In defence of Mr Grips I have turned down the heat using my moka pot for the last few brews after reading “that” thread with good results. I was previously guilty of wacking it on a high heat, going off to do something else and only returning to it when I heard it making its distinctive gurgling noise – and it often tasted quite burnt. I now use more gentle heat and once it starts to come through I turn off the heat (on a leccy hob, so there is still residual heat there) so the coffee comes through far more gently. It certainly made it taste much better for me. Nothing else has changed – same coffee – lavazza oro.
Quite interested in that brikka version now – the only thing I’ve missed from my moka pot is the crema – It would be interesting to see if the brikka design actually works and is worth the extra cash.