New Moka problems

[vegtribe]

After tough 5 years my non-brand cheap aluminium moka finally needed replacement so I bought a stainless Bialetti Musa. After cleaning and using it without coffee grinds to test it and remove anything left in there from production I eagerly made my first brew. Only I didn't. I made it exactly as I would with my old moka but the coffee would barely trickle out very slowly from the top. I tried it a few times adjusting the temperature but always the same result - an extremely slow trickle meaning the pot had to be left on the heat for longer resulting in a burnt taste. I thought maybe the grinds were packed in too tight (I don't tamp it though, just tap and level with a spoon). I've tried a few time at different temps and slightly underfilling with grinds to make sure they weren't too compacted but to no avail.
This morning while having the same problems I took it off the heat to have a closer look and seeing no blockage or anything else I put it back on and it brewed up at a good pace! Has anyone had symptoms like this before. My guess at the moment is an air-lock or some other temporary blockage and my lifting it up removed that blockage. Pure speculation but can't think of anything else. Any clues?

 

[hardwire]

Your symptom reminds me of what I've seen some old Nonna's do when the "caffe non va bene." They pick it up and hit it on the counter a couple times. Imagine using it like a hammer, once, twice, maybe three times. It's a rare problem and should not be considered normal.

Do you get a gurgling sound when it's finished? There hould be a definite change in the sound. Depends on the model, they all have a little different sound when finished (like the horn on every car, they're all different).

In Italy, nobody washes or cleans their mokapot. They say it's bad for the flavor. I think what they are referring to is the build up of oil residue. It does create a protection barrier between the fresh coffee and the bare metal. Bare metals can effect taste, especially on a brand new Mokapot. When you break in a new mokapot, the first brew is never for drinking. You might have to brew a few throw-aways first.

Same when baristas have finished cleaning a group or portafilter. After it's washed, rinsed and all clean... the first shot is trash.

good luck!