One cup a day, no milk — is a moka pot enough or does everyone eventually upgrade anyway? Manual Brew

It is worth it and the technique is the whole thing. Start with water already hot in the base so the coffee is not sitting on a heating element for four minutes, keep the heat moderate, and pull it off when the flow turns pale and sputtery. Doing those three things is the difference between the pot people love and the bitter metallic reputation it has.

Sediment was your stated complaint and the moka pot will fix it, but so would a paper filter on your current setup for about two pounds. Just flagging that if sediment is the actual problem, you have a cheaper test available before buying anything.

I upgraded and went back. Bought a machine, used it for a year, and realised that for one black coffee a day I was spending five minutes on warm-up and cleaning to save nothing. The pot went back on the hob and the machine went to a friend. Your usage pattern — one cup, no milk — is the strongest case there is for staying manual.

Terse: buy the six-cup, grind finer than french press but coarser than espresso, take it off the heat early. Three years in, no regrets, no upgrade path needed.

Nine years on the same pot, no upgrade, no intention. It does not make espresso and if you go in expecting espresso you will be disappointed by the lack of crema and the different body — it makes strong concentrated coffee, which from what you describe is exactly what you want. Induction is the one thing to check: the classic aluminium ones are not magnetic, so you either need the steel-bottomed induction version or an adapter disc on the hob.

Maintenance reality since nobody sells this part: the rubber gasket needs replacing roughly annually depending on use, the safety valve should be kept clear, and you should not put it in the dishwasher. All of that is trivial and cheap, but it is not zero, and the aluminium ones do develop a patina inside that you leave alone.