Choosing the Right Grind Size for a Moka Pot (2024)

FAQs

Choosing the Right Grind Size for a Moka Pot? ›

Use a consistent fine to medium-fine grind size. You shouldn't go all out and use espresso-fine grinds. Those could clog the filter screen and generate a dangerous amount of pressure. Go for coffee that's just a little finer than your average drip coffee grounds.

What grind is best for a Moka Pot? Grind wise, if you were looking at a coffee grind chart, a grind on which is medium-fine just like for an AeroPress end of the spectrum is best for a Moka Pot. This is due to the built in metal filter having larger holes than other popular brewing methods.

How do you know what size coffee grind to use? In general, you'll need to use a fine grind for espresso, a medium grind for drip and pour-over and a coarser grind size for French press and cold brew.

On the other hand, a grind that's too fine can be a disaster. It might clog the filter, leading to an over-extraction where the coffee becomes bitter, even astringent. It's a fine balance to strike, but I've found that a consistency slightly finer than table salt is just right.

Moka pots (sometimes referred to as a stovetop espresso maker) vary in shape and size by brand and manufacturer. It is a classic brewing method with strong Italian roots. We use a coffee to water ratio around 1:10-1:13. For this recipe, we'll consider the classic Bialetti using 28g coffee to 300 g water to make 6 cups.

In general, the rule of thumb for a moka pot is to use a 1:12 coffee to water ratio. This will yield a strong espresso-like concentrate of about 6.5 ounces. A good place to start is with 13 grams of coffee and 170 grams of water. For those looking to brew a specialty cup of coffee (not espresso), use a ratio of 1:15.

How to avoid a bitter taste when brewing coffee in a moka pot. If your coffee tastes a bit bitter, don't worry: it's an easy fix! You can either try a slightly coarser grind, pre-heat the water, brew it on lower heat, or remove your moka pot from the stovetop a few seconds earlier.

The rule of thumb for having the right Moka grind is to make use of grinds that are relatively fine (slightly finer than that used by a drip coffee maker) but not too fine. It should be slightly coarser than what's used for espresso.

Moka pot is a coffee maker that makes concentrated coffee with pressure. It produces rich and intense coffee that may not produce as strong as espresso but still makes a better brew than a French press. The moka pot uses boiling water to force steam through coffee grounds and thus produce a strong brew.

Can I reuse coffee in Moka Pot? You can but... coffee brewing is really just dissolving coffee into hot water (not unlike you might do with spices) so you can drink it. Brew methods like the one above are tested using tricky apparatus that measure the precise amount of extraction you're getting.

Why is my Moka pot sputtering? ›

If the temperature is too high, the water can boil too quickly and create steam that is forced through the coffee grounds too quickly, causing sputtering. Another possible cause is that the water reservoir is overfilled.

Grind your coffee to a fine grind, the same size that you would use in an espresso machine. Grind about 20 grams of coffee per cup that you want to brew. Unscrew and separate the bottom of the Moka pot from the top and remove the basket.

As soon as the coffee stream starts to turn into a yellowish foam and you hear the characteristic gurgling sound, immediately take the moka pot off the stove and pour the coffee into the cups. This is a very important point. The last bit of the coffee brewed in this way is no longer pleasant to the taste.

Moving up in size, for espresso and Moka pots you want a fine grind. A good starting point is something just a little finer than granulated sugar. Grind size for espresso is perhaps the most critical of all the brewing methods. Tiny changes in grind size make for big changes when pulling shots.

If you brew with the built-in metal filter only, you'll want to use a medium-coarse grind size to ensure the coffee doesn't drain through the metal too slowly. However, if you use a paper filter, you'll want to use a medium-fine grind size to slow down the draining speed slightly.

For a 6-cup moka pot: Grind about 20-22 grams of coffee finer than you would for a pour over, but not quite as fine as you might for a true espresso machine—slightly larger than granulated sugar.

The ideal amounts to use in a three-cup moka pot are 150 ml of water (which should reach just below the valve) and 15 g of ground coffee. Pick your roast and grind size carefully. If you're using a moka pot of a different size, the secret is to stick to the same ratio of 1:10, with 1 part coffee to 10 parts water.