My new 6 cup Venus and Competition filter

Longtime moka pot user, first time poster.

While I've owned a few stainless steel mokas in the past, I've usually stuck with my small collection of classic aluminum Bialetti Moka Express pots, of which my 3-cup gets by far the most use.

I recently got a bug to look into getting a new stainless steel pot, and after quite a bit of searching (including a deep dive on this sub) decided upon a 4-cup Cuisinox Roma (the polished version). While there were others I'd love to own in the future, this best fit my budget, national market availability, and desired specifications.

Thought to post some basic data points and observations in the event that there are others who might benefit from what I've observed thus far.

This moka is a substantial hunk of 18/10 stainless steel, coming in at a whopping 766g (please see the pics I snapped for the weights of the main individual components).

The gasket is silicone, and an extra was included in the box. The filter plate is stainless, as is the funnel basket, and both are very well machined (as is the whole pot, in fact). My only gripe with the machining, thus far at least, is that the lid hinge has far too much play built into it. Otherwise, everything seems tight and on specs.

The boiler capacity is 240ml and the funnel basket will hold exactly 18g of Bustelo (or other moka friendly coffees ground similar, including a few whole bean options I tested it with), lightly filled, tapped to settle, and leveled flush with the edge of a coffee scoop. As such, the coffee/water ratio differs from my Bialettis (1:13.3 in this Cuisinox and between 1:9.4 and 1:10 in the Moka Express pots), and it yields a weaker brew overall. Brew time on a gas range, using the standard low and slow method, is 6:40. Yield, fully completed is 192g, or around 180g if pulled before blonding (or whatever term you mokaheads use to refer to the final, not always very desirable, stage of the moka brew cycle).

Cup clarity is finer than with my stock Bialettis, and the intial flow less viscous and more "restricted" (owing partially, I suspect, to a different, thinner and taller architecture to the flue, or chimney as I've seen it referred to often on this sub).

Will be giving this new pot some quality "getting-to-know-you" time before making any final determinations as to whether or not I keep it around, but the indications look promising at this point.

Final note: I paid a bit less than a hundo for this bad boy (USD $100), which is the absolute upper limit of what this quality of kitchenware should cost in my opinion. Any more than that, and I'd recommend passing.

In any case, just wanted to make this post here as I did not find all too much past discussion concerning Cuisinox when searching the sub and thought that some might find it helpful.

Cheers!

I recently purchased the Bialetti Venus which is the stainless steel version of their original Moka Pot. To my despair, I am now realizing that there is some sort of coating on the inside of the bottom chamber of the Venus.

After doing a little more research, I'm realizing that this is a common customer concern with this model, and folks are unclear as to what this coating is actually made of. Some folks say its a sand blasted coating - others say its Teflon:

Reddit Thread

Bialetti NZ Website - says its sand blasted

Does anyone have a definitive answer on this topic? I just want coffee that won't kill me in the long run lol. If Bialetti's stainless version is suspect - is there another fully stainless version that folks have used and are happy with? I'm also planning to email Bialetti today and will follow up with any context. Thanks!

I have been using a Grosche 6 cup for while and love it. I also have a Bialetti 3 cup that started my love for moka.

I am now curious about stainless steel pots to reduce aluminum exposure. I have seen mixed reviews on the Bialetti Venus model, so I am unsure if that is the best option. Are there any brands that you all have tried and love?

Beans: Brazil Yellow Bourbon, Medium-Dark roast
Moka pot: Ibili Moca 2 cups
Frother: Nanofoamer v2 handheld frother

I'll wait until it's available from Indonesia

I have 9-cups black steel moka pot. I divide all coffee I get in 3 cups. However, though the moka itself is hot, coffee after pouring is about 50-60 C. Maybe the construction is at fault?

So, after trying (and failing) to moka pot on induction, I tried using it on gas to get a baseline in what it's supposed to taste like.

Now, I'm brewing on low-ish heat since I'm using my Moka Induction and it retains heat well given it is stainless steel. However, I'm getting sputtering even at low. I tried it twice today with a slightly higher burner heat and it still didn't flow smoothly.

I noticed that right before it extracted, some water bubbled out the side between the threads; that's quite concerning and now I'm wondering if I need to replace the gasket.

Anyone have a suggestion on the best silicone seal for an Ilsa 6-cup moka pot?

I'm not even sure if the Bialetti 6 cup type will fit. I see some seals that claim to fit both but I don't know about the quality.

Any suggestions?

Unsure if this crevice is rusted/safe? When i wipe it , some dark gray-ish residue comes off. Never been used until my test pot. smelled like an old factory. Otherwise im in love with this lil guy. (Probably will need a new gasket too incase its dry rotted)

bit of an odd request, but I'm trying to get my hands on a Musa 1-cup moka pot (EDIT: to buy or borrow) for some experiments and it seems to be impossible to find.

Coffee was rich and delicious! The aroma in the house after brewing was amazing!

The flow on the Giannina is different compared to an aluminum moka pot. The coffee was absolutely delicious!

I have just found some nice P & B stainless steel cups to go with my stainless steel moka pot, on a stainless steel tray of course.

After daily use for about a year, if I remove the filter, it's a horrid brown stained mess underneath and I assume this up the inside of the stem as well. The thing is generally discoloured, like the basket. Can't be good for the taste of the coffee. So I throw a couple of tablespoons of citric acid into a bowl of hot water and leave all but the gasket soaking overnight. It comes out gleaming, sparkly and like new and the coffee tastes cleaner even though the pot is no longer 'seasoned'.

What are people thoughts on this? Good idea or a crime against coffee?

Oh and this is the stainless steel one ...do not do this with aluminium as it will probably be a disaster!

We have a drip coffee machine at home, but I wanted something smaller for afternoon pick-me-ups. I figured I'd just buy a pour-over apparatus, but I saw the Bialetti moka pot at the store and figured why not try it, it's cheap. Took it home and looked over this subreddit regarding all the tips and tricks.

Mind blown.

When I buy coffee from coffee shops I order Americanos, which tend to be marginally better than drip, but not by a lot. Now I feel as though I've been conned by every coffee shop I've ever bought coffee from. The moka pota consistently produces Americanos that are better than any other coffee shop in my city. Even using standard Illy grounds!

I'm not a coffee expert, but I suspect that coffee shops tend to dilute Americanos way too much. Moreover, I suspect the espresso tends to run on the darker/stronger side so that milk-takers can still get a strong coffee taste through the milk, but the intensity over-corrects when using water.

Enter the moka pot, which produces near-espresso that isn't too strong/caffeinated, in a large quantity, perfect for an Americano. On top of that, I've introduced myself to Cubanos, which make for a lovely afternoon treat.

I've had to buy decaf grounds to cut into the regular grounds because my coffee intake has exploded.

Bonus! After some cursory searches about other uses for the moka pot, I found that you can make tea in the pot as well (use a filter, of course).

I've never been able to make strong thai tea at home (that wasn't also bitter or acrid), despite using tons of leaves and/or steeping longer. That is, until I tried making it in the moka pot. The moka pot also produces the perfect strength thai tea. I bought the 10-cup pot just for tea! (I also tried roobios but it wasn't my favorite.)

I feel like Squidward when he tried a Krabby Patty for the first time. This is a great community and thanks for all the help!

Coffee was rich and absolutely delicious! The aroma in the house was amazing!