To season a new moka pot, wash every part by hand in warm water, assemble it, and brew two or three pots with cheap or old coffee, throwing each one away. Then rinse, dry the parts and make your first real pot. That is all most makers ask for, and it clears out the factory residue that can make the first cups taste of metal or oil.
Whether the throwaway brews do more than clean is debated, and we do not make claims about what they do inside the metal. Follow your pot's own instructions first. What follows is the common routine and the reasons for it.
What do you need before you start?
- A new moka pot, either an aluminum stovetop model or a stainless steel one. We write by category and not by brand, because the steps are the same.
- Warm water and a soft sponge. Skip steel wool and abrasive pads, which scratch the inside.
- About 2 to 3 level tablespoons (10 to 15 g) of coffee you do not mind wasting, per throwaway brew. A small pot needs less.
- A stove or burner you can set to medium-low.
How do you season a new moka pot, step by step?
- Take the pot apart: top chamber, funnel basket, base with the safety valve, rubber gasket and the filter plate.
- Wash each part by hand with warm water. A drop of mild dish soap is fine on the first wash if your maker allows it, but rinse well. Do not put the pot in the dishwasher, because the heat and detergent can dull and damage most moka pots.
- Check the gasket and the filter plate. The gasket should sit flat and snug, with no cracks. The plate should sit flat against the underside of the top.
- Fill the base with water to just below the safety valve. Never above it.
- Fill the basket with cheap or stale coffee, level and without tamping. Use a medium-fine grind, between drip and espresso.
- Screw the top on firmly and set the pot on medium-low heat with the lid open.
- When the coffee starts to flow, wait for it to turn pale and gurgle, then take the pot off the heat.
- Throw that coffee out. Rinse the parts with warm water and repeat two more times.
- Dry every part completely before you put the pot back together and store it.
Why do the first pots taste odd?
A new pot can carry manufacturing residue, such as oil from machining and polish. Hot water and steam carry that away, and a few throwaway brews also run water through every seam, so a pot with a poor seal or a bad gasket shows up before you waste good coffee. If the pot leaks at the join or sputters from the sides, tighten it again, check the gasket, and try once more. A pot that still leaks goes back to the store.
| What you notice | Likely cause | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Metallic or oily taste in pot one | Factory residue | Another throwaway brew and a rinse |
| Water or steam leaks at the join | Gasket not seated, or top not tight | Reseat the gasket, tighten by hand |
| Coffee barely flows | Grind too fine, or basket tamped | Grind coarser, do not tamp |
| Pot spits and sputters hard | Heat too high | Lower the flame to medium-low |
| Bitter and burnt | Left on the heat too long | Take it off at the first gurgle |
What should you brew after seasoning?
The first real pot sets your standard, so keep it simple. Use the dose and heat from our 6 cup moka pot post if you want to measure grams, or fill the basket level and go by that.
If you want a bag that the roaster labels for moka, that is No. 3 Position: its label lists espresso and moka as its use, with dark chocolate, dried fruit and earthy notes. For a first moka pot of a bag you will also drink in a drip machine, the one below is the everyday option, listed by the roaster for drip or French press at 60 g per litre. It takes milk without falling apart, so a splash into a moka pot cup works. The label does not name moka for it, so treat that as our suggestion and not a label fact.
Our pick
No. 1 Common Sense
Huila and Medellin-Antioquia, Colombia · 1,300 to 1,500 m · Fully washed, solar dried · Castillo, Caturra, Colombia, Typica · Medium
Cocoa, red apple and brown sugar on the label, for the cup you make every morning without thinking about it.
How do you look after the pot once it is seasoned?
Rinse it with warm water after each use, let it cool before you take it apart, and dry the parts before storing them. Leave the top off between uses so air can get in. Keep soap to a minimum and avoid scouring pads. If the coffee starts to taste flat, the first thing to check is old grounds stuck in the filter plate. Our guides to cleaning a coffee grinder and descaling a drip coffee maker cover the same habits for those tools.
When you are ready for beans, browse all ten coffees, or set one up on a subscription, 11% off, skip or cancel in one click.
Season it once, keep the heat low, and the pot will give you the same cup for years.
Questions people ask
Do you need to season a new moka pot?
Most makers ask you to wash it and run a couple of brews first. The point we can stand behind is cleaning off factory residue. Check your pot's own instructions first.
How many times should you brew before drinking from a new moka pot?
Two or three throwaway brews with cheap or old coffee is the usual routine. Stop when the coffee no longer tastes of metal or oil.
Can you use soap on a moka pot?
A drop of mild soap on the first wash is fine for many pots if the maker allows it, with a thorough rinse. After that, warm water is enough. Never put it in the dishwasher.
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