BREWING WITH A MOKA POT
Invented in 1933 by Italian engineer Alphonso Bialetti, this little coffee brewer delivers robust and hearty coffee, and depending on the recipe, can be made as a concentrate or a regular cup. The pot's three chambers deliver water up through the coffee grounds, relying on steam generated by the pressure of the boiling water below.
QUICK TIP:
If you're concerned about any burnt flavors in the resulting brew, you can pre-boil your water in a kettle before pouring into that bottom chamber. This preheating step decreases the time that the coffee grounds are in contact with the hot water, so can help prevent any burnt flavors.
NOTE: If you try this, make sure to watch your hands, because the pot gets HOT.
GRIND SIZE
Finer than drip, but not as fine as espresso - slightly larger than granulated sugar.
Photo by Brent Ninaber on Unsplash
RECIPE
Depending on the size of your Moka Pot, you can make anywhere from 1 to 12 cups.
To figure out how much coffee & water you need, you could just fill the coffee funnel to the top and level it off, and fill the hot water to the bottom of the valve - or, if you'd like to be more precise, check out these measurements:
Build your own recipe!
1 to 2 tablespoons (30 - 60 grams) of coffee for every 5 ounces (150ml) water
Or, try our recipe:
21 - 23 grams coffee (about 2.5 - 3 tablespoons ground) to 345 ml (10oz) water
STEPS
- Pour water (pre-heated if desired) into bottom of chamber, filling to the valve.
- Place funnel inside the chamber. TIP: If any water enters the funnel, just remove the funnel, pour out some excess water, and replace funnel.
- Fill the funnel with your 21 - 23 grams of coffee. TIP: Level the grounds and wipe the rim of the funnel clean - and no need to press down on the grounds.
- Screw the top of moka pot on tightly. TIP: If you used pre-heated water, use an oven mitt or towel to hold the chamber, as it will be HOT.
- Place moka pot on stove using medium heat.
- When the water in the chamber starts to boil, the resulting pressure will push the water up through the coffee grounds, becoming brewed coffee. This brewed coffee will get pushed into the top chamber.
- When you hear a hissing or gurgling sound, remove the moka pot from heat.
- Let the coffee finish pouring into that upper chamber.
- Pour and enjoy!
GENERAL TIPS FOR BETTER TASTING COFFEE
TIP 01 / FILTERED WATER
Did you know that coffee is 98% water? The quality of the water you use to brew your coffee directly affects the taste in your cup! Just running your tap water through a filter like Brita or Pur will affect the taste of your coffee for the better.
TIP 02 / TRY A BURR GRINDER
Coffee tastes best when ground right before you brew, and burr grinders give you a much more even grind size. When they're very different, the water gets less from the big pieces (giving you sour flavors), and too much from the smaller pieces (bitter flavors).
TIP 03 / USE A SCALE
Depending on varietal and where in the world they're grown, beans weigh different amounts, and they're also different sizes. Scooping to measure your coffee recipe becomes less and less reliable. The answer? Weigh your coffee on a gram scale to make sure you have the right recipe.
