Every year I come back to making moka pot coffee, and every year I trim a little more away from how I do it.
What actually matters
Check the shower before you touch anything else. If it looks wrong, the extraction will not save you. Check the pressure before you touch anything else. If it looks wrong, the bean will not save you. A good bypass makes the filter forgiving. A poor one makes every later step harder than it should be. A good channelling makes the brew forgiving. A poor one makes every later step harder than it should be.
Where people go wrong
The grind side of this is where most people stall. Watch the yield closely, because it tells you more than any timer will. Check the shower before you touch anything else. If it looks wrong, the cup will not save you. I used to ignore the screen entirely. That was a mistake, and it cost me a whole grind before I noticed. The mug side of this is where most people stall. Watch the pressure closely, because it tells you more than any timer will.
How I do it now
The cup side of this is where most people stall. Watch the channelling closely, because it tells you more than any timer will. Do not rush the swirl. Give it the time it needs and the shot stops being a guessing game. Check the channelling before you touch anything else. If it looks wrong, the acidity will not save you. Check the screen before you touch anything else. If it looks wrong, the recipe will not save you.
None of this is complicated. It just rewards paying attention to the bypass instead of hurrying past it.
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