My housemate is italian. He bought me my moka pot (or as he calls it, my macchinetta). So I consider myself uniquely qualified (both as a coffee nerd and honorary italian) to write this short guide on making perfect Moka Pot coffee.
About Moka Pot coffee
Moka pot coffee is for black coffee lovers who want the most concentrated form of their coffee, without having to use any electricity. It’s made by boiling water in a lower compartment which forces water up through a grounds compartment, finely ground to extract a denser, richer flavour.
Is Moka Pot coffee the same as espresso?
No, Moka Pot coffee is not the same as ‘espresso’ made with an espresso machine, expressly because the amount of pressure generated is much lower than with an espresso machine.
However, the flavour profile is similar, although less acidic (which, for me, is a win). I’ll generally drink coffee from a macchinetta in the same way I’ll drink an espresso.
What is a Moka Pot made out of?
A Moka Pot has 3 distinct parts (called chambers):
- Water Chamber
- Grounds chamber
- Coffee chamber
The water chamber holds the (yep, you guessed it) the water. It’s got a pressure valve on the side that ensures your coffee pot doesn’t turn into a coffee grenade – make sure the water doesn’t fill above this point.
The grounds chamber looks like a funnel. You’ll put grounds in here, followed by an aeropress filter paper, if you like. I add the filter paper in as it lengthens the brew time by a little, so it results in a stronger brew. Additionally, it makes it easier to clean when you’re done.
The coffee chamber you will screw on top of the water and grounds chambers. Don’t put anything in here! Occasionally I hear people say to put water in here to avoid burning the coffee when it comes out, or to dilute, but this is a no-no. The coffee won’t burn as the chamber isn’t hot enough to burn it. And diluting it? I won’t even entertain the idea.
Prep Time
5 minutes
Cook Time
5 minutes
Serves
3
Ingredients
- 30 grams of freshly fine-ground coffee
- 270ml of water
- Aeropress paper filter (optional)
- 6-cup Moka pot
Steps
1
Measure out 30 grams of recently roasted coffee beans and set to a fine grind. Grind the coffee beans by hand.
2
Measure and pour 270ml of water into the water chamber, ensuring you are not going above the pressure valve.
3
Place the grounds chamber on top of the water and then carefully pour your grounds in. There is no need to tamp. Just use your finger or the back of a teaspoon to make sure the grounds are evenly distributed.
4
Place the aeropress filter (if using) on top of the grounds. Screw the coffee chamber on and set the pot on the stove on high heat. Use the smallest available burner (or use a Bialetti Induction Plate). Open the lid for easy viewing.
5
When the coffee slowly starts coming out of the spout, make sure to keep close attention to the speed of flow. It will speed up considerably, then start to slow down when there are about 50ml left to brew. There will be bubbles and then it will start spitting. Turn it off and close the lid as soon as it starts to spit. It will take time and practice to master this, but you’ll soon get into the habit. The next step is easy: serve it up and enjoy!
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