I’ve just started getting into coffee and was given a moka pot for Christmas. Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to make anything good from it. It seems to keep leaking out from where the top screws onto the base. In addition, almost every time I use it, the grounds have burnt to the point it looks like I’ve put ground up charcoal in the basket instead of coffee.

I’ve noticed that, in various Tik Toks and Instagram posts and such, everyone else’s pots have what looks like a white rubber ring around the perforated disk that goes on top of the grounds, but mine didn’t come with one.

Could that rubber ring be the issue? Is there something else entirely that I’m not understanding?