HOW TO MAKE THE PERFECT MOKA POT AT HOME

This Italian stove-top creation not only makes an intense and rich brew but also looks classy and beautiful in the kitchen. There are so many reasons we love the Moka, so we encourage you to dust it off and fall back in love with this coffee classic! 

What is a Moka Pot? 

To understand how to use the Moka Pot perfectly, we need to think about the way it is designed. Even from the outside, we can see that there are two main chambers. The lower section is home to the water chamber, and the coffee basket (In some designs, the coffee basket is a sort of third section at the ‘waist’ of the Moka Pot, in others it sits within the water chamber). The coffee basket has lots of tiny holes on the bottom (look away tryophobes!) which lets the steam from below rise through to the grounds. The upper part of the Moka is where our lovely tasty coffee creation will be collected. Here we have a chimney in the middle (sometimes called column, funnel, valve, or pipe, depending on who you ask!). The way this works, is the pressure from the steaming water below forces the liquid coffee up the chimney, spilling it into the upper chamber. This design is an absolute classic in the coffee world, and has been around since 1933 when Luigi di Ponti first engineered the Moka! 

How to make a Moka Pot

Hands up if you have ever felt personally victimised by the Moka Pot? The first time I tried to use one, I managed to produce around a teaspoon of incredibly dark liquid, and the smell of burning did not vacate the house for a couple of days. But don’t worry, we have honed our technique and we have got some really handy tips for how to make a delicious brew.  

Here is our step by step approach to making the perfect Moka Pot: 

1. Grind the beans. If you grind the beans yourself, then ideally the beans should be ground a little bit coarser than espresso grounds. This will help the taste not to be so bitter. However, don’t worry if you are jumping in with ready ground coffee, it will still be delicious! 

2. Fill the coffee basket with your grounds. Avoid tamping it (we know it is tempting), or pushing the grounds down, leaving them lovely and loose, filled right to the top of the basket. 

3. Fill the water chamber with hot water. It is likely to taste less bitter if you start with hot water from the kettle. If not, then the grounds will be pre-heating as the water heats, leading to a bitter taste. So fill up from the kettle, to just below the little safety valve. 

4. Grab a little tea towel to screw the top chamber on, as the metal will already be hot on the bottom from the warm water. Swivel the top onto the bottom, nice and tight. 

5. Place on the hob, and let the lovely coffee flow and flow! You could leave the lid open if you want to watch the fun volcano-like effect, or keep the lid closed. 

6. When you hear a change in the sound, that it gets louder and sounds almost like gurgling, turn the heat off. You can even run the bottom chamber under a cold tap to reduce the steam and halt the brew. 

7. Pour into your favourite mug, and taste your beautiful creation. Read below on different ways to serve. 

8. This point could have come first, but it is really important that you keep your Moka Pot very clean so no bitter flavours can be passed onto future coffees. Instead of storing it tight, store it screwed loosely and in a cupboard, ready for its next horraah! 

How to serve Moka Pot coffee

The method of pressurising that the Moka Pot uses brews a particularly strong cuppa. Javapresse says it is roughly twice as strong as other methods, due to the higher coffee to water ratio. This opens it up to lots of different serving methods. Either you could enjoy your moka coffee as a strong espresso-like drink (whilst not being a real espresso because of the lack of crema), or you could add some hot water for a longer americano style coffee. If you love a latte, you could also use steamed milk alongside your moka coffee. 

Where to buy a Moka Pot

• Bialetti

Bialetti has so many options for you to choose from in terms of colour, design, style and material. They range from around the £20 to £40 mark. They really are the Moka specialists so we think you will definitely find something you love! 

• Le’Xpress Copper Finish Stovetop

This mirror-polished Moka Pot can be found in Lakeland, and has an unusual, modern design with a two tone finish. It is certainly less classic, but depending on your kitchen style and preferences it could be a good addition to your home! So take a look and see what you think.