Problem with My Old Moka Pot

I have a Bialetti Venus which I liked except for one problem…

Before getting to the problem, it’s helpful to understand how a Moka pot works. This video explains it:

For more information, check out this Wikipedia page.

The problem is that the pipe of the basket isn’t long enough for all the water to be pushed to the upper space of the pot. Less coffee is extracted because of this. Apparently, more water than needed is left in the bottom chamber every time I use it.

There should be some remaining water after extraction so that the bottom doesn’t burn easily. But this pipe’s too short I consider it a design flaw.

My older Tiamo pot doesn’t have this problem. Neither does the classic Bialetti Moka Makers which I have checked out in a shopping mall in Singapore. Their pipes are all of the right length.

Go see the real pot if you are going to get one. Make sure it doesn’t have any obvious design flaw. A nice pot should also have a heat insulation handle and high-quality valves.