When to Turn Off the Heat When Brewing Coffee with a Moka Pot? How to Increase Crema, and How to Brew Coffee with a Moka Pot for Better Crema.

The Moka pot is a national institution in Italy—it is said that 8 out of every 10 Italian households keep one on hand. Yet it has a relatively small following in China, so a proper guide to using it has been a long time coming. Here FrontStreet Coffee walks you through the Moka pot.

Structure and Principle of the Moka Pot

A Moka pot consists of three parts: the upper chamber, the filter basket, and the lower chamber. The lower chamber holds the water, the filter basket holds the grounds, and the upper chamber collects the finished coffee. The brewing principle is simple: heating the lower chamber builds steam pressure, and once that pressure is high enough it pushes hot water up into the upper chamber (much like a siphon brewer). As the water passes through the grounds it meets resistance, and when it overcomes that resistance it flows into the top as rich, aromatic coffee.

When to Turn Off the Heat

When brewing with a Moka pot, cut the heat when the coffee in the upper chamber is roughly halfway up and you can sense it is about to boil over. The residual heat and pressure inside the pot will "push" the rest of the coffee up into the upper chamber.

How to Get More Crema from a Moka Pot

Crema comes down to the beans you choose—dark roasted coffee beans produce more crema.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

For Moka pot brewing, blends are the safest bet. FrontStreet's Classic Blend was designed specifically for espresso and Moka pot use, and its greatest strength is outstanding crema—even a beginner with a non-professional home machine can pull dense, silky foam. Built on the traditional Mamba (Mandheling and Brazil) recipe, it tastes rich and mellow, and it powers excellent lattes, cappuccinos, and Dirty drinks.

If you prefer single-origin beans, FrontStreet's Brazil Queen Estate is low in acidity and beautifully balanced, with pronounced nut and cocoa aromas and a clear caramel sweetness that suits pour-over, espresso, and Moka pot alike. FrontStreet's PWN Golden Mandheling is another strong option: deep roasted, low acid, with herbal and dark chocolate notes and a long, full body for those who like their coffee bold and bitter-free.