What is a Moka Pot? Step-by-Step Methods, Pros and Cons of Brewing Coffee with a Moka Pot

Friends who are new to coffee may have many questions, just like FrontStreet Coffee when we first started. We were curious about various types of coffee beans and coffee equipment. Today, FrontStreet Coffee will explain what a moka pot is and how to use it to brew coffee.

What Does a Moka Pot Look Like?

The design of a moka pot is very simple, with the entire structure divided into only 3 parts: the upper chamber for coffee liquid, the middle filter basket for coffee grounds, and the lower chamber for water and heating.

When we heat the moka pot, the water in the lower chamber heats up first and converts to steam, creating a certain pressure that pushes the water vapor upward. When hot water moves upward and reacts with the coffee grounds, the continuously increasing pressure pushes the extracted coffee liquid into the upper chamber, giving us the rich coffee liquid we need.

The extraction method of a moka pot is similar to the common pressurized espresso coffee we know. After the water boils in the lower chamber, it produces steam, which accumulates to create a certain pressure, forcing hot water to penetrate the coffee powder, dissolving flavor substances that flow with the coffee liquid into the upper container with force. A moka pot brews coffee at approximately 1.2 to 3 atmospheres of pressure. The increased pressure concentrates the coffee flavors more, so coffee brewed with a moka pot also has a mellow and rich taste.

Moka pots commonly available on the market are divided into two types: single-valve and double-valve devices. When using a double-valve moka pot to make coffee, an additional pressure-accumulating valve is added to the original design. The increased pressure also enhances the coffee's concentration and brings out more coffee oils. Although a moka pot cannot compare to the 9+ atmospheres of a standard espresso machine, FrontStreet Coffee believes that if we just want to enjoy a cup of rich, mellow coffee during our leisure time at home, a moka pot is also an excellent choice.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Using a Moka Pot

The biggest advantage of a moka pot is its portability and ease of operation - it doesn't have the complicated steps of espresso brewing, and of course, the price is very affordable. However, moka pots also have obvious disadvantages. Compared to espresso machines which typically extract at 90-94°C, moka pots heat water to the boiling point of 100°C. The excessive temperature can extract bitter macromolecules, making the coffee taste easily scorched, bitter, and heavy, difficult to swallow.

It's important to note that although the coffee liquid extracted by a moka pot has a relatively strong taste, it still has certain differences from the espresso coffee we commonly know. The espresso we refer to today is extracted at 9+ atmospheres of pressure, resulting in coffee liquid that is rich, velvety, and finely textured. However, a moka pot's maximum pressure is only 2 atmospheres, far below the pressure values used by commercial espresso machines. The resulting coffee liquid is relatively thinner, and the flavor and texture are not as rich and mellow as espresso. But if we want to enjoy a cup of rich, mellow coffee more quickly at home, FrontStreet Coffee believes a moka pot is also a very good choice.

Let's Brew a Cup of Coffee with a Moka Pot!

First, FrontStreet Coffee removes the base of the moka pot and adds warm water to the lower chamber. This can shorten the brewing time while avoiding the coffee grounds being heated too quickly, which would cause scorched bitterness.

Control the water level below the pressure relief valve line. The safety valve prevents the coffee pot from exploding due to extraction channel blockage caused by coffee grounds that are ground too fine. If the safety valve is submerged in water and the extraction channel is blocked, the consequences of a high-temperature coffee pot explosion would be unimaginable.

To extract rich black coffee, the grind size should be finer than regular pour-over but coarser than espresso. Here, FrontStreet Coffee uses our own roasted "Sunflower Warm Sun Blend Coffee Beans." If the grind is too coarse, it will lead to insufficient extraction and splattering issues; if too fine, it will cause over-extraction, resulting in heavily scorched, bitter coffee that's difficult to drink. FrontStreet Coffee uses an EK-43s grinder with a setting of 0.5 coarseness.

Pour the ground coffee into the filter basket, spread it evenly to fill, and smooth it with your finger before placing it in the base. There's no need to tamp forcefully - overly compacted coffee layers can easily block water flow upward, affecting extraction. If there isn't enough coffee powder, when water from the lower chamber enters the middle coffee layer under steam pressure, it cannot extract fully, which will lead to significant splattering in the upper chamber.

Next, screw the upper and lower chambers together tightly and place on a gas stove or induction cooker for heating. When using open flame, be careful to control the flame so it doesn't exceed the base range of the moka pot. Actually, there's no precise time specification for brewing - wait for the moka pot to heat up, and when you hear a hissing sound, turn to low heat, and the coffee liquid and oils will slowly flow out.

When you see the upper chamber half full of coffee liquid, you can turn off the heat source and move the pot to the table with a wet towel, using the residual heat and pressure inside to continue extracting the remaining coffee liquid. Finally, pour the extracted coffee liquid into a cup and enjoy directly. The entry reveals rich whiskey aroma, vanilla, cream, and the sweet and sour of berries, carrying the fragrance of roasted nuts. When mixed with a certain proportion of hot water, it presents fresh fruit sweet and sour notes, and when paired with milk, it has a delightful chocolate sweetness.

For professional coffee knowledge exchange and more coffee bean information, please follow Coffee Workshop (WeChat public account: cafe_style).

For more specialty coffee beans, please add FrontStreet Coffee's private WeChat (FrontStreet Coffee), WeChat ID: qjcoffeex

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473