How To Make A Perfect Cup of Coffee With A Moka Pot

If you love espresso (and who doesn’t?), you’ve probably considered purchasing an espresso machine so you can drink all the delicious, rich espresso you want in the comfort of your home. But you would need to drink a lot of espresso to justify the cost. And what about if you love to camp or hike? Enjoying an espresso while outside enjoying nature is a wonderful experience.

An Italian Espresso coffee maker, better known as a stovetop espresso maker or a moka pot, is an excellent solution. With a few simple tips and tricks, you can make a perfect espresso using your moka pot and a heat source.

What Is A Moka Pot?

The moka pot was invented by an Italian engineer who founded the Bialetti company, now one of the main producers of moka pots.

The moka pot has two chambers and a filter basket. When heated, the water in the bottom chamber creates steam, which causes pressure. The water is forced through the ground coffee in the basket and goes to the upper chamber, where it can be poured out when it is ready.

What Sizes of Moka Pots Are There?

Moka pots come in various sizes. Small ones may be labelled as 3 cups and large ones may be up to 18 cups.

It is important to remember that these “cups” are not standard measurements. If you have a 3 cup moka pot, you can expect to get 3 small espresso-sized cups out of it - not three big mugs of coffee.

What size is the best? At Aladdin, we recommend getting a 12-18 cup moka pot. This will give you a few larger size cups because you can add more water to them.

Why Use A Moka Pot?

• The coffee you get from using a moka pot is a rich, full-bodied, and intense brew. Like an espresso machine, moka pots use pressure to force hot water through the coffee grounds.
• It’s also portable and easy to adjust your brew to your personal palate.

Making A Perfect Espresso With Your Moka Pot

Start With Freshly Ground Coffee Beans: Fresh ground coffee always provides the best quality product. With a moka pot, you want to use a fine grind - not quite as fine as an espresso machine, but finer than you would use for a filtered coffee.

Fill The Moka Pot: A pro-tip from us at Aladdin is that you shouldn’t use the handle to open your moka pot. The handle is made of plastic, meaning it can easily break if you try to unscrew the moka pot using it as leverage. Instead, unscrew the moka pot from the bottom.

Once you take the basket out, fill it with approximately one tablespoon per cup; so, a 3 cup espresso maker would take 3 scoops of coffee.

Importantly, do not tamp the coffee. Unlike an espresso machine, you should not pack the coffee down. This can create a huge mess. Instead, gently shake it before putting it in the moka pot.

Add Water: Filling the moka pot with hot water is best. This reduces the amount of time it takes to brew your coffee, meaning you will not get a bitter taste from overbrewing.

Add Heat: Once you screw the top back on, it’s time to heat up your coffee! You will want to use medium or low heat when brewing coffee with a moka pot. If you use high heat, the water may boil too quickly, which can make the moka pot burst open.

How Do I Know When It’s Done?

Using a moka pot takes a little longer, but the result is well worth it. You will know your coffee is ready when you hear a bubbling or hissing sound coming from the upper chamber of the moka pot.

Use these simple tips to master your moka pot and get a rich, intense coffee experience!

Start your perfect moka pot experience with the best beans.

This medium Espresso blend packs an extra kick, with a bright caramel and cocoa finish that will delight any palette.

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