HOW TO BREW MOKA POT COFFEE

Historically, the Moka pot was known for brewing bitter coffee, but we’ve discovered new and better ways to brew Moka pot coffee. Whether you are beginning to learn about Moka pot coffee or you are already a pro, this guide will provide you with valuable information.

Our goal is to empower you to make the best Moka pot coffee, are you up for it? Let's start.

WHAT IS A MOKA POT? 🤔

The Moka pot is a stove top coffee maker invented in 1933 by Luigi De Ponti for Alfonso Bialetti. The new art coffee maker was quickly adopted all over Italy because people loved its ability to bring commercial espresso-like coffee to average homes. Towards the late 50s, the Moka pot was found all over Europe, North Africa, American. They begin to take notice of this brewer as well. Now, you can find Moka pots everywhere.

Let's get a bit technical and walk you through the parts of the Moka pot. The aluminum body of the pot is designed to withstand the heat of stoves and also resist damage from rust. It has a water chamber at the bottom of the device that holds water while it's heated. You will find a coffee basket directly above the water chamber. The coffee basket holds the grounds and has tiny holes on the bottom that allows steam to rise and extract oils, flavors, and acid from the coffee grounds. Directly above the coffee basket, you’ll find a filter screen that allows the brewed coffee to rise via pressure, through a funnel and out to the upper chamber.

BREWING RESULTS

So, here's an interesting fact about a Moka pot, since the water is heated in a sealed environment, more pressure is created. The pressure shoots up water vapor to the coffee grounds which initiates the brewing. That's not where it ends, the pressure still forces the coffee up through the funnel. It then spills up to the upper chamber.

Here, it is no longer pressurized, so it just fills the upper chamber calmly. Since the brewing technique uses more pressure, it produces strong coffee. Moka pot coffee is twice as strong as normal coffee.

Moka pot coffee is strong enough to be taken without additives but it can be enjoyed with steamed milk, or diluted with hot water if it's too strong for you.

The Moka pot is straightforward to use and makes an espresso-like coffee, it's also durable and easy to clean. They also come with a safety release valve that will release if too much pressure builds. However, the coffee can easily become bitter if you’re not careful. Do you see why you have to follow this guide?

IS THE MOKA POT RIGHT FOR YOU?

Well, it all depends on what you want? Do you want an affordable way to brew espresso-like coffee? Do you want to enjoy a rich cup of coffee that you can use in a variety of ways? Then you can get yourself a Moka pot and save some money by not purchasing the espresso machine. But if you want to brew actual espresso, then you should get an espresso machine.

If you think the Moka pot is right for you. Great! We’ll tell you some factors to consider.

PRE-BREWING CONSIDERATIONS

Use fresh coffee beans, this should be a no-brainer. Coffee beans, when brewed at their peak, can produce rich and fascinating flavors like blueberries or citrus and more. These flavors don't stay more than a month after the beans have been roasted. For ground coffee, it only takes 30 minutes. Buy only freshly roasted coffee and grind it.

Make sure you choose the right size of Moka pot. They are made so that 1 cup (0.24 l) pot will produce roughly 1 shot of intense coffee, 2 cups will make 2 shots, and so on. Note that you can't half fill a Moka pot. This means you shouldn't buy a 6-cup Moka pot thinking you can make only 3 cups (0.71 liters) every time. Moka pots work well when filled in the right proportion.

Use a medium grind. You shouldn't use espresso fine grinds. They will just clog the filter screen and generate too much pressure. Grind the coffee to be just a little finer than the average drip coffee grounds.

Also, the grind has to be consistent. Inconsistent grinds will brew imbalanced coffee and this can make you sad, just when you need a rich cup.

Use filtered water that has no contaminants or dust. If your water doesn't taste good, your coffee won't come out delicious.

What about measurements? A gram scale is used to measure coffee and water but it's not necessary for this scenario. Fill the coffee basket with grounds and level it off with a knife. Then fill the water chamber to the release valve. It's a streamlined measuring process so the scale isn't needed to be consistent when using Moka pots.

But if you really want to be precise or only grind the exact amount of beans you need, go ahead and use a scale.

Okay, you’ve considered the important things, let's move to the fun part, Brewing time!

AN EASY GUIDE TO BREW MOKA POT COFFEE

What you’ll need

Moka pot
Freshly roasted coffee
Burr grinder
Water
Cold towel

In this guide, we are going to brew with a 2 cup (0.47 liters) Moka pot. You can adjust the measurements the way you prefer.

Grind enough coffee that can fill the coffee basket, use a medium-fine setting to grind.
Use a knife to level the grounds. Fill up the water chamber with boiling water up the bottom of the release valve.

Make sure you don't cover the valve or it won't work in a case of a pressure emergency.
Throw a damp kitchen towel into the freezer (you can do this some minutes before you start grinding the coffee beans.
Place the pot on your stove and turn it on to medium-low heat. The coffee will eventually start oozing into the upper chamber after some minutes. This means the pressure is working and coffee is brewing perfectly.
Watch the pot closely, if it's spurting and spewing, it means the heat is too high-, turn the heat down.
Once you hear a gurgling sound, it means the coffee is brewed, take it off the stove and put it directly on the cold towel. This will cool the pot and help keep the over-extracted, bitter liquid from funneling into your brew.
Pour the coffee into a mug and enjoy.

Hopefully, you didn't encounter problems but if you did, let's analyze some of them and give you solutions.

IF THE COFFEE CAME OUT TOO WEAK, that means the water vapor may have been forming in the grounds. So, it didn't extract the flavors from the grounds evenly, it only pulled a small section of the flavor.

Try tapping the filter basket so the grounds will distribute evenly next time. Also, you can try using a finer grind to boost the extraction.

IF THE COFFEE IS TOO BITTER, it simply means the grounds were over-extracted. You can try using a coarser grind setting or use a lower heat setting.

DID STEAM LEAK FROM THE SIDE? If yes, remove from heat immediately. You wouldn't want to take the chances of brewing with a wonky pressure. It's also possible that your grinds were too fine and it created a clog. Use a coarser grind the next time.

IF STEAMS LEAKS FROM THE RELEASE VALVE, it means the pressure is too much so you need to remove the pot from heat. Next time, don't overfill the coffee baskets with grounds or use lower heat.

WHAT GRIND DO YOU NEED TO BREW COFFEE IN A MOKA POT?

To brew in a Moka pot, we recommend grinding your beans on a coarse setting (similar to that you use for a French press or manual coffee makers). Using a finer grind can cause over-extraction. The truth is, you should experiment yourself between a coarse grind and a finer grind until you find the perfect settings that make just the right Moka pot coffee for you.

HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO MAKE MOKA POT COFFEE?

It takes around 5 minutes to make Moka pot coffee. If we are considering the grinding and preparation time, it takes about 10 to 15 minutes. This doesn't include the clean-up time which is essential if you really want to enjoy your Moka pot coffee again.

If you followed our guide correctly, you should have an empty Moka pot while you are relaxed sipping a delicious cup of Moka coffee. And of course, the best results can only be gotten when you’re using freshly roasted, specialty coffee. If you don't use the best beans, you are cutting yourself short before you even start brewing. Get started with our coffee beans.🙂

Older Post Newer Post