Moka Pot Full Restoration [Brikka Bialetti] 

Thanks!!!

Thank you so much! I am here for you!! 🤣🤣🤣

Thank you!!

Hopefully 🙂

What you're talking about is an annoying problem. In the video I solved it with steel wool. I basically sanded the moka boiler bringing everything back to bare metal. I did many water-only cycles and several coffees to throw away before drinking it again. Either I did this or I threw away the moka. Inside it was rotten.

Vinegar and bicarbonate together are useless, a neutral solution emerges. Only vinegar ruins the moka. Bicarbonate alone does not dissolve limescale. They say to use vinegar diluted 1:1 with water and for a short time to remove limescale deposits but I have never tried. I don't like acids in contact with aluminum

@@OrdinaryLife-ABC It's weird bro, people talk about having their moka pot for generations and I'm baffled how they're maintaining it. My moka express is a lot older than my brikka and somehow in far better condition. I think it comes down to the type of metal that's being used. Regardless, your video is fantastic, your replies are quick and knowledgeable. You have a like and sub from me brother

I made a video about a small moka that I left in terrible condition because I have memories with it and every dent it has. I keep it clean inside and sometimes I like to make a coffee with it for the memories that come back to me. For every day I bought a steel moka, I wash it with soap and water every day without mercy. I rinse it well so it doesn't leave a soap smell and it makes perfect coffees. Thanks for the support, I hope the other videos don't disappoint you! Have a nice day my friend!

If you use a soft sponge, non-aggressive soap (dish soap) without strong odors and rinse the moka well, nothing will happen to the aluminum. The problem is the deposits of coffee oils, over time they become thick and taste rancid. Another problem is the naked, shiny aluminum which, in acidic substances, dissolves and remains in the coffee (which is acidic). There are studies that demonstrate that the quantities in question are ridiculously low and harmless (worse are aluminum baking containers in which acidic foods are placed, tomatoes, oil (olive oil is acidic), vinegar, salt, in fact It is written on many packages not to cook acidic foods with them). Same problem as aluminum pans. However, not washing the moka often gives a light layer of coffee oils which isolates the metal and avoids any metal flavors (never personally smelled it, only the new gasket gives a very bad taste for a few days). Harsh soaps, acidic substances like vinegar, or worse, dishwashing with rinse aid (very very acidic) will leave the metal with a black patina, it's called pickling. Modern moka pots should have some kind of protection, but I'm not sure. In my house every couple of weeks or a month we wash the moka with soap and often with a cloth soaked in just water I remove the layer of coffee when it becomes excessive. The layer of coffee oils forms after a couple of days and we live happily anyway.

Won’t damage it. It’ll just make it taste like shit

@@Doofens Could you please explain why?

@@Doofens no wonder, I straight dump the coffee into basin.. Just use baking soda, lemon, and hot water can recover it right? the same coffee beans I used to enjoy in pour over, thought moka pot can more portion to my guest.

Hi! Using baking soda and lemon together is useless. The resulting solution is neutral. Using lemon alone could remove some limescale, similar to using vinegar, remembering that the problems associated with the use of acidic substances on aluminum (if the moka pot is made of aluminum) have already been mentioned in the comments above. Using only baking soda (undissolved, used like wet sand with a sponge as I see in many videos) gives an abrasive effect similar to using a sponge with soap, perhaps even more aggressive. The soap itself, if rinsed off, does not leave any odors (otherwise, everything cooked in the washed pots would smell like soap). Never cleaning the moka pot would only coat it with a thick layer that would eventually become rancid and give the coffee a bad taste, not to mention that the continuous overheating of these oily deposits is probably not healthy. The truth lies somewhere in the middle. The extreme solution in the video was necessary because there was a serious health risk after years of buildup and sticky substances left on the moka pot stored in the drawer, as stated in the description. I usually give a good deep clean when I start to see stuff getting crusty. Imagine a restaurant that never cleans its dishes and pots (just a rinse with water) because the crusted food residue gives more flavor to subsequent cooking. I only have taste issues when I change the gasket (yes, that gives a bad taste for a few days). I have never tasted a metallic flavor, except in the case in the video where I basically sandblasted the boiler. But this is not a common practice, nor is it normal to taste a metallic flavor in coffee, which would indicate a serious metal release. In this case, I would investigate the moka pot and its construction quality.

Hi. This moka pot is currently in use here in the house. I am sorry

Years ago I didn't know how to remove limescale from the bottom and after ruining it with vinegar and then in the dishwasher I abandoned it. There was still the indisputable rule of never washing it, so in addition to the limescale I filled it with coffee encrustations. I couldn't see it looking so bad anymore and I fixed it

@@OrdinaryLife-ABC but it was good job even thiugh all the people say do not use soap

For the cleaning of my moka pot I use only water until I see a veil of tangible coffee oils, then I use a wet napkin to remove them (about every week). Oils tend to become rancid and give a bad taste to coffee, so a bit is ok (insulate from aluminum), but too much in my opinion is wrong. Then, about every month (depending on the conditions), I use dish soap and a toothbrush in every part of the moka pot for a deep cleaning. I do not think there is a fixed rule, there are those who always wash them with soap, those who let them encrust. For me the truth lies somewhere in the middle :-)

I had to choose between soap and tetanus. I chose soap

Thanks for the idea: I won't clean the bathroom for a month and I'll make a video about it!

My comment above was ironic. But no, it wasn't done on purpose, I still have so many things to fix or renovate here at home or in the drawers in the cellar that I still have material to shoot videos without having to artificially dirty things. Bye and have a good day! 🙂