CoffeeGeek - Coffee: Machines and Brewing Methods, Brewing with the Bialetti Brikka 4-Cup

Coffee: Machines and Brewing Methods
Brewing with the Bialetti Brikka 4-Cup

Cafe Solutions

Commercial sales and service, nationwide installation, equipment leasing options.
www.seattlecoffeegear.com

Not Logged in:

updated topics	new posts	new unanswered
search	faq	sign up

Discussions > Coffee > Machines > Brewing with the...

view previous topic | view next topic | view all topics

showing page 4 of 5

first page | last page

previous page | next page

Author

Messages

coffee_monkey
Senior Member

Joined: 23 Apr 2004
Posts: 248
Location: Boston, MA
Expertise: I love coffee

Espresso: Isomac Rituale, FE-AR...
Grinder: Mazzer Kony, Hario MSC-2
Vac Pot: Hario TCA-2
Drip: Hario DPW-1

Posted Tue Aug 2, 2005, 5:41am Subject: Re: Brewing with the Bialetti Brikka 4-Cup

Terje Said: Jeez... I can see how I could mess it up seriously if I tried that... Posted August 1, 2005 link Make sure that wet towel is underneath the lower chamber when you screw the top in ;-) It's really not that bad once I get it down... and can finish brewing in less than 1 to 2 min...

www.barismo.com

Terje
Senior Member

Joined: 15 Jul 2005
Posts: 16
Location: Sweden
Expertise: I love coffee

Posted Tue Aug 2, 2005, 8:42am
Subject: Re: Brewing with the Bialetti Brikka 4-Cup

coffee_monkey Said:

... and can finish brewing in less than 1 to 2 min...

Posted August 2, 2005 link

What's the point in that more than getting the coffee faster? Any difference in taste. I think it takes my oone cup pot about three minutes to get done on low heat. Possibly four, I'm not clocking it.

Posted Tue Aug 2, 2005, 8:57am Subject: Re: Brewing with the Bialetti Brikka 4-Cup

Actually the main point is to not steam the coffee. You want to ramp up as fast as you can to your target temp, then hold there w/out going furthe.... see my above post =)

makingmark
Senior Member

Joined: 12 Aug 2005
Posts: 19
Location: NYC
Expertise: I like coffee

Espresso: none now...formerly KA...
Grinder: KitchenAid ProLine

Posted Fri Aug 12, 2005, 7:36pm Subject: Silt in the crema

Just got my 2 cup Brikka from Italy, about $50 with postage from www.bella-italia.com. Have made about 6 pots and I'm definitely getting crema...the problem is, it has a fine coffee silt in it, which makes it taste bitter and chalky. I.e. the silt floats in the crema and clings to the side of the cup. If it sat at the bottom like french press, I'd have no problem with it. I'm using a KitchenAid ProLine grinder on 6.5 (espresso setting is 8) and I'll try dialing it back. Anyone else have this problem, or suggestions?

NaProus
Senior Member

Joined: 24 Aug 2005
Posts: 4
Location: Vermont
Expertise: I live coffee

Espresso: Mokas! (and new Brikka)

Posted Wed Aug 24, 2005, 7:25am Subject: Re: Brewing with the Bialetti Brikka 4-Cup

My new 4-cup Brikka arrived yesterday from Espresso Zone, and after three throwaway pots last night, we made our first drinkable pots this morning. I still feel like I haven't "got" it yet -- I'm not quite sure whether I'm managing the heat properly. The coffee tasted fine, perhaps a touch bitter, but with a brand new pot, I wasn't expecting TOO much. I should say that I've been using my run-of-the-mill Mokas for about 20 years now (from long before I married my Italian husband, even!), so I'm very familiar with getting a good cup that way. And I'm used to the sound telling me when my coffee is ready. But with the Brikka, I hear one whoosh -- but when I go into the kitchen to check, there's hardly any coffee in the upper pot, just a ton of foam (the famous "crema"). So I wait a while longer, and the coffee does seem to sneak in, but should I have taken the whole pot off the burner after the whoosh? As it is, the coffee seems to start boiling (and thus losing the crema, and getting bitter) before I've got my full pot. By the way -- I've always preferred aluminum Mokas to stainless ones! I think they age better, and make mellower coffee. Makingmark -- it sounds to me like you're just using too fine a grind. Ideally, the grind should be a little bigger than the holes in the filter, but it sounds like yours isn't, which is why you're getting it in the crema.

makingmark
Senior Member

Joined: 12 Aug 2005
Posts: 19
Location: NYC
Expertise: I like coffee

Espresso: none now...formerly KA...
Grinder: KitchenAid ProLine

Posted Wed Aug 24, 2005, 7:56pm Subject: Re: Brewing with the Bialetti Brikka 4-Cup

I'd hate to think it's the grind. I have a KitchenAid ProLine flat burr grinder and I've tried coarse french press grind, and I still get silt. I'd rather blame the cheaper Brikka :) I had thought perhaps the filter or gasket was a problem, but they look ok. I guess I'll try a brick of espresso from the store. That's what Amagien (not the right spelling, some web store selling the Brikka & referenced earlier in this thread) suggested. Incidentally, I haven't had NaProus' exerpience of all foam, no coffee. I get the coffee and foam - but plus silt.

NaProus
Senior Member

Joined: 24 Aug 2005
Posts: 4
Location: Vermont
Expertise: I live coffee

Espresso: Mokas! (and new Brikka)

Posted Thu Aug 25, 2005, 6:28am Subject: Re: Brewing with the Bialetti Brikka 4-Cup

Hmm, makingmark, it does seem like you've got a problem, which you've tried valiantly to solve... And I think you've got to have a dud there. It just doesn't make sense! Hope you get it worked out, but if not, I'd just return it, and get yourself an "ordinary" Moka. If I can't get this thing figured out soon, I may do the same.

richedie
Senior Member

Joined: 17 Jun 2006
Posts: 683
Location: Pennsylvania
Expertise: I love coffee

Posted Mon Oct 9, 2006, 2:20pm Subject: Re: Brewing with the Bialetti Brikka 4-Cup

Sounds like from what most are saying, the difference between the 2 and 4 cup is marginal at best. A bit more crema is not a big deal to me. I usually add a touch of natural sugar and cream so I end up killing the crema with some stirring. A t least with the 4 cup, you can have a larger cup and more to work with if you want to try a cafe crema, for example. One thing others have said is that they still get some grit in the cup. I always get a fine grit...minimal, but it is there non the less. I always notices this in my french press, vaccum (a little bit) and moka pots. With the Moka pots, I let them sit a few seconds for the fine particles to settle in the pot before pouring.

Gate
Senior Member

Joined: 4 Feb 2006
Posts: 244
Location: South Carolina
Expertise: I love coffee

Espresso: La Pavoni Romantica EPG-8
Grinder: Mazzer Super Jolly
Vac Pot: various
Drip: too many to recall
Roaster: Four FreshRoast+8's

Posted Thu Oct 12, 2006, 7:47pm Subject: Re: Brewing with the Bialetti Brikka 4-Cup

Makingmark, I use a Proline Grinder with my Brikkas and moka pots, too. I have a Super Jolly for my espresso machines. My Proline is set on 7 and a half for moka and Brikka. I get great results from all (4 and 2 cup Brikkas, 6, 4, and 1 cup mokas) and the Proline is perfect for it. I also have the Proline adjusted to maximum fineness (per the manual instructions) for 8, so the 7 and a half is probably the finest of the factory (untweaked) settings. Anyhow, sounds like you may have a problem unrelated to the grinder. I do disassemble and clean my grinder and burrs periodically. You might try that. The instruction manual is excellent for doing stuff like that. Hope this helps. Gatewood

stacc
Senior Member

Joined: 17 Oct 2006
Posts: 26
Expertise: I like coffee

Posted Tue Nov 28, 2006, 6:11pm
Subject: Re: Brewing with the Bialetti Brikka 4-Cup

NaProus Said:

My new 4-cup Brikka arrived yesterday from Espresso Zone, and after three throwaway pots last night, we made our first drinkable pots this morning. I still feel like I haven't "got" it yet -- I'm not quite sure whether I'm managing the heat properly. The coffee tasted fine, perhaps a touch bitter, but with a brand new pot, I wasn't expecting TOO much.

I should say that I've been using my run-of-the-mill Mokas for about 20 years now (from long before I married my Italian husband, even!), so I'm very familiar with getting a good cup that way. And I'm used to the sound telling me when my coffee is ready. But with the Brikka, I hear one whoosh -- but when I go into the kitchen to check, there's hardly any coffee in the upper pot, just a ton of foam (the famous "crema"). So I wait a while longer, and the coffee does seem to sneak in, but should I have taken the whole pot off the burner after the whoosh? As it is, the coffee seems to start boiling (and thus losing the crema, and getting bitter) before I've got my full pot.

By the way -- I've always preferred aluminum Mokas to stainless ones! I think they age better, and make mellower coffee.

Posted August 24, 2005 link

What a flurry of posts! Maybe I'll take a shot at this one.

It's hard to say from your description if everything's fine or not, but I'd say probably it sounds like everything's going fine, but why don't you compare to this video in concrete terms:

Click Here (video.google.com)

Is that how things look for you? Do you get more or less crema? Do you get more or less coffee? How much water is left in the bottom? What do you mean "before I get a full pot"? etc. etc.

(BTW, I do not get as much crema as that video shows but mine I think tends to look a little richer and less foamy, more like Myron's pics. Also, I do not use a blend with *any* robusta as I suspect perhaps the person in that video may be using - are you using a blend w/robusta? That might be another interesting question.)

showing page 4 of 5

first page | last page

previous page | next page

view previous topic | view next topic | view all topics

Discussions > Coffee > Machines > Brewing with the...

updated topics

new posts

new unanswered

faq

Not Logged in: log in
Discussions Quick Jump:
Symbols: = New Posts since your last visit = No New Posts since last visit = Newest post

Forum Rules:
No profanity, illegal acts or personal attacks will be tolerated in these discussion boards.
No commercial posting of any nature will be tolerated; only private sales by private individuals, in the "Buy and Sell" forum.
No cross posting allowed - do not post your topic to more than one forum, nor repost a topic to the same forum.
Who Can Read The Forum? Anyone can read posts in these discussion boards.
Who Can Post New Topics? Any registered CoffeeGeek member can post new topics.
Who Can Post Replies? Any registered CoffeeGeek member can post replies.
Can Photos be posted? Anyone can post photos in their new topics or replies.
Who can change or delete posts? Any CoffeeGeek member can edit their own posts. Only moderators can delete posts.
Probationary Period: If you are a new signup for CoffeeGeek, you cannot promote, endorse, criticise or otherwise post an unsolicited endorsement for any company, product or service in your first five postings.

Espresso Makers

Premium stovetop espresso makers, electric moka pots, machines & accessories.
www.espressozone.com