cup. In short, be careful.

clean moka pot

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