bassmannate Senior Member Joined: 23 Jun 2008 Posts: 33 Location: Chicago, IL Expertise: Just starting
Posted Thu Jul 3, 2008, 4:27pm Subject: Re: Confessions of a Brikka Lover
Ok. I've tried moving the hat before I start. I've also tried putting the pot in different spots on the burner at higher heats. I have NOT tried on a larger burner though. I may try that next.
I also thought about putting a pan (cast iron skillet) on the burner, letting that heat up and then put the brikka on that to get more even heating...Hmmmm...I've already had too much coffee today. I'll try some of these things in the morning.
The only reason I messed with the hat was that it was starting to get to be sorta long according to what most people seem to report as well as the fact that it's seeping at the threads.
kbuzbee Senior Member Joined: 2 Feb 2006 Posts: 479 Location: Mentor, Ohio Expertise: I live coffee
Espresso: La Pavoni Europiccola Grinder: Zassenhaus 175M Vac Pot: Cona D Drip: I don't drip Roaster: Probat L5
Posted Fri Jul 4, 2008, 3:08am Subject: Re: Confessions of a Brikka Lover
I'm with Gate on this. I always make sure the "hat" is loose before I even put in the water or coffee. Just move it up and down all the way with a bit of a twist (only for the first pot, it should be fine after that).
As to your burner, I bet she's right there too. You almost can't cook it too low. The only negative impact is how long it takes to make a pot, but it WILL go... eventually. I'd try one VERY low and be patient. After that, you can try slowly increasing the heat until you reach a balance point.
Your idea of placing it on cast iron should be fine, of course heating the cast iron to an even heat will take a while too. I don't think it should be necessary though.... The aluminum on the Brikka will distribute the heat pretty well, regardless of the heat source but generally, lower is better. I do use an electric burner (the larger one) on one side where the pot basically sits across three coil segments.
bassmannate Senior Member Joined: 23 Jun 2008 Posts: 33 Location: Chicago, IL Expertise: Just starting
Posted Fri Jul 4, 2008, 5:38am Subject: Re: Confessions of a Brikka Lover
Well, I tried a really low flame this morning. It did take a long time but it still never went off on its own. I'm still getting seeping at the threads but not quite as much.
I finally let the hat go manually because I saw little bubbles forming in the little bit of coffee that came through on its own like it was starting to boil. The coffee tasted better than it did yesterday.
It seems that it's not building enough pressure because of the seeping at the threads. I can't figure out why that's happening as I'm cranking down on it pretty hard. I've even tried a bit of water on the gasket to get it to slip together a bit better.
I'll keep trying. The good cups I have gotten out of this are well worth the effort to try and find the right setup.
bassmannate Senior Member Joined: 23 Jun 2008 Posts: 33 Location: Chicago, IL Expertise: Just starting
Posted Fri Jul 4, 2008, 7:36am Subject: Re: Confessions of a Brikka Lover
Brand new. I just got it a couple days ago. Could I possibly be tightening TOO much and possibly deforming the gasket?
I tried both high and low heat today. Low heat worked MUCH better. I still had to help the hat but I actually tasted something other than coffee! I got the aroma and flavor of cherries!
Enkerli Senior Member Joined: 1 Aug 2004 Posts: 485 Location: Montreal, Qc Expertise: I love coffee
Espresso: Saeco Via Veneto Grinder: Bodum Antigua Vac Pot: (Moka Pot) Bialetti Brikka Drip: Drip Drip Goes the Water Roaster: West Bend Poppery II
Posted Sat Jul 5, 2008, 11:05am Subject: Re: Confessions of a Brikka Lover
Sorry gang! Been a bit busy and this thread doesn't seem to work well on my iPod touch (have to scroll through all the posts to press "Submit Reply"). Skimmed through the recent posts. Everything looks neat. As always, open experimentation is key.
To answer specifically about the gasket: deforming it shouldn't be an issue. What happens more frequently is that you burn it and that can be an issue. Getting cherry aromas and flavours from Brikka isn't too surprising. In fact, I frequently get (in both Brikka and espresso) something that I'd associate with coffee cherries, even though I never experienced them directly. Something like cherry pit, nut, dark cherry pulp, skin, general fruitiness, Amaretto... Hard to really describe but easy to find.
bassmannate Senior Member Joined: 23 Jun 2008 Posts: 33 Location: Chicago, IL Expertise: Just starting
Posted Mon Jul 7, 2008, 7:53am Subject: Re: Confessions of a Brikka Lover
Well, after the past few days, I think my gaskets just needed to break in. It's been seeping less and less at the threads. Today, when I was making my wife's coffee, I was getting just a tiny bit of seepage at the threads (I think at least. Couldn't confirm where exactly the sound was coming from) I went to go carefully turn the Brikka when it suddenly burst open with coffee.
I'm not sure if I jiggled the hat as I was turning it or not but it usually takes more for me to get it to go off than that (I usually have to pull up on it). I tried just a sip of the coffee and it's the best coffee I've ever made.
I've also been using a q-tip to apply a small amount of olive oil to the gasket for the past couple days. I think that's helping keep the gasket pliable as well as allowing me to tighten it a bit more.
Thanks for all the help! I expect the coffee to keep getting better!
Nice! You're not the first one to say something like this, but it's always neat to hear other people say it.
I expect the coffee to keep getting better!
No guarantee expressed or implied but... It probably will! ;-) There's something about practise, in moka pot brewing generally. You "get the hang of it" and the coffee improves as a result. There's also room for more experimentation: different blends, different grinds, different water-to-grounds ratios, etc. On the other hand, there's a novelty dimension to tasting moka pot or Brikka, and this eventually wears off. But I think the improvements in method and ingredients will outweigh this loss of novelty.
Personally, one way to enhance my coffee drinking experiences is to vary them. Trying different brewing methods, I taste differently when I come back to Brikka or moka. In fact, diverse culinary experiences tend to have an impact on my coffee experiences. For instance, as I made some hibiscus mead with wildflower honey, recently, I got to get honey aromas and flavours in many other beverages and foods. And since naming sensations often enhances them, my attempts at describing what I smell and taste spill over my diverse culinary experiences.
So, keep on the good work!
One thing I find really enhances my Brikka experiences specifically is to guess which blend will work in the Brikka at which point. Though it's less sensitive than espresso, Brikka still requires a coffee blend at the peak of freshness. Sometimes, a blend which makes a decent cup in moka pot will not perform really well in Brikka. The reverse is rare (a blend which works in Brikka but not in moka pot). With practise, I can usually tell when a blend will probably work as Brikka, after using it in my moka pot (or other brewing method). And because of the way I maintain the seasoning on these pots, a less enjoyable batch can have a negative impact on the following one. And vice-versa.
I also now think that the grind has an influence. Seems to me that I get better results if I adjust my grind as the blend gets somewhat older. Especially if I get beyond the first week to ten days during which CO2 expelled by the beans serves as a protective barrier to oxidation. Contrary to espresso, I can still use these beans in Brikka, at least for a couple of days. But it seems that I need to adjust the grind a bit. It's been a little while since I did this but, IIRC, grinding a bit coarser on those occasions seems to help, especially if there's a significant proportion of more lightly roasted beans. This part is more extrapolation than analysis as it's something I only tried with a few batches, several weeks ago.
By the way, if I were you, I wouldn't be overly concerned with the gasket. It's quite likely that it did need a "break in" period (although, the sacrificial pots are supposed to be enough). But, after that, it should have too much of an impact.
kbuzbee Senior Member Joined: 2 Feb 2006 Posts: 479 Location: Mentor, Ohio Expertise: I live coffee
Espresso: La Pavoni Europiccola Grinder: Zassenhaus 175M Vac Pot: Cona D Drip: I don't drip Roaster: Probat L5
Posted Mon Jul 7, 2008, 9:35am Subject: Re: Confessions of a Brikka Lover
Enkerli Said:
I also now think that the grind has an influence. Seems to me that I get better results if I adjust my grind as the blend gets somewhat older. Especially if I get beyond the first week to ten days during which CO2 expelled by the beans serves as a protective barrier to oxidation. Contrary to espresso, I can still use these beans in Brikka, at least for a couple of days. But it seems that I need to adjust the grind a bit. It's been a little while since I did this but, IIRC, grinding a bit coarser on those occasions seems to help, especially if there's a significant proportion of more lightly roasted beans. This part is more extrapolation than analysis as it's something I only tried with a few batches, several weeks ago.
You always manage to give just a little bit of a twist to things. Always gets me thinking.
I've found the same thing you have but with espresso, not (yet) Brikka but, with espresso, I find I tighten the grind just a touch each day as the beans age. Not a lot but it really makes me appreciate the stepless grinder and the difference in the cup is significant.
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