Equipment

Moka Pot Monday

Submitted by JackBinimbul in Coffee

Overview

It's time to talk Moka pot!

There are numerous guides on Moka pots and you can find James Hoffman's very thorough videos on the brewer here and on youtube. This will include some redundant information, but will mostly be about how I use this great little brewer.

In my experience, if you want something approaching espresso without an espresso machine, the Moka pot is for you. It is inexpensive, fairly easy to use, portable, and simple. Though experience with the brewer is useful and you can feel like you are progressing and producing a better cup each time.

Design

The Moka pot is made almost entirely of aluminum, which allows it to quickly heat up.

Water is placed in the lower chamber, coffee is placed in the basket and then the top chamber is screwed on before the whole brew is placed on the heating element. The lower chamber has an emergency pressure valve to release pressurized steam if pressure becomes too great in the chamber.

As the heat in the water chamber increases, steam is produced. Steam increases the pressure in the chamber, forcing boiling water up through the metal shaft that leads into the bed of coffee. From here, the coffee steeps while further pressure forces it up through the shaft leading to the top chamber.

The brewing is done when not enough water remains in the lower chamber and air begins escaping instead.

Bean to Cup

The amount of coffee will depend on the size of your Moka pot. I use and prefer the six cup version. There sizing is deceptive, however. The 6-cup does not produce six fluid cups, nor does it make enough for six people.

Measure about 15 to 17 grams of coffee into the filter basket. Your grind should be finer than drip coffee, but not as fine as espresso. Size 9 on the Baratza Encore is ideal. You will get an acceptable grind from a mid-quality hand grinder such as the Hario, but you will find that your cup is inconsistent.

Boil your water before adding it to the lower chamber. Adding water in hot allows the unit to heat faster and reduces violent sputtering at the beginning of the brew. The amount of water you use depends on your roast level. Medium to dark roast should be about a pinky-tip width away from the pressure vale. Light roasts should be just under the pressure valve. Do not cover the pressure valve with water.

Drop in the filter basket, screw on the top (firmly holding the top chamber, not the fragile handle), and put the brewer on the heat. I use an electric stove and find medium heat to be appropriate. Leave the lid open.

Now wait.

You will hear the brewer start to make bubbling or light hissing noises within about a minute. Within 30 seconds to a minute after the first sounds, you will start seeing coffee trickle out.

At this point, I move the brewer slightly off the heat. I want to maintain pressure in the chamber, not increase it. So I scoot it half off the burner. If you are using a gas burner, you can turn it down slightly at this point.

Watch the brewer carefully and, the moment you start seeing sputtering from the spout, flip the lid closed, remove it from the heat, and immediately pour it into your cup.

You will notice that what you have in your cup is a much more reduced volume than a typical cup of coffee. This is normal! You can now prepare it in multiple ways.

Americano - Add 4-6 oz of hot water to your taste.

Café au lait - Add 4-6 oz of hot milk to your taste.

Latte - Add 4-6 oz of steamed milk to your taste.

Cost

The Moka pot comes in at an extremely approachable price point with the 6-cup normally costing between $40USD and $50USD. Unfortunately, if you live semi-rural, Amazon may be your only reasonable option, but do try other online retailers first.

Amazon

Whole Latte Love

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Comments

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tuesday wrote (edited )

Surprised you didn't mention making Cuban coffee.

You can get moka pots on ebay for like $20 for the 3 cup size, I've never had or used the 6 cup one that I have unless I have company but I use the smaller one on the regular.

The cup size is in reference to espresso cups, using about 50 mil (~1.6oz) per produced coffee as the guideline. Like the standard drip cup is around 175ml (~6oz).

eta: I've never heard of the suggestion to boil the water first. That feels like a good way to get under bloomed coffee and to burn your hand trying to screw it together. I use cold water.

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JackBinimbul OP wrote

There are all different kinds of coffee that I didn't mention! These are just a lot of the "mainstream" ones that Westerners will be familiar with. This was written with a beginner in mind!

I'm aware of how Moka pot does their sizing, but the 6-cup does not produce enough for 6 espresso shots. I've pretty consistently measured water in and water out.

As for the boiling first: it's actually a recommendation via James Hoffman after a lot of his testing. I just use a tea towel when I screw it on. I have tried cold water before, but I had sputtering issues very frequently.

I'm not the coffee police though, use whatever methods work best for you!

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tuesday wrote

I brought up Cuban coffee specifically because cafecitos are made with moka pots. It's actually the preferred method in most of Latin America and Southern Europe I believe.
Anyway cool overview.

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JackBinimbul OP wrote

I've heard of Cuban coffee, but never personally tried it. I love cortados, which are similar, so I'll definitely have to give it a go!

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tuesday wrote

the difference is the sugar. once it starts to percolate you pour out the accumulated coffee and whip in sugar until its light brown and frothy. then pour in the rest when it's done.

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Bird wrote

I use a moka pot for my monthlyish coffee, never cared about the caffeine honestly but I quite like the flavor when it's just right. Usually with the right beans and roast and brew, I can just add a tiny drizzle of maple syrup and have a nice flavorful but not at all bitter little cup. Although it's never very consistent as I only have the absolute cheapest blade grinder that exists that I usually use for breaking down dried spices (though the occasional spice residue from cinnamon and the like can impart some nice flavors even if unintentional). I have used the pre boil method for a while as it tends to cut down on the bitter and burnt flavors I'm not super fond of.

Squawk

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JackBinimbul OP wrote

Oof, it's definitely hard to get a consistent cup with a blade grinder.

If you ever want to upgrade, Hario makes ceramic manual grinders that are decent. You can often find them online for around $30USD. I think even their newer ones have a slip-off handle with a hex nut that can easily be attached to a drill. That's how I use mine when I hand grind. Much easier on the hands!

I'll be making a post eventually about how to dial in coffee issues by taste. Bitter and burnt usually means it's brewed too long, which is also what I have found when I add cold water. The water stays in contact with the coffee longer this way.

Your grinder is also producing a lot of "fines", or much smaller particles than you intend. Smaller particles extract faster, so they are turning your cup bitter more easily.

I feel you , though. We work with what we've got and good coffee can be an expensive hobby.

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