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Common perceptions on Aluminium moka pots:

  • They need to be kept dry as to prevent aluminium oxidation.
  • Some people reckon you should just rinse the pot and not clean it completely, in order to minimize aluminium taste.

Ran into a situation where the cleaner put a Brikka through a dishwasher and then polished it.

My questions

  1. Would it affect the taste?
  2. Would it lessen chances of aluminium oxidation?
  3. Would it affect the metallic taste?
  4. Any other thoughts on this?

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    Might depend how it was polished? I'm none to fond of the idea of even trace amounts of most "metal polishes" in my food. Mechanical means would be less concerning. There are certainly un-rinsed traces of "something" in the second picture. I'd wash the heck out of it (but not in the dishwasher) and rinse before considering using it.
    – Ecnerwal
    Mar 29, 2017 at 2:25
  • You have three large pictures; it looks like there are two pots, only one of which you're talking about; it's not clear which is which. I think the last one alone suffices. Would you trim and clarify?
    – hoc_age
    Mar 30, 2017 at 3:43
  • The pictures show the difference between what the pot looked like, and what it looks like afterwards. I could trim the pictures and make them smaller yet, would still like to show all the pictures.
    – Peter PitLock
    Mar 30, 2017 at 9:17

2 Answers 2

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As you suggest and note in your question, and it deserves repeating:

  • Aluminum of any kind is generally not recommended for the dishwasher: it is likely to corrode / oxidize like your pot did.
  • Keeping your moka pot clean and dry will also help reduce the formation of pocking and oxidation.

That said, while unsightly, it should not be harmful to use after going through the dishwasher. You should thoroughly wash by hand no matter if you polish or not; you should remove any leftover polish, aluminum oxide, dish detergent, or any other residue (also suggested by Ecnerwal in a comment on the question). Polishing is possible with acids or metal polishes, but will probably not provide more than temporary, cosmetic benefit. That is my experience when trying to "restore" accidentally-dishwashered aluminum: I washed it thoroughly, and I continue to use it in its tarnished state.

I couldn't find a really good reference about these recommendations; here's a discussion on Chowhound with some reasonable information; many more by searching "dishwasher aluminum" or similar. Some suggest strong chemicals and abrasive scouring pads; I personally wouldn't use these for fear of further damaging the pot.

My personal pick is to use a stainless steel moka pot, affording a little more margin for error on cleaning. That said, aluminum models heat quickly and certainly do look classic and classy.

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  • Thanks hoc_age. The person has been using it for many months now. There are many reasons that people prefer stainless steel pots - me included. Cleaning an aluminium pot and how water affects it causing patches is one of my main gripes - I am wondering if this pot would cause less water marks now that the top layer of the aluminium has been slightly altered
    – Peter PitLock
    Mar 30, 2017 at 9:19
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Here's a very interesting study that I recommend reading: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5388725/

The gist of the article is, after using a new aluminum Moka pot about 3 times, the levels of aluminum that migrate into the coffee are very low. They temporarily increase after cleaning the Moka pot in the dishwasher, but after some uses the levels, once more, become very low. This doesn't necessarily hold true for other combinations of foods/beverages and aluminum containers!

I wasn't even aware that you should keep it dry, tbh. I just leave it until i need it the next time. There's a little pocking, but I don't feel the coffee tastes metallic ?

I usually leave the house before my Brikka cools down enough to dry it ...

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    Welcome to Coffee! Whilst this may theoretically answer the question, it would be preferable to include the essential parts of the answer here, and provide the link for reference.
    – JJJ ♦
    Mar 11, 2020 at 13:02

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