Can a Moka Pot Replace a Coffee Machine? Is Coffee from a Moka Pot Considered Espresso? Why Doesn't Moka Pot Coffee Have Crema?

"Can a moka pot replace a coffee machine?" This is a question many friends are curious about when considering purchasing a moka pot. Because they have a significant demand for coffee, but coffee machines can cost thousands or even tens of thousands of dollars, which isn't a necessary expense. Therefore, most friends turn their attention to the relatively affordable moka pot.

Can Moka Pot Coffee Replace Espresso?

Of course, the replacement mentioned here doesn't refer to functionality, but whether coffee made with a moka pot can replace espresso made with a coffee machine. Since both use pressure extraction, the resulting coffee will have higher concentration than regular single-origin coffee, which naturally leads to this question. Great! So next, FrontStreet Coffee will conduct an experiment to show everyone whether coffee made with a moka pot can replace espresso extracted by a coffee machine!

Experimental Comparison

In this experiment, FrontStreet Coffee will use the same coffee beans to make both espresso and moka pot coffee, then compare the differences between them! The coffee beans used here will be FrontStreet Coffee's signature blend: Warm Sun Blend. The coffee amount is 20g for both, with a uniform grind setting of 1.6 on the Galileo Q18 (flour-like fineness).

Here, FrontStreet Coffee uses a 1:2 coffee-to-liquid ratio for espresso extraction, meaning 20g of coffee grounds to extract 40ml of coffee liquid.

For making moka pot coffee, a 1:4 coffee-to-water ratio is used, where 20g of coffee grounds will be made with 80ml of hot water. Because FrontStreet Coffee is making a concentrated version of moka pot coffee here, less hot water is used. The preparation will also be more complicated than usual moka pot coffee making. For details, you can refer to the article "How to Make 'Latte Coffee' with a Moka Pot," so FrontStreet Coffee won't elaborate too much. The final poured coffee liquid weighs 45ml, meaning a 1:2.25 coffee-to-liquid ratio.

Because the crema on the espresso lasted for a long time, when tasting the espresso, FrontStreet Coffee first noticed the rich texture of the crema, followed by its intense and balanced flavor. In terms of flavor profile, FrontStreet Coffee detected butter cookies, chocolate, berries, and whiskey aroma from the espresso, with an overall very rich body and long aftertaste. Then came the moka pot coffee. Since the espresso was tasted first, the differences in the moka pot coffee were very apparent in comparison. First, its concentration wasn't as high as the espresso, so the overall flavor wasn't as intense as the espresso. Second, because its bubbles dissipated quickly after extraction was complete, coupled with the lower concentration, the mouthfeel was slightly thin. However, the coffee's flavor performance was still outstanding - it had almost everything the espresso had, indicating a complete extraction was achieved. (Left: Moka pot coffee, Right: Espresso)

The Science Behind the Difference

The main reason for these differences is that the extraction pressure of a moka pot isn't as high as that of an espresso machine. Although both use pressure extraction, the moka pot's extraction pressure caps at around 3bar, while coffee machines operate at around 9bar - a significant difference. This means that even with adjustments, it's difficult for a moka pot to extract coffee with the same concentration as espresso, and both flavor and mouthfeel will be somewhat inferior. However, we need to understand that the moka pot wasn't invented to replace coffee machines (nor can it), but to provide everyone with a more convenient coffee extraction tool. Although the coffee it extracts isn't as concentrated as espresso, its concentration is still sufficient to make a "espresso-style coffee" with excellent flavor and mouthfeel (such as milk coffee, black coffee, etc.), just not as impressive as true espresso.

Conclusion: When to Choose a Moka Pot

Compact, portable, easy to operate, and affordable - these are the advantages of a moka pot over a coffee machine. If your daily coffee demand isn't very high, and you just want to make a satisfying cup at home, then a moka pot is perfectly capable of handling this job~

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Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473