The moka pot comes in for a fair amount of criticism, but it is a beautiful concept and so simple. With a bit of practice you can make probably the best coffee you will find short of a $500+ espresso machine. Not bad for a device you can pick up for a few cents at a jumble sale, and carry with you into the bush. Redspeedster's gadget is neat, but it's still just a percolator - it uses gravity to run the hot water through the coffee. The moka pot uses genuine pressure (albeit a fraction of a modern machine). It's real espresso in the strict sense of the word.
Redspeedster's "gadget" is a well known coffee Italian traditional maker, it is called "napoletana" and IF the coffee grain size is the right one, can make a rich and tasteful coffee. The grain size if also the thick for a perfect "moka express" coffee: it must be coarser then the one used for napoletana or for big, coffee shop machines: this allow the build of less pressure (higher permeability), and thus lower temp. When the water begins to boil, first it realises dissolved gases (air) and this at a well lower temp of the boiling point. The pressure from such gasses begin to push the hot water up. As soon as the coffee begins to come out, it is mandatory to lower the flame. By the way, nobody mentioned that NO coffee machine will make a decent coffee when new. a brake in period is the rule, but I presume anybody knows this. Enjoy your espresso.
I found three identical lightweight aluminum pots a while back at the Goodwill. My first thought was that I could use them to make a mini Trangia-like setup...second thought was I could make dog bowl windscreens like the MSR Firefly had. I haven't actually done either yet... Shown with my T27 for scale. This is what I'm currently using as a Moka Pot adapter in my T27...it also works on a MSR Whisperlite - OXO Drain Protector - The silicone rim needs to be cut off of course. I bought mine at Bed, Bath & Beyond.
Often late joining a thread. Have the Telg Stand for trangia and meta 50 assorted other setups IE, coat hangers/tent pegs, for Meta 50,Sigg tourist. Picked up a Sigg traveler and a Swiss Marco along the way, I need to do something similar with them. Easily distracted on the bay thing I picked up a kettle that came with a stand ,tea-ball and an alocs burner the stand is similar to the esbit in this topic. issue is the stand is a little too tall to fit in the trangia kettle and too short to fit 2 burners in. Would be handy to have with the second burner to be able to make coffee and cook at the same time. john Sorry a little dusty these have been sitting the past bit, found a coffee maker that can do 3 liters at a time, size wise hard to justify for camping.
Well, Itchy was right and I was wrong - a moka pot sitting in a pan of simmering water will not generate the required pressure. Tried it with 2 different sized pots and no go. Presumably the increased pressure in the pot spoils the bubble party! I tried it in a dry pan and of course it worked fine. Didn't seem to bother the pan at all, but I will try and find or make a 'sacrificial' disc (like Spork's shower screen thing). I did however prove that you can squeeze a single-cup moka pot inside a packed T27, and you might even be able to squeeze a 2-cup. I removed the lid and handle, and inverted the base into the upper part of the pot. All of this (and the separate funnel part) fitted below the level of the pan rims, leaving a good inch or so of space to the inside of the Trangia's lid - so I reckon with the same adaptations it could accommodate the next size up. However, my 'spare' Trangia is actually a 25 - the late 70's model that my parents bought me when I joined the Scouts, with the lovely patina of well-loved, vintage aluminium and the dings and memories of happy days. With a bit of luck and the odd mod I reckon I should be able to fit a 2-cup moka pot in there, along with a couple of small cups, and a little container of coffee. Even if I had to lose the smaller pan it would be a nice way to keep it in regular use. We live on the edge of a lovely bit of bush and often head down to the creek to while away a couple of hours. I'll try and post some pics next week.
To make a simmering plate, try a lid from a can you got the canned food out of. A side cutting can opener works great for making one without sharp edges. The early MSR stoves supplied one with the stove kit as a simmering plate. They didn't have holes in them. Ken in NC
The MSR simmer plate worked for me...don't recall ever burning food on mine. I do remember horrible half-rehydrated freeze-dried hamburger patties though
Just for the sake of posting something, here's the T27 (duossal) with one-cup Bialetti moka pot nestled inside. I cut off the Bialetti's handle and lid, and I found a small aluminium thimble to sit over the spout and keep the splatter in the pot. I've used it a couple of times now and it works like a charm. The duossal pan seems completely unbothered at being used 'dry', but if I was going to use this rig regularly I'd probably get hold of an adaptor plate or even just a cheap (ie sacrificial) ali pan. I'd hate to get a few more runs on it and find that I've done some damage to the duossal. As you can see, there's still plenty of room so it is tempting to try the same modifications on a 2-cup moka pot. In the meantime, I'd still be interested if anyone is able to point me towards some smaller nesting pans with a suitable matching lid, I'd still love to make a 'scale model' Trangia using the original burner. The T27 is a recent acquisition for me, and after years of owning a T25 I'm surprised how much space seems to be wasted by the T27. I guess the fact that they use the same pot hangers means they have the same gap between pan and windshield, so the pans 'flop around' when stacked inside the T27 proportionally more than they do in the T25.
Hi there Brewer. Interesting to see a Moka pot can fit in a T27! For your further experiments, I thought I should share this contraption I ordered from China a while back. http://www.miniinthebox.com/sv/camping-split-gas-furnace-med-spis-stand_p805525.html I bought it just for kicks, and it might end up never being used, but I've taken delivery of it, and it seems ok quality wise.
Replacing the lid with a thimble is clever I want to put a folding handle onto a Moka pot...still trying to figure that out.
I like the way you think (Goodwill pots and drain protector as pot adaptor...). What about the cluster of small holes in the pot lid in the upper right of the picture?
Are you asking what they are for? Just vent holes to prevent boil-over...that's a home made lid out of aluminum baking sheet.
