How to Adjust Coffee Grind Size for Moka Pot: Bialetti Moka Pot Grind Adjustment Guide

After getting used to drinking coffee made by commercial coffee machines when you're out, returning home and trying to replicate the taste of coffee shops is no simple task. Due to limited funds and space, you can only use a moka pot to brew the rich, mellow coffee you desire. However, now that you have the tool, how should you adjust the coffee powder used in the moka pot to make a cup of coffee that gets thumbs up from everyone?

Understanding the Moka Pot

First, we need to understand the history and brewing principles of the moka pot in order to know how to correctly use it to brew a rich cup of coffee.

In the 1920s, Italian Alfonso Bialetti was inspired by washing machines. He noticed a metal tube in the middle connecting the upper and lower layers, with heated soapy water spraying up through the central pipe and dispersing onto clothes. After multiple experiments, Alfonso finally created the world's first moka pot in the 1930s.

The principle of the moka pot is similar to that of the washing machine of that time. The lower chamber holds a certain amount of hot water, the middle section is filled with coffee powder, then the entire moka pot is assembled and placed on a heating device for heating. When the water in the lower chamber boils, more steam is generated, forcing the hot water through the metal pipe to pass through the relatively compact powder layer in the middle, continuing to surge upward until the coffee liquid flows into the upper chamber.

Its convenience, speed, space-saving design, and modern appearance were considered very contemporary at the time, and it became increasingly popular among the Italian people. Later, due to Alfonso's son achieving mass production of the moka pot and putting significant effort into exterior design and later advertising, the moka pot product became deeply imprinted in the lives of the Italian people.

How to Use a Moka Pot

The convenience of the moka pot became known to more coffee enthusiasts. Many people online shared their experiences of using moka coffee pots to brew coffee with rich crema and mellow taste. Seeing this, many who haven't yet purchased a moka pot became eager to try one. Those who already have one are curious about how to operate a moka pot to make coffee. So, FrontStreet Coffee will first teach everyone how to use a moka pot.

First, pour hot water into the lower chamber up to 0.5 cm below the pressure relief valve. Then pour the ground coffee powder into the middle filter basket, gently tap left and right to distribute the coffee powder evenly and smoothly. Place the filter basket into the lower chamber, then screw the upper chamber tightly onto the lower chamber. Finally, place the entire moka pot on the heating device for heating.

When the moka pot reaches a certain temperature, it will make a sound similar to "whooshing." At this time, you need to reduce the heat of the heating device and open the lid of the upper chamber. Soon, coffee liquid will spray out from the upper chamber. Lift the moka pot and turn off the heat source. Finally, you'll get a cup of coffee with strong aroma and rich, mellow taste.

Achieving Rich Crema with Moka Pot

Some people want to use a moka pot to brew coffee with crema like that from an espresso machine, so they ask FrontStreet Coffee: how should parameters be adjusted to achieve this amazing effect?

In fact, the crema in espresso consists of countless carbon dioxide bubbles. When the coffee grind is fine, the contact area between hot water and coffee particle surfaces increases, and gas emission becomes more intense, creating that layer of dense, golden-colored coffee crema.

Therefore, if you want to brew coffee liquid with rich crema using a moka pot, there are three solutions: coffee bean freshness, coffee bean roast level, and coffee grind size. FrontStreet Coffee ships coffee beans freshly roasted within 5 days, which have undergone a 4 to 7-day degassing period upon arrival, making them perfect for flavor. So, you can start with the other two aspects.

First, choose coffee beans with a darker roast level, preferably espresso blends, such as FrontStreet Coffee's Sunflower Warm Blend used for making espresso. This is composed of 70% Honduras Sherry and 30% Ethiopia Natural Red Cherry, featuring rich vanilla cream flavors and wine-like aromas. Additionally, if you prefer single-origin coffee, you can also use varieties typically used for pour-over, such as Brazil Queen Estate coffee beans.

FrontStreet Coffee: Sunflower Warm Blend Coffee Beans
Region: Honduras & Ethiopia
Varieties: Caturra, Catuai, Heirloom
Processing: Fine Washed & Whiskey Barrel Fermentation & Natural

The latter is a natural processed Yellow Bourbon coffee bean from Queen Estate. Natural processed coffee beans generally have superior aroma and sweetness compared to washed ones, and the addition of the Yellow Bourbon variety makes the sweetness of this Brazil Queen Estate coffee bean even more intense. After brewing, it presents rich nutty cream notes, mellow mouthfeel, and overall balance.

FrontStreet Coffee: Brazil Queen Estate Coffee Beans
Region: Mogiana, São Paulo State, Brazil
Estate: Queen Estate
Altitude: 1400-1950 meters
Variety: Yellow Bourbon
Processing: Natural Processing Method

Second, adjust the coffee grind to be finer. FrontStreet Coffee suggests that the grind size for moka pots should be between 0.3-0.55 mm, simply put, slightly coarser than for espresso machines. Since the grind particles are very small, it's difficult to determine with the naked eye. FrontStreet Coffee provides two methods to determine the grind. The first is to purchase a particle size gauge or moka-specific powder for reference comparison. The second is to determine the grind through continuous adjustment. When coffee liquid gushes out like a fountain, it means the grind is too coarse, and the water encounters too little resistance; when you hear the "whooshing" sound but don't see coffee liquid rising for a long time, you need to lift the moka pot away from the heat source and take safety precautions.

Safety Precautions

FrontStreet Coffee needs to remind everyone to pay attention to safety when making coffee with a moka pot. Those who have carefully observed the lower chamber of a moka pot should notice a protruding hole. This is the moka pot's pressure relief valve. The pressure relief valve exists to prevent explosions caused by excessive pressure in the pot due to certain factors (such as too fine coffee powder). When water covers the valve, the pressure relief valve loses its pressure-relieving effect, increasing the risk of explosion.

Conclusion

Now that we've covered this, using a moka pot to make a cup of rich, mellow coffee with beautiful crema shouldn't be difficult, right? Go ahead and make one yourself to try!

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Important Notice :

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