It’s Time to Bring Back the Moka Pot From the Cupboard!

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There are a few classic objects you can immediately associate with Italy at first sight. One of them is the traditional Italian Moka pot. Everybody knows what it is, but it often ends up in the back of a kitchen cabinet for some sad reasons—time to bring it back out and do it right by following simple steps.

I like the idea of a Moka pot but…

Foamy Moka pot

Recently, while watching an unhealthy number of Youtube videos about coffee, I stumbled upon a few showing lovely images of a rich foamy coffee brewed with it. Wait, foamy? I never had that with mine! What are they doing to make the coffee flow with this slow and luscious texture? That is when I realized I never really researched how to use it properly.
Up to that point, all I did was putting cold tap water in the little tank, grinding some medium-fine coffee. Then, putting the brewer on the stove on high. I was waiting to hear the hissing sound: That means the coffee was spitting out in the upper section. Then, I took it out of the stove and poured a cup that I had to let cool down for way too long. Coffee was strong and bitter. I blamed it on the brewing method without thinking there is a proper way to use it and improve the result.

The proper way: a step-by-step guide

Hereby a quick guide to help you avoid the mistakes I made for years. And please, discover or rediscover the mighty little Italiana piece to brew a tasty cup!

You need:

• An Italian Moka Pot, obviously,
• Freshly ground delicious coffee (medium-fine, the fresher, the better),
• Filtered water,
• A kettle,
• A stove,
• A cold, damp towel, or a bowl of ice or ice-cold water,

1. Preheat the water

The first mistake I made. I was putting cold water in the pot and was using the stove to heat the water until it boils into the pot. That takes time; during that time, the coffee grounds sitting on top of the water were becoming very hot. The outcome was bitter and had a burned taste.

You want to heat some water to a temperature below the boiling point (200F) with a kettle. Next, fill the lower portion of the brewer right under the line. NEVER put water above the line; you do not want to cover the safety valve.
While you have hot water in your kettle, put some in your favorite cup or mug to preheat it.

2. Put ground coffee in the basket

You can now fill the little basket with your freshly ground coffee. Fill in all the way and level off with your finger of a straight knife. You want to fill up the basket all the way, but you do not want to pack it; it is NOT espresso.
Carefully put the basket on the tank and screw the upper portion until it encounters the gasket’s resistance. Use a towel to screw it since the tank is too hot to hold with your bare fingers.

3. Put the Moka pot on the stove

Please turn on the small cook plate of your choice to Medium-low (on a scale from 1 to 10, I put mine at 3.5). Put the Moka pot with the lid open and wait.
You want to leave the lid open to know when the coffee starts flowing and be ready to take it out of the stove in time. Due to the stove’s reasonably low setting, it takes a few minutes before you see the coffee coming out. Since you need to keep an eye on the process, the Moka pot is not the method I would recommend to those who do not want to be bothered with the process. It is not a hands-off method. Watching the coffee flow slowly with a creamy, foamy texture is so satisfying, but maybe it is me and my coffee nerdiness.

4. Cool it down

Once you start hearing a faint hissing sound, immediately close the lid and carefully take the pot out of the stove (the handle might be very hot to touch, you may use mittens or a rag to hold it).
Cool it down immediately will stop the brewing and avoid the coffee having this unpleasant burnt taste. You have several options to achieve that:

• An ice-cold wet towel (bonus point if the towel was kept in the freezer for a few minutes); put the pot’s base on the towel and wrap the lower portion with it.
• You can put the Moka pot in a bowl of ice-cold water or ice,
• Or, you can carefully place it under the running cold water from the kitchen tap. Slightly tilt the pot without letting coffee drip out of the brewer and let the cold water run over the lower part of the pot for a few seconds.

Discard the hot water from your favorite cup or mug and pour your freshly brewed coffee. Now you are ready to drink it and enjoy a moment of Italian bliss.

The result

Using the above method made me rediscover this fantastic classic object and enjoy the unique characteristics that I get with it. It makes a rich, full-bodied coffee that retains the acidity of the coffee. It is richer than the coffee you get using the French press method and a bit less subtle and delicate, in my opinion. The bold taste is, however, different and enjoyable in its way. The important thing is that it does not have this burnt character that I used to have with it before.
I find that the quality and the freshness of your coffee are critical with this method. If I use beans sitting around for too long, I immediately perceive the lack of freshness. It works better with freshly roasted beans, like for an espresso.

NOT an espresso

Speaking of espresso, the Moka pot is often confused with espresso. Some mistakenly call it a “stove-top espresso” maker. The mistake comes from the fact that coffee is extracted by forcing hot water through the coffee grind, like an espresso. However, the pressure created by the steam is only one to 2 bars, much lower than the pressure created by the pump of an espresso machine (usually around 9 bars). Because of that pressure difference, the result is very different. You cannot obtain the thick, rich espresso texture with a Moka pot. The water to coffee ground ratio is also very different.

Maintenance of the Moka pot

You often hear that you should not clean it and that old Italian Moka pots are passed from generation to generation and taste better after being seasoned for many years of use. The truth is that old coffee residue makes your new coffee taste bad. The best way to keep your Moka pot in running condition is to rinse it thoroughly with hot water and let it dry. Do not reassemble it until it is completely dry because it would trap moisture, and you could end up with mold. Because of the closed construction of the basket and the upper section, I do not use soap since it is hard to rinse it entirely, and the taste of soap could ruin your coffee.

The bottom line

The Moka pot is a great and affordable way to make a good-tasting coffee at a low price. It is easy enough to be used every day if you are OK with keeping an eye on the pot while on the stove. If you like bold and robust coffee, this may be the proper brewing method for you. If you have one sitting around in your kitchen cabinet, take it out and rediscover it, you may be surprised with the results; I know I did.

Source:

Java Press, Written by Garett Oden, The Ultimate Guide to Brewing Moka Pot Coffee, https://www.javapresse.com/blogs/stovetop-brewing/ultimate-guide-moka-pot-coffee