Ines, your moka pot deserves Slowburn
A roast with enough cocoa and shoulder to carry a flat white - and the stove-top settings that turn 'burnt' back into 'strong'.
“A supermarket bag that says INTENSE 10/10 on the front. And it is intense, I guess - but it mostly tastes burnt. My flat whites come out bitter and I've started adding sugar again, which I never used to do.”
- Ines, on the bag currently in her cupboard
Burnt isn't strong - it just shouts louder
Here's the thing that bag got wrong: what you're chasing is body - a coffee with enough weight and dark-cocoa depth to stay present through steamed milk. What you're getting is roast char plus a moka pot running too hot, which reads as bitterness, which sends you to the sugar bowl. That's not your taste buds being difficult; that's two fixable problems. The right blend handles the first one. A gentler flame and one well-timed move handle the second.
Your match, and one curveball
Slowburn
$17Dark blend - Brazil + Sumatra
Cocoa, smoke, and a heavy body: this is the bag we hand to anyone who says 'strong', and it's blended specifically for moka pots and milk. The Sumatra brings the weight, the Brazil brings the chocolate, and together they hold their shape in a flat white instead of dissolving into it. Brewed on the settings below, the smoke reads as dark chocolate - not ash.
Basecamp
$17Brazil, natural process - the curious pick
You left the door open to a surprise, so here's a gentle one: same milk-loving comfort, none of the smoke. Chocolate and hazelnut, low acidity, forgiving in any brewer. Run it through the same pot in week two and you'll find out whether 'strong' means smoke to you - or just depth.
Slowburn on your moka pot - start here
| Setting | Start here | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Grind | Medium-fine, like table salt | Finer chokes the pot and turns it bitter; coarser brews thin and watery |
| Dose | Fill the basket level - no tamping | The basket is your ratio; a moka pot measures itself when you let it |
| Heat | Medium-low, lid open | A slow climb pulls out sweetness; a hard boil scorches the grounds |
| Take it off | At the first gurgle - early, not after the sputter | That final sputtering stage is where most of the burnt taste comes from |
| Milk | Steam or froth it however you like | Slowburn is built to carry a flat white - the milk is the point, not a compromise |
The one-change fix
If you change nothing else this week: pull the pot off the heat the moment it starts gurgling, and touch the base to a cold, damp cloth to stop the brew. Taking it off early is the single biggest difference between 'strong' and 'burnt' on a stove-top - and it costs you nothing.
Your first two weeks
Days 1-3
Brew the baseline
- Follow the table exactly - no tweaks yet, so you know what Slowburn actually tastes like.
- Sip it once before the milk goes in. Not a test, just a hello.
- Hold the sugar on brew one and see if you still miss it.
Days 4-7
Dial one thing at a time
- Still a bitter edge? Go one step coarser on the grind.
- Tasting thin instead? Nudge the heat down and let it climb slower.
- One change per brew - that's how you find out what did what.
Week 2
Run the side-by-side
- Brew Basecamp in the same pot, same settings, same milk.
- Whichever cup empties faster is your subscription bag - the pot has spoken.
Fair questions
Is Slowburn actually stronger, or just darker?+
Darker and heavier-bodied - that's the 'strong' you can taste through milk. Caffeine-wise it's in the same neighborhood as the rest of our range; roast depth and body are what make a cup feel strong, not extra jolt.
Do I need a grinder for this to work?+
It helps, but freshness is the bigger lever. We roast weekly, and a bag that was roasted days ago will out-taste one that's been sitting on a shelf for months, ground or not.
What if I end up back on the sugar?+
Then enjoy your coffee with sugar - no judgment here, ever. But try the early pull and the cold-cloth trick first: most of the bitterness that sends people to the sugar bowl comes from the sputter, not the bean.
How does the subscription actually work?+
Pick your bag and how often it arrives, save 5-15%, and pause anytime - no hoops. Everything ships freshly roasted from that week's roast.
Roasted this week, gurgling on your stove next week
Put Slowburn on subscription and your moka pot never meets a tired bag again - 5-15% off, pause whenever, and you can swap in Basecamp the moment curiosity wins.
You're one fresh bag and one early pull away from retiring the sugar bowl. Start with Slowburn, keep the settings table next to the stove, and let the week-two side-by-side settle the smoke question for you. Your flat white is about to earn its name back.