Moka Pot is a nifty little brewer that makes really strong coffee. It is sometimes called a stovetop espresso maker. But espresso it is not, just strong coffee that is very close to espresso. When done right, it can give you a damn good cup if you’re tired from chasing the perfect shot from your espresso machine.
Using Moka pot can be tricky at times, as it doesn’t seem intuitive to most people. One problem that most get is bitter brew that is resulted from too high of brew temp or pressure. But with little tips and techniques, it can make a cup of decent ‘expresso’ . Moka pot works by pressurizing as the water heat up, building up steam pressure that pushes hot water up the coffee bed.
Above Picture: Water pushed by the steam over the coffee bed
Let’s proceed to make one, shall we?
First, for the grind size, use something between drip and espresso. This can be adjusted later on based on the result and tweaked from there, but it should always be between drip and espresso. If the extraction came out too slow, loosen the grind and vice versa.
Next, depending on the size of your moka pot, fill the basket up with ground coffee. Freshly roasted freshly ground is the key here. Level and tap the basket to settle the coffee ground. Coming from an espresso machine, you might be tempted to tamp, don’t. Moka pot doesn’t have enough pressure to punch through that and if you do so, you will slow the flow down and overextract, yielding bitter cup. Measure how much your moka filter basket holds and grind to exact next time so you don’t waste coffee.
Above picture:Fill with fresh coffee ground
After that, fill the bottom chamber with clean filtered water. Fill it up to just below the pressure relief valve. Some suggested that it’s best to use off-boil hot water as not to burn your coffee. Be careful with that, as it can be very HOT! Use an oven glove if you go this route. For beginner, I would suggest just to use room temp filtered-clean water. Put the basket in and make sure the threads are clean before screwing the top in. Otherwise the pot might leak during brewing.(Nasty!)
Above picture: Fill just below the pressure relief valve
Preheat your stovetop or your favorite heat source. Use moderate heat or heat setting that gives you the first flow at about 5-6 minutes. Watch closely when it’s brewing, especially for the first time. You don’t want your stovetop to burn (or explode) or your brew get over extracted. If you’ve done it right, the drip will flow out slowly (not too slow) and steadily like the video shown below. Take it off the stove to stop extraction before bubbles are gurgling (which means it’s too hot). One neat tip here is that you could place it in cold water to immediately stop the extraction. A cold towel would work too.
Video: Moka brew
There should be plenty of water left under the bottom chamber. So don’t worry about that. But if you used up most of the water in the chamber, this means you have gone too far. Your brew is most likely to be bitter. Cut it shorter next time. Make a few times and hopefully you will get the hang of it. Last but not least, remember to pour into your cup and enjoy!
A beautifully brewed Moka:
FAQs
And now the disadvantages:
- Easy Over-Extraction — Making overly bitter coffee is pretty easy even if you're careful.
- The Coffee Boils — Even if you don't over-extract, boiling usually damages flavor.
Aluminum moka coffee pots are made of anodized aluminum, which triggers oxidization when placed in a dishwasher and causes the material to turn black. Once this has happened, there's no going back and you will need to replace your moka coffee pot.
Can we make black coffee in moka pot? ›
That said you can enjoy a Mokapot in several forms. Add more hot water to have a longer black coffee or enjoy it as it comes which is a rich full bodied shorter coffee. You can add hot or cold milk to then make various forms of milk based coffee.
Is moka pot coffee high in caffeine? ›
According to research by the University of Newcastle 100 ml (around 3.4 ounces) of coffee made in a Moka pot has around 219 mg of caffeine, which is a lot. If you compare it to the French press which has around 74 mg of caffeine in the same amount of brew, it's around three times as much.
Do Moka pots get moldy? ›
You should wash it after each use - mold can develop if wet grounds are left in the moka pot. Hot water and some gentle rinsing and soft sponge is all you need.
How do you remove oxidation from a moka pot? ›
Fortunately, there are solutions. If the problem is aluminum oxidation, the solution is to clean and season the Moka pot. This can be done by filling the pot with water and adding a few tablespoons of vinegar or lemon juice.
Do Italians clean their moka pot? ›
In Italy washing the coffee pot with detergent is considered a sin. The "oily" that you describe gives a better taste, and it's something that every "nonna"(grandmother) teaches you, if you want to clean your coffee pot just put it under hot water and brush it with your fingers, that's it.
How often should you wash your moka pot? ›
We have seen how to clean the coffee maker on a daily basis to prevent the most stubborn dirt residues from compromising its mechanism. Constant washing of the Moka after each use is essential in this regard. It is recommended to combine this regular activity with a deeper periodic cleaning.
Can I use regular ground coffee in a moka pot? ›
You can use any coffee you like in a moka pot—the coarseness of grind matters more here than the roast. The grounds should be coarser than is necessary for an espresso machine, but finer than you'd use in a drip coffee maker.
Can you use coffee grounds more than once in a moka pot? ›
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.
Can You Use Folgers Coffee in a Moka Pot? Yes, you can use Folgers coffee in a moka pot.
Is espresso too fine for moka pot? ›
The grind for a Moka Pot needs to be coarser than espresso. If the grind is too fine, the coffee will struggle to extract resulting in a very bitter and strong taste.
Is a moka pot as strong as espresso? ›
Although these machines can make a strong coffee, they do not reach the pressure levels needed to produce what is generally considered true espresso.
Is a 6 cup moka pot too much for one person? ›
By dividing the total water volume by 2, you'll know how many cups you can make per serving. To summarize: a 3-cup moka pot is perfect for individual use, a 6-cup variant is great for larger servings, and the 9-cup size is best suited for big get-togethers.
Is moka pot coffee healthy? ›
While simple to use and delicious in taste, is it healthy? Unfortunately not. While moka pots do generate intense pressure similar to that found in an espresso machine, their effects are less severe; thus remaining highly flavorful and strong coffees.
Does a moka pot make better coffee? ›
The coffee that comes out from the Moka Pot is very concentrated, thick and delicious. However, it's very easy to under or over extract. The Moka Pot comes nowhere near to the espresso machine in consistency, quality or control. It's difficult to control quality from brew to brew.
Is it safe to use moka pot? ›
All moka pot equipment are equipped with gaskets that ensure a safe pressure in the lower chamber. Because the moka pots are divided into three, the gaskets hold the chambers together. It also prevents pressure from escaping its separations. Moka pot is equipped with all these safety valves.
Is moka pot coffee too strong? ›
In fact, it's typically a bit more than twice as strong as normal coffee, made at a 1:7 coffee to water ratio or so (normally, coffee is made at around a 1:16 ratio). It's strong enough to sip on lightly like espresso, enjoy with steamed milk, or cut with hot water for a bigger, less intense drink.
