Troubleshooting Problems with a Bialetti Stovetop Espresso Coffee Maker

Hi Emad, I’ve had this happen to me a few months ago. Try first taking the whole pot apart – including removing the metal ‘sieve’ and rubber gasket on the underside of the main pot where the coffee bubbles up into, and wash everything separately in warm soapy water, rinse it all off and see if that works (it could be coffee grounds stuck somewhere and clogging the pot up). If that doesn’t work, it could be that the rubber gasket isn’t forming a seal properly between the top coffee pot and the bottom water reservoir – you can get a pack of replacement seals quite cheaply off Amazon, and that often works because the rubber seals only last for about 3-4 months before they get too frayed. The only other thing I can think of (and this happened to me) is that the pressure valve on the side of the bottom water reservoir is clogged or broken – I could find nothing at all that could help with this (some of them are on a spring and you can push it in and out a few times from the inside to try to clear it) and I think the inside mechanism was just bust – I don’t think the safety valve can be replaced and I had to buy a new moka pot, but try everything else first (dismantle the whole thing and clean any stray grounds off, and replace the seals and possibly the little ‘sieve’ plate – you can buy these and the rubber gaskets in packs together). Two more things are to make sure you don’t pack the coffee grounds in when you make a pot – if they’re packed down tightly they won’t let the steam get through to bubble up; and also don’t fill the reservoir up too much with water, it should be below the safety valve on the inside of the bottom chamber of the pot. Sorry for the very long reply, I’m trying to think of anything you can try that might work! Good luck, hope one of these helps – it’s hugely frustrating not to be able to get your morning coffee :)

Eileen - Bialetti Moka Pots are made of Aluminium (U.S. Aluminum) and it's not possible for them to rust in any way. They do develop a coating of coffee on the inside, which is dark brown and can flake off and might look a little like rust - to prevent or cure this, wipe the inside with a dish sponge every week or two and the coffee coating will come off (mostly - but it sticks stibbornly in the metal creases, which is fine and is not harmful). If you wipe all the coffee coating off quite agressively, the next pot of coffee might taste a bit sour or bitter, so throw the first pot or two of coffee away after giving it a good scrub.

Zafra - to me, it sounds like a pressure problem, but I don't know why it would only start after you changed the gasket. I've only had this problem when the valve on my moka pot has been faulty, or if the threads where the base screws into the top part have been clogged with coffee grounds. If your old seal (gasket) was perished, have you checked that there's no old rubber stuck to the pot that could be causing it to be not quite sealed? Having said all that, sometimes I can't find a reason why my own moka pots stop working - when I buy a new one I always try to get the same make and model so that the parts are interchangeable and I can mix and match them when the start to give me trouble. I hope you find the answer - I too hate to go without my morning coffee, so I empathise! :)

Irishmazza – most interesting moka problem *ever*!

The only things I can think of is to soak it in water or cooking oil, and then try to 'pinch' it out with a pair of pliers – or, because it sounds like the inner basket might have become a little mis-shapen, try to stick the blade of a slim knife between the basket and the pot if you can find a little gap, and then lever it out.

BUT !!! One of the earlier commenters said that his moka pot had become a bit mis-shapen because he knocked it onto the side of his bin when he emptied it, and that made it stop working properly – which makes me think that if you do try the brute-force method to free up your stuck pot, it might damage it (which might not matter to you if the basket's irrevocably stuck).

Good luck – hope you manage to free it up and get your morning coffee. I have three bialettis, all the same size, that I've bought over the years – and when one dies, I mix-and-match the different pots, baskets and reservoirs until I get a combination that gives me a working coffee pot, so if you do end up buying a new one, it's worth keeping the old one for parts and buy the same size and model.

Hi curious, I've made half-pots in a moka pot, but it turns out much weaker. I have a six-cup size and you get less espresso than you think out of it (but I take my coffee very strong!). I've also used non-espresso ground coffee in my moka pot - it's kind of ok, but very weak - espresso grind is very tiny, filter grind is coarser, and using coarser grinds in a moka pot gives very weak coffee. A French Press might be better for you - you can make smaller amounts more easily without getting a weaker cup of coffee, or use the same pot to make a larger amount if you have friends over.

Hi Velda,

You might have been unlucky and got a faulty one - I'm not sure how long the guarantee is for the moka pots but you might be able to return it and get a replacement. But before you do, you could try taking removing the rubber seal and the filter plate it holds in place on the bottom of the 'pot' part (you can tease the rubber seal out gently using a sharp knife and the filter plate will come out easily then) and thoroughly rinsing everything separately in case there are some coffee grounds stuck somewhere and making the parts not fit together tightly enough. I suspect you have a faulty pot though - I get a few coffee grounds in my coffee, but for a lot to come through there would have to be a gap somewhere, and that shouldn't be happening if your moka pot is new.

Hope this helps

Hi Dave2002, I get the metallic taste thing with new pots - what I do is make two or three (or even four or five) pots using the cheapest ground coffee I can find (the fineness of grind doesn't matter for this - I throw the coffee i make with it down the sink!) - the coffee will coat the pot and the inside of the reservoir so that the metallic taste goes away. The longer and more often you use the moka pot, the better the coffee will taste (in my experience). When you make moka pot coffee for real (not just to coat the pot), an espresso grind gives a richer flavour; less fine grounds will be weaker. The slightly odd taste will go away after a few pots, it takes an hour or two's persistence :) Hope this helps :)