Nav: Home > Coffee >

Moka Pot Working Principles and Usage Guide: How to Brew a Delicious Concentrated Black Coffee

Published: 2026-01-27 Author: FrontStreet Coffee

Last Updated: 2026/01/27, For more professional coffee knowledge and coffee bean information, please follow Coffee Workshop (WeChat public account: cafe_style). The design principle of the Moka pot utilizes direct flame heating, causing the cold water and air in the lower chamber to expand in volume due to heat, slowly pushing them into the upper chamber. As the hot water rises, it

Professional Coffee Knowledge Exchange

For more coffee bean information, please follow Coffee Workshop (WeChat public account: cafe_style)

For more premium coffee beans, please add the private WeChat of FrontStreet Coffee, WeChat ID: qjcoffeex

The Design Principle of Moka Pot

The design principle of the Moka pot utilizes direct flame heating to expand the volume of cold water and air in the lower chamber, slowly pushing them upward into the upper chamber. As hot water rises, it passes through the funnel-shaped coffee powder filter, achieving coffee extraction.

The filter screen isolates coffee grounds, making the liquid clear. The area where coffee liquid emerges from the upper pot utilizes height difference to prevent the liquid from flowing back.

Moka Pot Coffee Grind Size

Since water rises through the coffee powder layer under the pressure generated by steam power at an extremely fast speed, FrontStreet Coffee suggests using extremely finely ground coffee when extracting with a Moka pot, but not so fine that it can pass through the holes in the filter basket.

After filling the filter basket with coffee powder level with the container, use your fingers to spread the coffee powder evenly and lightly press the coffee powder layer (just gently). This can reduce the space between coffee particles, resist the impact of rapid water flow through the powder layer, and avoid uneven extraction caused by large water channels during the extraction process.

Moka Pot Usage Precautions & Tips

Since it involves direct heating, FrontStreet Coffee has some small suggestions and precautions for everyone when using a Moka pot to extract coffee.

1. If possible, use boiling water in the lower chamber. This can reduce the time coffee powder spends in a high-temperature environment, lowering the chance of coffee developing a burnt bitter taste. However, be sure to take proper heat insulation measures before tightening the upper and lower chambers.

2. The water added to the lower chamber must not exceed the pressure relief valve (that small device that looks like a nut or screw). The pressure relief valve is a safety device designed to release excess pressure gas from inside the pot. If blocked by water, it can easily cause explosions due to excessive pressure after heating.

3. If using direct heat, try to control the flame between low and medium heat after ignition. Do not let the flame directly burn the pot body. This is to protect the entire pot body, ensure your own safety, and avoid the coffee in the upper chamber being further heated due to the pot being too hot, which would produce a burnt bitter taste.

Coffee Beans Suitable for Moka Pot

To brew rich, aromatic, full-bodied espresso with golden crema using a Moka pot, you first need to select freshly roasted coffee beans. All coffee beans sold by FrontStreet Coffee are shipped within 5 days after roasting, ensuring that everyone can enjoy coffee with excellent color, aroma, and taste.

Since it involves pressure extraction and results in high concentration, coffee beans extracted with a Moka pot are not suitable for using light roast coffee beans. The increase in concentration can turn the originally pleasant acidity when extracted with pour-over methods into sharp sourness, and the coffee's mouthfeel will also become very thin.

Therefore, FrontStreet Coffee recommends using medium-dark roasted Frontsteet Espresso Blend coffee beans. The advantage of blended coffee beans lies in their high cost-performance ratio, while beans from different origins are blended in different proportions, allowing the overall coffee extracted under extremely fine grinding + pressure environment to exhibit balanced and stable flavors.

FrontStreet Coffee has launched four types of espresso blend coffee beans with different flavor characteristics based on different consumer taste preferences.

"FrontStreet Coffee - Warm Sun Blend Coffee Beans" - a coffee bean primarily featuring wine aroma. Composed of Ethiopian natural Red Cherry coffee beans (30%) + Honduras sherry barrel coffee beans (70%), it offers rich wine aroma, vanilla cream, berry sweetness and sourness, and roasted nut flavors.

"FrontStreet Coffee - Premium Blend Coffee Beans" - an espresso bean primarily featuring nutty aroma. Composed of Colombian washed coffee beans (30%) + Brazilian natural pulped coffee beans (70%), it presents nutty, dark chocolate, and caramel flavors, suitable for daily coffee shop production.

"FrontStreet Coffee - Commercial Blend Coffee Beans" - an espresso bean primarily featuring rich body. Composed of Robusta washed coffee beans (10%) + Colombian washed coffee beans (30%) + Brazilian natural pulped coffee (60%), it presents nutty, cocoa, and caramel flavors with high body, meeting daily coffee shop needs.

"FrontStreet Coffee - Basic Blend Coffee Beans" - an espresso bean with slight acidity and rich body. Composed of Yunnan washed small bean coffee beans (30%) + Brazilian natural pulped coffee beans (70%), it presents gentle fruit acidity, caramel, and nut flavors, suitable for coffee shop and home users who prioritize cost and have moderate flavor requirements.