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The Moka pot is a coffee device very close to an espresso machine, capable of making rich, aromatic coffee with crema. It is deeply loved by Italian families. But for us, the Moka pot is rarely encountered, so Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) is sharing some knowledge about the Moka pot.
 
The Moka pot was invented in 1933 by the Italian Alfanso Bialetti. It brews coffee by heating the base, belongs to the distillation-style category, and is the most affordable among machines for making espresso-style coffee. It is commonly used in Italian households.
 
How do you use a Moka pot to brew coffee?
Moka potIt is divided into three parts: the upper chamber, the filter basket, and the base. The lower chamber is the water reservoir, the filter basket is used to hold finely ground coffee, and the upper chamber is used to hold the extracted coffee liquid. The principle of the Moka pot extracting coffee is very simple: it uses the steam pressure generated in the lower chamber. When the steam pressure becomes strong enough to permeate the coffee grounds, it pushes hot water up to the upper chamber, brewing rich, aromatic coffee.

The equipment needed includes: a Moka pot, a gas stove and stove rack or an induction cooker, coffee beans, a grinder, and water.  

1. Pour purified water into the lower chamber of the Moka pot. The water level should be about 0.5 cm below the pressure relief valve.

2. Choose a coffee grind slightly coarser than for espresso. You can refer to the size of the gaps in the filter basket mesh to ensure the coffee particles will not fall down into the lower chamber. Slowly pour the coffee grounds into the filter basket, tapping gently to distribute the coffee evenly. When the coffee grounds form a small mound, level the coffee surface by distributing the grounds.

Filling the basket with coffee is intended to avoid extracting undesirable defective flavors. Because the closer the density of the coffee grounds in the basket, the more it helps avoid part of the coffee being over-extracted or under-extracted, which can lead to uneven flavor or a bitter taste.

  
3. Place the filter basket into the lower chamber, then tighten the upper and lower parts of the Moka pot. Wipe the base with a dry cloth, then place it on an electric ceramic stove and heat over high heat;

4. When the Moka pot rises to a certain temperature, and when it makes an obvious "whistling" sound, set the electric ceramic stove to low heat and open the lid of the upper chamber.

5. When the coffee in the upper chamber has come out halfway, turn off the electric ceramic stove. The residual heat and pressure of the Moka pot will "push" the remaining coffee into the upper chamber.
 

6. When the coffee has all been extracted into the upper chamber, it can be poured into a cup and tasted. Coffee extracted with a Moka pot is very strong, and it can extract Crema, making its mouthfeel closest to espresso. At the same time, it can also be mixed with an appropriate amount of water or milk and drunk just like espresso.
 
Notes to pay attention to when using a Moka pot:

1. When filling the lower chamber of the Moka pot with water, special attention must be paid that the water level cannot exceed the position of the pressure relief valve.

2. After the Moka pot is heated, do not directly touch the body of the pot to avoid burns.

3. If the coffee liquid spurts out explosively, it means the water temperature is too high. Conversely, if it flows out too slowly, it means the water temperature is too low, and the heat needs to be increased.

4. Safety: Because of the pressure, pay attention to controlling the heat when brewing.

  
What coffee beans are recommended for a Moka pot?
For the pressure extraction method of a Moka pot, if you want richer coffee crema, use coffee with a relatively dark roast level. For example, Front Street (FrontStreet Coffee) Brazil Queen Estate Yellow Bourbon coffee is a relatively outstanding Brazilian coffee. Front Street uses a medium roast, highlighting its sugarcane sweetness without losing the balanced mouthfeel of Brazilian beans. Used for making coffee with a Moka pot, it hasrich coffee crema, a rich peanut and almond aroma, and flavors of chocolate, nuts, and sugarcane.

Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee): Brazil · Queen Estate Coffee Beans
Region: Brazil Mogiana

Estate: Queen Estate
Altitude: 1400-1950m
Variety: Yellow Bourbon
Processing method: Sun-dried processing

Flavor: Nuts, creamy peanut, sugarcane, soft fruit acidity

New pressurized Moka pot
Recently Bialetti released a new generation pressurized Moka pot. On January 22, a large number of review videos of the new Moka pot could already be seen circulating. At present, including the new model, there are a total of three models: the ordinary single-valve model, the gravity-pressurized double-valve model, and the new pressurized double-valve model.

The biggest design difference among the three is: the ordinary single-valve model has no pressure design, while the old version of the double-valve Moka pot uses a gravity pressurization design. The new model cancels gravity pressurization and instead uses a built-in hydraulic layer design for pressurization.
 
This change makes the user experience, first, easier to clean, and second, the quality of the brewed coffee better. A large number of comparison videos point out that coffee brewed with the single-valve Moka pot has less crema and it dissipates quickly. The new and old Moka pots with pressure design produce more crema compared with those brewed by the single-valve version, and the new version produces thicker and denser coffee crema, with a slower dissipation speed than the old version.

The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.