How to Use a Moka Pot
How to brew a great cup of coffee in 5 easy steps
This little coffee maker can be found in most kitchens in Italy and it’s not only because of its beautiful, affordable design. It’s an easy way to brew a great cup of coffee.
Here are the 5 steps to getting a great cup of coffee using the Moka pot:
Freshly ground beans are the key to any great cup of coffee. The Moka pot uses the same grind size as an espresso machine (Since it’s harder to fine tune a grinder using a Moka Pot it’s useful to get some already ground coffee from a local shop to compare size).
You will need about 18–20 grams of coffee for each cup that the Moka pot can brew. (The pots have different sizes, the most common are the single cup and the 6 cup).
Once you have the coffee ready, unscrew the bottom of the pot and remove the basket. In the bottom part add cold water making sure that the water level stays just beneath the steam release valve.
Note: If you don’t have the patience to wait for the water to boil in the Moka pot you can add hot water to the bottom, just be careful when handling it afterward since it will heat up quite fast.
Add the ground coffee to the filter basket. You will need about 18–20 grams of coffee for each cup you are going to brew.
The coffee needs to be level in the basket, but not tightly packet. The coffee is quite fine and packing it too tight might make it hard for the water to go through the basket and into the pot at the top.
Place the filter basket on the base and then screw on the top of the Moka pot. You are now ready to brew the coffee.
Place the Moka pot on the stove on medium heat. The first few times you might need to keep an eye on it and tweak the temperature. If the coffee comes up really fast, almost exploding, then the heat is too high. If it’s just throwing up small drops, but nothing consistent, it’s probably too low.
For the single pot, I usually take the pot off the heat as soon as the coffee starts to flow from the top, the residual heat will keep pushing water through the coffee, cooling down enough before it over-extracts.
The most important part of the process is pouring the freshly brewed coffee into a cup and sitting down to enjoy it. Sunshine and sugar are optional!
