Why does the same coffee in my Hario V60 drip tastes better then in Bialetti stainless steel moka pot?

Question

I use same beans (either Flowgrade or Bulletproof), and grind in a Rhinowares hard grinder (adjusting the screw by tightening max, and then unwind by 5 clicks). I use about 28 grams of coffee for 500 mL water in both cases. I have the 9-cup stainless steel Bialetti moka pot, and a ceramic V60-02.

Some days I brew in the V60, and some days in a moka pot. The V60 coffee tastes better. From the moka pot it seems a bit sour, and lacks "coffeeness" in the taste. Why doesn't the moka coffee taste good?

Answer 1

As they are two different methods of brewing, it is normal that they taste different.

One very clear difference is the temperature of the water. Moka pots practically use water/steam. This let's the extraction happen in a warmer environment than recommended. Additional bitter notes of the bean is also extracted. More importantly, you loose some aromatics as they evaporate quickly. However, as you don't use a fine filter, you and up with a more bodily cup.

V60 effectively filters out the body of the bean. Also, you brew in the recommended degree (around 95 degree Celcius). The result is a more finer, light, herbal-tea-like cup of coffee.

Note: I realized that you did not mention your grind size. Grounds must be grinded in different sizes for both methods. If you use the same size, it is also another reason for the difference in the taste. In case, check this discussion.

Answer 2

May i offer a couple pages on how to tune your blend?

Moka pots can create fantastic tasting coffee - same/better/different than v60's -but just as wonderfully sweet -

matt perger has a guide on tuning coffee (different than espresso) https://youtu.be/c0Qe_ASxfNM

This guide - which i cannot reproduce here - sorry to have to requite going to an external site - suggests how bitterness to sourness can best be addressed by adjusting grind, water amount, bean amount.

and also there's a great overview of moka potting https://youtu.be/rpyBYuu-wJI

which shows again a simple approach for managing temperature and quality in the pot - including water temp for starting, and how to control the spew of coffee by dunking the pot under the cold water tap

best m.c.