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Comment by chpatrick | Hacker News Reader

For me it's cold water up to the valve, coffee up to the brim, no tamping, maximum power on induction stove and I turn it off as soon as it starts gurgling. I know some people say you should put hot water in it so it doesn't cook the coffee as long but on induction it boils in seconds anyway.

I used to have the classic aluminium one because I prefer the geometric shape but I switched to stainless steel when I got induction and it seems higher quality in general.

I enjoy the ritual personally, it's my favorite way to make coffee.

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I recently switched to induction and got an all steel Alessi 9090, where the top clamps on instead of screwing like most moka pots and am loving it.

You can put it on quickly with one hand with a satisfying click, always perfectly sealed with no need to judge whether over or under tightening. I think the gasket will last longer too, because it doesn't get stray grounds twisted into it while screwing.

The one handed operation also makes it much easier if you do want to preheat or start with hot water in the base.

as an italian, your method is right. water temperature doesnt matter, like it doesnt matter when cooking pasta

I know some people say you should put hot water in it so it doesn't cook the coffee as long but on induction it boils in seconds anyway

I do the “Moka pot voodoo” technique [1] where you set the base on the stove and get it boiling first, then drop in the basket and screw on the lid, using a towel to protect my hand while holding the hot base. After that it’s a matter of moving the entire thing on and off the heat to carefully regulate the water temperature so that coffee only trickles out with no gushing. It makes wonderful coffee!

[1] https://youtu.be/u-PeYeiqPLU

I used to put boiling water in before I had induction but now it's so fast it's not worth the hassle of dealing with the hot pot.

I start with hot water from the kettle, which works well too

Be careful about induction at max power plus a small sealed chamber..I do it at 4-5 and it takes like 5 mins

There's a safety valve if anything goes wrong, but it never even went off so far.

i think the problem is mostly in the relatively thin sheet of steel that isnt able to absorb and distribute to the water that much power in small amount of time. I prefer to go gradually, but to each one his own i guess

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