Some time ago I commented that one of my favorite ways to brew coffee is on a moka pot which I then aeropress to clean out the particulates. Many responded that they just put an aeropress filter on the moka pot for the same results. So, I tried it. The resulting brew is VERY different and, to me, not good at all.
It seems that the aeropress filter in the moka pot is removeding the brew by requiring more pressure to boil over. The result is a bitter brew that loses any subtlety in flavor.
If you are someone that uses the “filter in pot” method, please try brewing the cup unfiltered and then pressing it. Let me know what you think.
Mokka pots are one of my favorite brew methods but they’re super particular if you want a really stellar cup. Grind coarse, do not tamp, pull the heat ASAP when the pot starts to spit at the end and/or when the color of the brewed coffee starts to lighten and you’ll get a great brew.
I can’t imagine using a restrictive filter in there when just changing from coarse to fine grind or tamping affects extraction so much. I expect you’d have a much better result just filtering fines after the fact like you’re doing.
I usually don’t even pour all of the mokka pot brew into my cup, I leave the last bit with the most fines in the pot and just dump it. You can also let the coffee sit for a little bit (a minute or so) after pouring it into your cup and most of the fines will settle to the bottom.