"It can serve as a substitute for an espresso machine" — this is a reason that has convinced many friends to make up their minds to buy a moka pot. Since the moka pot, like an espresso machine, uses pressure extraction, it can produce coffee with a higher concentration than atmospheric-pressure extraction. And the reason many friends need this high-concentration coffee is so they can add milk and make a rich, fragrant "latte."(Milk coffee).But! However! Here comes the problem: many friends have found that the "latte" they make by adding milk to moka pot coffee is completely different from what they expected. Not only is it not as rich and fragrant as the latte they drink in coffee shops, but the mouthfeel is also very watery — it tastes like coffee-flavored milk diluted with a large amount of water.Front Street had of course already anticipated this outcome, and there are two reasons. First, we need to know that although both are pressure extraction, the pressure used when extracting with a moka pot is far lower than that of an espresso machine, so it cannot make coffee as concentrated as espresso — it is only somewhat closer compared with other coffees.Second, the parameters were not used correctly! Many friends use the parameters recommended officially or by other bloggers when making moka pot coffee. These parameters are not wrong, but they are only suitable for making a cup of black coffee, because the concentration is not high enough.If moka pot coffee is to be used as a base and milk added to make milk coffee, then, as Front Street has always mentioned, we need to modify the parameters and increase the coffee's concentration, so that the coffee's flavor will not be overpowered by the milk, and the mouthfeel will not become thin because of the large amount of water.The specific method is very simple! So next, let Front Street share how to use a moka pot to make a rich, fragrant "latte."(Milk coffee).Super simple! Use a moka pot to make rich, fragrant milk coffee!The coffee beans determine the coffee's own flavor and character, so the first step is to choose a coffee bean according to preference to make moka pot coffee.It's very simple: if you like milk coffee that is full-bodied, rich, and non-acidic, then the coffee bean choice can be a more traditional medium-dark or dark roast espresso bean/blend. For example, from Front Street's bean list,Front Street Classic Blend, the espresso made with it will have a rich crema, a full-bodied mouthfeel, and non-acidic flavor notes such as chocolate, nuts, cream, and cookies;But if you like milk coffee with more prominent flavors, a less heavy mouthfeel, and something relatively fresher, then you can choose a medium-roast coffee bean with a slightly lighter roast level. For example, Front Street Espresso Blend · Strawberry Candy Espresso from Front Street's bean list; the espresso made with it will have the aroma of strawberries, white flowers, and berries, with a balanced taste and a smooth, rounded mouthfeel.Once we have chosen the coffee beans, we can begin our extraction. Since what we need to make is a high-concentration coffee that can be turned into delicious milk coffee, we need to increase the concentration as much as possible. And the best way to increase concentration is to control the amount of water used during extraction.Under the premise that the extraction yield remains unchanged, the less water we use during extraction, the higher the concentration of the extracted coffee will be. But reducing the amount of water used during extraction will lower the coffee's extraction efficiency, which will reduce the extraction yield. And if we want to maintain the extraction yield while reducing water to make high-concentration coffee, then "grinding finer" will be a very good choice.By grinding finer, we can increase the resistance of the puck and extend the extraction time, while also increasing the surface area of the coffee grounds exposed to water, making it easier for hot water to dissolve the flavor substances in the coffee. In this way, while the water amount is reduced, the extraction yield will not drop too much, and the coffee's concentration will therefore be greatly increased.To put it simply,it is reducing the water amount, grinding finer, and extending the extraction time. This way, you can get a high-concentration moka pot coffee that can make rich milk coffee! All right, without further ado, next Front Street will demonstrate the specific parameters and production steps. The coffee bean selected by Front Street this time is the Front Street Classic Blend mentioned earlier by Front Street. The parameters are as follows:Grind level: flour-like grind used for espresso. If you asked a merchant to grind the beans for you, what you receive should be roughly this grind level (at least Front Street uses this grind, as shown in the picture above).Dose: 20g. If your moka pot is smaller, you can appropriately reduce it.Coffee-to-water ratio: 1:4. For 20g of coffee, the amount of water used is 80ml.Initial water temperature: 100°C. Initial water temperature refers to the temperature of the water poured into the lower chamber of the moka pot. It does not have to be 100°C; using hot water is best~When everything is ready, we can make moka pot coffee in order:①. Pour hot water into the lower chamber;②. Put the coffee grounds into the filter basket, briefly tamp, and then install the filter basket into the lower chamber;③. Assemble the moka pot and place it on the heat source;④. Turn on high heat until liquid starts to come out;After liquid starts to come out, turn the heat down or off, and use the residual heat to complete the extraction.At this point, we have made a high-concentration moka pot coffee, totaling 45ml. Then the last thing to do is pair it with an appropriate amount of milk to make milk coffee.Since moka pot coffee is not as concentrated as espresso, we cannot directly copy the ratios used in espresso drinks. We need to appropriately reduce the milk, so as to avoid the coffee's flavor being masked by the milk.Taking Front Street as an example, the Classic Blend used here is a medium-dark roasted coffee bean, and the coffee made with it has enough roasted aroma to stand up to the flavor of milk, so a ratio of 1:4 can be used, meaning 45ml of moka pot coffee can be paired with 180ml of milk.(The picture below shows a "latte" made with moka pot coffee.)If what everyone makes with moka pot coffee is a "hot latte," you can first steam the milk to 65°C to activate the sweetness of lactose and then combine it with the coffee. The milk coffee made this way will be sweeter and more fragrant; and if what you want to make is an "iced latte" and you want to add ice cubes, then you can reduce a certain amount of milk and replace it with ice cubes, so the coffee will not become watery because of the melting ice.If what you use is a relatively fresher type with a less intense flavor, like Front Street Espresso Blend · Strawberry Candy Espresso, then the ratio can be increased a bit, using a 1:3.5 ratio, so that the milk's flavor can be allowed to cover the coffee's flavor.That is roughly how to do it — just this simple. And the same idea can actually also be applied to other extraction methods, such as drip bags and French presses. They can also use the same approach to extract a high-concentration coffee(But it will not be as rich as what a moka pot or coffee machine makes.), and then add milk to make a rich, fragrant milk coffee~ Everyone can give it a try themselves~
The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.
