If you love coffee, Moka Pots can be a fantastic way to brew strong coffee in your very own kitchen. Nevertheless, they can be difficult to use, especially if for the first time.
If you’re wondering how to use a Moka Pot, keep reading. We’ll cover how to use one in this article, as well as the things you should know beforehand so that you can brew the best tasting coffee possible.
What Are Moka Pots?
In 1933, Inventor Luigi De Ponti made the Moka Pot, a stovetop coffee maker initially made for Alfonso Bialetti. Soon afterwards, the Moka Pot became popular all over Italy. Users loved that it brought espresso coffee to the everyday household. The Moka Pot later expanded into other countries. Europe, North America, North Africa, and the Near East were all starting to notice this unique invention.
Several companies make Moka Pots today, but the original company, Bialetti, still creates their iconic Moka Pot, known as the Bialetti Express.
Moka pots have a basic construction. They have a metal body of either stainless steel or aluminum. This body stands up well against heat from hot stoves and resists harmful rust. At the base of the pot lies a water chamber. This holds the water as it’s being heated on the stove.
There’s a coffee basket that’s kept right above the water chamber. This basket contains coffee grounds. There are small holes on the base which let steam through, which draws out acids, oils, and flavors from the coffee.
A filter screen lies right above the coffee basket, permitting the brewed coffee to climb, along with pressure, out of a funnel, through a spout, and into the top chamber.
What Pressurized Brewing Does
Water within the pot is heated in the small sealed chamber, which in turn, produces pressure. This force makes water vapor climb up to the coffee, kickstarting the brewing process.
The same pressure then pushes the liquid coffee towards the funnel. The liquid then flows through to the upper chamber and stops being pressurized, so it passes into the chamber smoothly.
Pressurized brewing is great for brewing very strong coffee. A Moka Pot makes coffee that’s over twice the strength of regular coffee. This coffee strength can be used for several purposes. It can be sipped like espresso, mixed with steamed milk, or diluted with water for a lighter drink.
The Stovetop Espresso Misconception
As Moka Pots create coffee through pressurized brewing, this has led to many people believing that these brewers make espresso. This is false, Moka pots do not make real espresso.
Espresso is made by passing water through fine coffee grounds at intense pressure levels. This force is around 8-10 bars, which can only be produced with authentic espresso machines.
Unlike espresso machines, Moka pots produce much less pressure, around 1-2 bars in strength. This is still a greater force than humans can produce, but it still isn’t comparable to true espresso machines.
Moka pots do create very strong coffee, but it isn’t espresso. Espresso is made under enough pressure to make crema, a light layer of foam that lies on its surface. Moka pot coffee won’t pass the crema test.
Nevertheless, it tastes very similar to real espresso. If you’re using it to make special drinks, like lattes, most people won’t be able to tell the difference. Feel free to mix it with steamed milk, syrups, or hot water. As long as you like how it tastes, that’s all that matters.
Moka Pot Advantages And Disadvantages
Moka pots are simple and easy to use. They make a rich, flavorful, and tasty coffee that’s similar to espresso. They’re also made out of metal which is strong, resilient, and easy to clean.
These inventions are safe to use, as they come with a release valve that opens if too much pressure builds inside the pot. They’re compatible with most stoves and they are reasonably affordable, thanks to their uncomplicated structure.
It does have some weaknesses. They are easy to use, but they take a bit of work to figure out how to use them at first. The coffee can taste quite bitter if you don’t know how to use it properly.
Things You Must Know Beforehand
It’s best to use fresh coffee in your Moka Pot. At their most fresh, coffee beans can have amazing flavors, like pine, cane sugar, and even berries. These flavors start breaking down just 2 weeks after they’re roasted. Ground coffee does this in even less time, just 30 minutes after roasting.
Always purchase freshly roasted coffee and grind it just before you start brewing a cup. This is the best way to get the most flavor out of your beans.
Moka Pots come in different sizes, so you should choose the right one for your needs. A 1 cup pot will create 1 shot of strong coffee. A 2 cup will create 2 shots, and so on.
Take note – you must completely fill a Moka pot when you’re brewing coffee. Don’t buy a 4 cup if you only need 2 shots of coffee.
Your coffee should be ground down to fine or medium-fine in size. Don’t use espresso-fine grinds, as these can build up on the filter screen and produce too much pressure within the pot. Choose coffee that’s slightly finer than standard drip coffee grounds.
Consistency is important, so swap your blade grinder for burr coffee grinders instead. Blades can produce inconsistent grounds which will brew unbalanced flavors in your coffee.
Try to use the best water possible. Tap water with a higher calcium content can affect how the drink tastes. Coffee is 99% water, so if you hate the taste of your water, you’ll probably hate the taste of your coffee too.
How To Use A Moka Pot To Make Coffee
Collect the following tools before starting.
Freshly roasted coffee
Moka Pot
Burr Coffee Grinder
Knife
Hot Water
Cold Towel
This guide will cover brewing coffee in a 2 cup Moka Pot, though the process is similar for other sizes.
Grind enough coffee to fill the coffee basket. Make sure that the grounds are fine to medium-fine. Use a knife to level the grounds, but don’t tamp them.
Pour boiling water into the water chamber until it reaches the bottom of the release valve. Don’t cover the valve, as this can stop it from releasing if dangerous pressure occurs.
Put a damp kitchen towel into the freezer.
Put the Moka Pot together, ensuring that there aren’t any grounds on the edges where they fix to each other. Loose grounds in these areas will stop the coffee maker from sealing fully. This affects the coffee’s taste and texture.
Place it on your stove and set it to a low – medium temperature. If your stove permits it, rest the pot on the burner’s edge to stop the handle from overheating.
Start a timer. Keep watching the timer and the Moka pot. It can take anywhere from 5-10 minutes for the process to start. If 10 minutes go by without any action, turn up the heat a little.
Coffee should begin flowing into the upper chamber. This indicates that the pressure is working to brew the coffee. If the pot is spurting out too quickly, the heat is too high, so turn it down.
Take your cold towel out of the freezer. Once the coffee is around 80% up to the spout, remove it from the stove and place it on the towel. Cooling the pot quickly prevents bitter liquid from flowing into your coffee.
Pour into a mug and serve immediately.
Conclusion
The Moka Pot is a unique coffee brewer. It does take a little time to learn how to use, but once you understand it, you’ll be well on your way to brewing strong flavorful coffee at home.
Having one in your kitchen allows you to make specialty coffee drinks without paying for an espresso machine. Try to use the freshest coffee you can find, as this helps to produce better-tasting coffee.
