What is a Moka Pot & How Do You Use One?
Moka Pot coffee was once a popular delicacy among coffee lovers. But its charm seemingly faded due to mixed reviews and a profoundly bitter taste that didn’t suit the mass preference. Imagine walking into a fancy coffee shop, ordering Moka pot coffee, and ruining your experience just because of the bitter taste. A bummer indeed!
However, this article will show you all you need to know to brew the perfect cup of Moka pot coffee using the latest techniques to resurrect this forgotten beverage. If you want to learn about it and how to make Moka pot coffee, keep reading.
What is a Moka Pot?
A Moka pot is a container that allows you to make coffee over a stove. It originates back to Italy after an inventor named Luigi De Ponti came up with the idea for Alfonso Bialetti in 1933. The Italian culture adopted this kitchen appliance quickly as it brought the sophistication of premium coffee to people’s homes in a very compact and easy-to-use device. It wasn’t much later that its popularity spread across Europe and America, where people swarmed to get their hand on a Moka pot.
Of course, many brands now have their Moka pot variant, but the original company (Bialetti) still holds a firm grip on the market. If you’re looking for a dependable Moka pot with premium construction, it is best to go with the original.
How Do You Use A Moka Pot?
If you’re wondering how to use Moka pot to prepare a delicious cup of coffee, we got you covered. Here is a step by step process:
1. First, you need to boil some water in a kettle and remove it from the stove.
2. Add the preheated water inside the pot (ensure that you only add water until the marked line)
3. Place the filter basket at the bottom of the device
4. Grind the coffee beans into a delicate thin powder and put it inside the filter basket, filling it. The standard filter basket capacity is about 15 to 15 grams.
5. Level the surface of ground coffee with your finger and remove any uneven pieces.
6. Then join the top and bottom parts together while wearing mittens, so you don’t hurt your hands.
7. Place the brewer on a stove and keep the heat on medium while leaving the lid open.
8. The coffee will start cooking and change its color to light brown. This color will lighten over the next few minutes with a continuous puffing sound.
9. When you notice the color of the coffee turning to yellow honey, remove the pot from the heat source
10. Close the lid and place the pot inside cold water to stop the coffee extraction process.
11. Once the bubbles stop forming inside the pot, you can pour it into cups and serve.
12. If you find it very concentrated, you can add more water to it (depending on your preference).
Carefully follow the above recipe and enjoy a perfect cup every time you crave Moka pot coffee. This method stresses preparing the iconic concentrated coffee, but you can dilute it as much as possible.
Choosing the Right Moka Pot:
If you want you moka pot coffee to not taste extremely bitter, you need to be careful while choosing the brand you’ll buy. Typical moka pots comes in variable sizes where you make the exact amount of coffee as the size of the container. Hence, you won’t be able to make 3 cups in a 6 cup brewing device. It is best to figure out your needs and intake to choose the right size.
After you’ve made your choice, ensure that you’re using finely grinded coffee beans that aren’t uneven. The coffee will not taste good if you use inconsistent grounds in the brewing process. You don’t necessarily have to use espresso level ground coffee as it may block the filter but they should at least be better than standard dip coffee grounds.
When the brewing process is complete, cleaning is an endeavor not enjoyed by many. So invest in a Moka pot that offers easy detachable cleaning and doesn’t get too hot on the handle. Ensure that you don’t use strong chemical or cleaning agents to clean your moka pot or it’ll lose its shiny surface.
Is Moka Coffee As Strong As Espresso?
In short, Moka coffee is not as strong as espresso, but it is as close as you can get to espresso without owning an espresso machine. The newest Espresso machines in the market offer brewing pressure of eight to 10 bars, depending on the brand. However, Moka pots only manage 1/5 of that pressure, making it much less ideal but the only viable option.
So we take this opportunity to debunk the myth of false branding where companies sell stovetop espresso machines when no such thing exists. The Moka pota coffee is not authentic espresso as a Moka pot can’t reach pressure above one or two bars.
All in all, coffee coming out of a Moka pot is almost three times stronger than the standard coffee. So if you want a kick that’s more intense than your regular hand-brewed coffee, a Moka pot can be a good investment.
Why Is Moka Pot Coffee So Good?
Many factors play a significant role in making Moka pot coffee a popular beverage. As you may know, the stronger the coffee is, the more versatile it gets in terms of cuisine pairings and amalgamation with other recipes. Hence you see espresso shots in everything, especially if you walk in someplace fancy.
Since it is also strong, flavorful, and holds the nuances of a proper espresso cup, it is an excellent and enjoyable experience whenever you add it to your daily routine. Additionally, making this coffee is straightforward and doesn’t require lengthy preparation steps, making it a user-friendly brewer that provides the best coffee possible in your home.
Besides, who wouldn’t want a cheap brewer in their house that does everything an espresso machine would do, only a little less intensely.
Is A Moka Pot Worth it?
The answer to this question depends on what you’re looking for in a brewer. And what type of coffee do you prefer. Of course, the Moka pot is phenomenal at what it does, i.e., delivering a coffee cup that refreshes your soul, but is it worth the other available options?
Here are a few factors worth considering:
Price:
As you know, espresso machines cost a fortune, and having one in your home is a luxury in these times. If you can still afford one, opt for the espresso machine, but go for Moka pot if you want a budget-friendly option.
Usability:
It is easy to use a Moka pot. If you don’t want to grind the beans or manually put in the handy work, you can buy a Moka pot to make your everyday routine much more effortless. Of course, it is not as easy as the espresso machine, but it’s a close second.
Taste Preference:
Moka pot coffee tastes different than other types such as espresso, French press, etc. It is best to explore the flavor of each before you make a decision.
Which is better French press or Moka Pot?
If you’re looking for a coffee maker in the market, you may stumble upon many options. A common choice of many people is the French press, an innovative way to extract coffee being used in many homes and offices.
To help you understand the differences between Moka pot and French press, you should know how both work.
What is French Press?
We’ve already shed a fair amount of light on Moka pot so let’s dissect the French press.
French press coffee is a French tradition where ground coffee stays suspended in hot water for a few minutes and gets extracted into the bottom container. Since the grounds are not yet separated from coffee, you press a mesh filter into the brewing container. And voila!
The French press offers more control over the brewing process and provides a less overwhelming taste than Moka pot coffee. The coffee brewed through the French press is also rich in texture.
Considering Factors:
Flavor:
Naturally, both processes yield a different flavor of coffee as one uses pressure while the other uses the steeping technique.
Brewing Time:
The brewing time is almost the same (nearly five minutes each). However, sometimes Moka pot can take more time to deliver the perfectly brewed cup.
Price:
Most notably, a French press is much more expensive than a Moka pot, so if you’re looking for a budget-friendly option, choosing the latter is an intelligent choice.
Build:
French press is much more luxury-oriented than Moka pot, featuring unique metal and steel construction, built for charm and longevity. Moka pots are not very pretty but stay reliable through rough heat exposure and continue to operate efficiently for years.
How to Use a Moka Pot on A Stove
Even though many people opt for the traditional electric burners, you can make your cup of coffee using a Moka pot and a stove. You’re good to go as long as the pot doesn’t wobble due to misshaped design.
Here is how you do it:
- First, pour some boiling water into the base of the Moka pot. Moka pots typically have a pressure indicator that will let you know how much water you can add.
- Take your coffee beans and place them on top of the funnel.
- Smooth out the surface of the coffee beans so it’s consistent. Do not overfill.
- Then place the funnel on top of the Moka pot and ensure that there aren’t any foreign elements at the top of the pot, such as stray grounds etc.
- Join the two pieces of Moka pot together and seal them tightly.
- Now place the pot on top of a stove, and keep the heat to a minimum. If the brew starts to boil or sputter, it indicates that the heat is too high.
- Wait for five to ten minutes until the brew shifts from the bottom container to the top one.
- Once 4/5 of the brew has oozed into the upper chamber, remove the pot from the stove.
- Pour your delicious coffee into your favorite mug and enjoy!
Final Word
You are now well-informed about Moka pot coffee and its characteristics if you’ve read the above text. Get ready to prepare a cup of coffee that you’ll remember for ages as your first step in the Moka universe. Of course, you may have to test the waters to figure out the perfect concentration that suits your taste buds, but once you get there, there’s no going back.
Ensure that you’re sourcing your coffee from a trusted vendor that offers high-quality coffee roasts so you’re never compromising on flavor. If you’re curious, you do all about coffee roasts here.
