Too Much Coffee

I've got a question:

I use a moka pot which can make 0,3 liters of coffee, but this is obviously too much for me on my own. What is the best approach when making about half?

a) half the water, half the ground coffee, although the the ground coffee has a lot of free space,
b) Half the water, all the ground coffee, pretty strong?
c) all the water, all the ground coffee, throw the half you don't drink away,
d) just buying an new, smaller one,
e) an other option which I dind't think of.

All of the above options (except d and e) don't seem the best solution to me . . .

WHAT, 0,3 liters is to much for you by yourself?!!!
Whatever you do, do not throw that dark delicious nectar away down the drain.
Have a nice strong cup and go for option two. Just get a milder coffee if it is to strong.
Once you start roasting your own beans and grinding them you can experiment with different roasting levels and bean origines and grinds. (LOL)

(c)
or experiment with what zapty said

0.3 litres is a 6-cup moka. You could get smaller ones (1 or 3 cup). Don't know what size you can get in electrics though.

I've found they work best with water and coffee full, and that the smaller ones work better. Don't know why. A smaller moka may be the best option.

But - it can be done with a larger pot. I found that filling the water less than up to the line, and it doesn't work so well. Best to fill the water up to the line and turn the heat off when half the pot has come through, than to half fill the water. The first coffee to come through tastes better than the last bit anyway. So, "half the water" not an option. "Turn off before half the water come through" is an option.

Putting less grounds in does work, but I've found that less than half filling the funnel does make a less tasty brew.

But that's only my experience. The best answer is: Experiment and have fun!

James

Jameso´s advice - yes, that is the way to do it!
Trying to use less coffee and water than the moka pot is designed for is not a good idea. As jameso says, the first coffee coming out of the moka pot is the best one anyway, so stop the extraction by taking the pot off the heat prematurely (or "pour the coffee over into a cup before the last half runs through"). In fact, when I make moka pot coffee I always do it like that.

The small Bialetti Brikka (maybe the large one too?) is an exception - it is not at all as sensitive as other moka pots when it comes to this (The Brikka has little weight on top of the coffee outlet that forces the steam up to 4 bars before it lets the water through).

I go with Jameso, too - full coffee, full water, just cut it off after half the water is in the upper half of the mokkapot, and enjoy your strong black (and hopefully very well tasting) coffee

I found that the most common problem in mokkapots is overheating. When the water boils and it makes splish-splash noises, it's too hot and tastes ... well, burned.

ive got an electric, 400W, it seems not to have that problem, it also auto-stops heating right on time. pretty easy actualy. But the coffee is relatively cold, as in: not really hot, so ive got to drink it right away.

jameso wrote:0I've found they work best with water and coffee full, and that the smaller ones work better. Don't know why. A smaller moka may be the best option.

Yeah, the smaller ones are better. The thing is to have as many as you need in different sizes. They don't cost much. I have one that makes one cup, one that makes three cups, one that makes six cups and one that makes nine cups.

I have yet to use the nine cup pot. The six cup comes out now and then. The three cup is the one that I use all the time, more or less everyday. But for the best coffee I'll use the one cup moka pot. Then it's just for me. One small lovely little cup.

So, the alternative is d) without a doubt. Get the right sizes you need for different situations.