Illustrated Guide to Moka Pot Brewing: Tips and Tutorial

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The Moka pot is a national-level coffee brewing device in Italy. It's said that 8 out of 10 Italian households regularly keep a Moka pot. However, it has relatively few users in China, so there hasn't been a comprehensive guide on how to use it. This time, FrontStreet Coffee will provide a complete tutorial on using the Moka pot.

Structure and Principle of the Moka Pot

The Moka pot consists of three parts: the upper chamber, the coffee filter basket, and the lower chamber. The lower chamber holds water, the filter basket holds the coffee grounds, and the upper chamber collects the brewed coffee.

The principle of brewing coffee with a Moka pot is quite simple. By heating the lower chamber, the water inside produces steam pressure. When the steam pressure reaches a certain level, it pushes hot water up to the upper chamber (similar to the principle of a siphon brewer). As the hot water passes through the coffee filter basket, the coffee grounds create some resistance. When the water overcomes the resistance of the coffee grounds, it flows into the upper chamber as rich, aromatic coffee liquid.

Moka Pot Tutorial Section

Regarding Moka pot questions, most people want to know how much coffee to use, how much water to add, and how fine the coffee should be ground. FrontStreet Coffee will now answer these questions one by one.

Coffee Amount for Moka Pot

Notice that when purchasing a Moka pot, there are usually different size options available, such as 2-cup, 3-cup, and up to 18-cup versions. The main difference between these sizes is the capacity of the filter basket. In other words, how much coffee you need depends on the size of your filter basket. The most direct measurement method is to place coffee beans directly into the filter basket until it's full and level with the basket's edge, then grind those beans into coffee powder.

For those who prefer calculated formulas, you can also weigh the coffee beans that fill the filter basket and record the weight. FrontStreet Coffee uses a Bialetti 3-cup single-valve Moka pot, and the measured required coffee amount is 18g.

Water Amount for Moka Pot

How much water to add is another concern for many users. Observe the lower chamber, and you'll notice a prominent hole, which is called the pressure relief valve. This valve prevents explosions that might occur due to excessive pressure caused by certain factors (such as coffee grounds being too fine). If water covers this valve, it may lose its pressure-relief effect, increasing the risk of explosion.

Therefore, the water level should generally be about 0.5 centimeters below the pressure relief valve. For those who prefer calculated formulas, you can also weigh the water and record it. FrontStreet Coffee uses a Bialetti 3-cup single-valve Moka pot, and the measured water amount is 130ml.

Coffee Grind Size for Moka Pot

First, it's important to note that the grind size for a Moka pot is different from that for an espresso machine. An espresso machine has greater pressure (9 bar) and can overcome the resistance of the coffee puck. The Moka pot's pressure is not as high, so if the coffee is ground too fine, the coffee liquid likely won't rise, and it will increase pressure in the lower chamber, posing an explosion risk if pressure relief fails. Therefore, if the water is boiling but the coffee liquid hasn't risen for a long time, you should promptly turn off the heat source.

Too coarse is also not suitable, because the resistance would be too small, causing the coffee liquid to gush out, creating a risk of splattering and burns. FrontStreet Coffee recommends a grind size of EK-43s #3-3.5 setting.

Coffee Beans Suitable for Moka Pot

FrontStreet Coffee recommends using medium-dark roasted coffee beans, espresso beans, or Moka pot-specific coffee grounds. If you usually use a Moka pot to make Americano and prefer rich-bodied black coffee, we recommend FrontStreet Coffee's Brazil Queen Estate coffee beans. This is a medium-dark roasted single-origin bean that produces distinct roasted peanut aromas when brewed. However, if you sometimes make Americano at home and other times make lattes, and prefer balanced flavors, we recommend FrontStreet Coffee's Warm Sun Blend espresso beans. This bean is specifically designed for pressure extraction, making it suitable for both coffee machines and Moka pots, producing coffee with impressive vanilla milkshake and milk chocolate flavors.

Moka Pot Operation Steps

① Pour hot water into the lower chamber up to 0.5cm below the pressure relief valve. Using hot water can better shorten the coffee brewing time.

② Pour the ground coffee into the filter basket, tap it left and right to let the coffee grounds settle naturally, and level the surface of the coffee layer. The purpose of this is to ensure even distribution of space between coffee particles, and not pressing down is to prevent excessive resistance in the coffee layer.

③ Place the filter basket into the lower chamber and twist the upper and lower chambers tightly together.

The lower chamber contains hot water, remember to use a cloth for insulation to avoid burns.

④ Place it on an electric ceramic stove, turn on the power, and begin heating.

⑤ When the Moka pot reaches a certain temperature and makes a distinct "whooshing" sound, set the electric stove to low heat and open the lid of the upper chamber. Coffee liquid and crema will begin to flow out.

⑥ When the coffee liquid in the upper chamber reaches halfway, turn off the electric stove and move the Moka pot to the table. The residual heat and pressure of the Moka pot will "push" the remaining coffee liquid into the upper chamber.

⑦ Finally, pour the coffee into a cup, and you're done. The crema produced by a single-valve Moka pot is relatively thin and coarse, and won't last very long - it will dissipate quickly. This year, Bialetti also launched a new generation of pressure Moka pots, whose crema performance is a level above that of single-valve models.

Important Notice :

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