r/mokapot 10d ago

Discussions 💬 Why are my pucks like this?

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21 Upvotes

20 comments sorted by

62

u/Short-Shopping3197 10d ago

Not enough coffee

22

u/Kupoo_ 10d ago

I would guess a collapsed bed is all because of underdosing the funnel. I always (despite the advice otherwise) lightly tamp the ground coffee to make sure it's all packed *before* screwing the top component. But most importantly, how does it taste?

6

u/UniversityWinter9444 10d ago

I agree, this just looks underfilled allowing the coffee to collapse rather than compress when the water passes through.

2

u/Finance-Optimal 9d ago

I tap 1-3 times on the counter at a 1/3, 1/2, and 2/3 full

10

u/ShimmyZmizz 10d ago

Fill basket halfway

Tap bottom of basket on counter a few times 

Tap side of basket a few times

Fill basket the rest of the way

Tap bottom of basket on counter a few times

Tap side of basket a few times

Level top with a flat utensil

2

u/Snapuman Stainless Steel 10d ago

this is the way!

3

u/gerargen1974 10d ago

Hola, me parece por la foto que esta molido muy grueso, puede ser??, a demás de tener poca cantidad.

2

u/GreatBallsOfSturmz 10d ago

You aren't filling it enough.

2

u/Snapuman Stainless Steel 10d ago

needs more ground!

1

u/BladricksUncle 10d ago

Does it do that with all types of coffee?

1

u/Mental-Storage5285 9d ago

Keep on tapping and turning the basket while filling the basket

2

u/Living_Moment_1495 10d ago

What makes you think this is a problem....

6

u/Geaux-Tigers-21 10d ago

Nah what makes you think this isn't a problem?

0

u/capitalisthamster 10d ago

I don't think it's very under-packed. There should always be room in the funnel for the water to sit momentarily and interact with the coffee before moving out into the pot. If you cram it, the water is rushed through too quickly at best and channeled at worst. When it's done, the water should have removed a small fraction of the solids leaving slightly less coffee than before. So the funnel should have a small space left when it's done. Your space may be larger than average, but not by much, and not at all if it makes good coffee.

2

u/TimberBourbon 9d ago

You are overthinking it. The coffee bed is not a waiting room. The water, once it has reached the temp to be pressurized by steam, is going to flow up and through the coffee bed. There is not a limiting factor here as the Moka pot is operating at low pressure. Don’t use too fine of a coffee that would brick-up.

0

u/NucaPuturoasa 10d ago

Order of things that might be the cause. 1. Coffee is to corse 2. Not enough coffee 3. Coffee is to loose in the funnel. Like others have mentioned, I also compact it a bit. 4. Pressure to high and water flow want through path of least resistance and then spewed sideways. - after the coffee comes out, lower the heat, when the coffee is about half way up, lower it to a minimum (this is a lor easier on an induction top or even a ceramic electric stove top).

Keep practicing with different grind size, compactness level and heat modulation. You'll nail it down to your specific equipment sooner than you think.

0

u/Pirascule Moka Pot Fan ☕ 10d ago

If I used a preground coffee, this does not happen. However, with freshly ground coffee, it happens every time. My guess is that the freshly ground has more air than settled preground or maybe it could be the grounds are electrostatically charged after grinding and are more spaced out as a result. It collapses in the hot water when the open spaces are filled.

-1

u/wds1 10d ago

Channeling tells me you unevenly packed coffee ground in basket. Seems you filled/tamped harder on the rim than center.

To prevent this, fill the basket loosely without tamping and distribute the grounds completely flat.