I recently bought a new moka pot similar to this one:
It has a base, funnel, top and a little extra bit that seems to just fit inside the funnel.
What is it for?
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It's for pressing the coffee evenly into the funnel.– JuanchoCommented Jul 21, 2015 at 13:50
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@Juancho Perhaps... but you don't need to press or tamp for moka. Does this have a rubber gasket and screen on the bottom of the carafe part? Does the knob on the extra screen bit fit up the straw within the carafe? Does the screen fit all the way down to the bottom of the funnel? Or does it catch on the mid-funnel ring? +1 artwork. ;-)– hoc_ageCommented Jul 21, 2015 at 14:10
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@hoc_age Yes, the top part has a filter (with much smaller holes) and rubber gasket. The whole thing fits together as I'd expect it to without the extra part. There is no hole for the knob, the filter on the top part is flat.– fredleyCommented Jul 21, 2015 at 14:11
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Hm. Does the extra bit fit all the way down to the bottom of the funnel, or does the screen catch on the mid-funnel crimp? What brand is it? I can't seem to find an identical model.– hoc_ageCommented Jul 21, 2015 at 14:19
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@hoc_age It can fit all the way down. It's a Cuisinox Roma I think.– fredleyCommented Jul 21, 2015 at 15:59
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2 Answers
OK, I've worked this one out. This little thing is called a reducer.
What you can do is put the reducer into the funnel. It should sit on the indentation half way down. You then put coffee on top of it. This allows you to make less coffee with a larger pot.
However, although I haven't tried it yet, it seems that most people complain that the quality of the coffee reduces (!) significantly. Many complain of a weaker brew. It's probably better to use a smaller pot if you regularly want to make less coffee.
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2The reduced quality is probably because less water and more air is in the lower chamber, which effects (reduces) the temperature and pressure as the water passes through the coffee. As you said, best to use the right sized pot for the amount of coffee you're brewing.– EvanCommented Jul 21, 2015 at 22:18
I have been perplexed by this piece for a long time, and have now discovered the instructions for using it, ie insert into funnel and use less water in order to make less coffee. However, the indentation in the funnel is only 1cm from the bottom, so the amount of coffee grains is not that much less. So I am still perplexed!
