I'm surprised at how much conflicting information there is about whether or not to clean the Moka Pot (stovetop espresso).
I have an old Starbucks Vapore espresso maker that I stopped using because the coffee pulls were bitter and acrid. I tried cleaning with lemon juice, changing how I tamped, grinding the coffee just before pulling the shot, all to no avail.
So I gave up.
Went to drip coffee for a while, but don't like the paper filter.
Back to my moka pot, and again had acrid coffee taste.
In researching the web about cleaning moka pot, there seems to be a lot of suggestions for not cleaning it. Letting it build up a coating of coffee oils which people refer to as seasoning.
However, any post I have read about espresso making has stressed that the espresso maker must be cleaned of coffee oils.
Why would this not apply to the Moka pot?
Well, today I took the plunge and cleaned the Moka pot. Used a small wire brush to clean out the nozzle. Took off the gasket and cleaned the filter. The only place I couldn't clean was the inside of the coffee basket.
Made a batch and the coffee did not taste acrid.
Then went online to purchase some coffee cleaner for my espresso maker and Moka pot.
http://www.urnex.com/
I'm now a firm believer in cleaning. What's the most important aspect of making a good cup of coffee? Cleaning.
It would be a good test to have two Moka pots, make a serving of coffee in each of them every day, clean one and let the other build up a residue of seasoning, and see how the taste changes.
I have a steel Moka. Maybe the aluminum Moka pots need the seasoning to keep the aluminum taste at bay?
Does anyone have any thoughts about seasoning a coffee pot. Is it a myth? At some point does the seasoning make the coffee taste better?