Best Coffee believes the moka pot is one of the most consistent ways to make coffee. As long as the following points are met, you can make a quality cup of coffee:

1. The right amount of coffee grounds and drinking water

2. A safe heating method

3. A grind size suited to moka pot coffee extraction

4. Mastering the optimal brewing time

5. Reasonably adjusting the extraction strength

Traditional moka pots are made of aluminum alloy and can only be heated over an open flame. Nowadays, most on the market are made of stainless steel, which can be placed directly on an induction cooktop to heat and extract coffee. When buying, we can also choose moka pots in different sizes according to our needs, the most common being the compact 2 to 3 serving size.

From the image, we can see that the moka pot is divided into an upper and a lower structure, mainly composed of three parts: the upper chamber that holds the coffee liquid, the filter basket that holds the coffee grounds, and the lower chamber that holds the water. When using a moka pot to extract coffee, a heat source is used to heat the water in the lower chamber to generate steam pressure. Once the pressure is sufficient, it pushes the hot water upward, passes through the coffee grounds to bring out the soluble aromatic substances, and continues to break upward, yielding a rich, full-bodied coffee liquid. When drinking, simply add water or milk according to your preference.

Before extracting coffee, you need to prepare a bag of coffee beans at their peak flavor period, a gas stove or induction cooker for heating, a grinder for grinding the coffee beans, plus water and a heat-resistant towel.

What to use to heat a moka pot: Besides a gas stove or induction cooker, we can also use an open flame, but Qianjie needs to remind you that when using it, you must use low heat throughout and be careful of burns.

What coffee beans are suitable for a moka pot: To bring out the crema of moka pot coffee, here we use Qianjie Classic Italian Blend (Brazil coffee + Indonesia Mandheling coffee + Vietnam coffee). This coffee uses a medium-dark roast, and the extracted espresso has a thick mouthfeel, suitable for adding milk to make a latte. The heat source is an electric ceramic stove, and the grinder is the EK43s used for store output.

How much coffee powder to use in a moka pot at a time: It is generally recommended to fill the moka pot's filter basket, because if you only fill it halfway, the resistance of water passing through the coffee will decrease, so the extracted coffee will easily taste weak and not be as rich when drunk. So it is not that you must fill it, but that when it is not filled, the coffee made may not taste as good. After filling, just use your finger to level the surface of the coffee powder. Note that if the coffee powder used is too fine, it is best not to tamp it, because this will increase the resistance of the filter basket and make it harder for hot water to pass through.

Moka pot coffee extraction time: Usually, brewing coffee with a moka pot takes 3-5 minutes from the start of heating to the end, and the specific time depends on the grind size and the amount of powder used. The coarser the grind, the faster the coffee liquid rises and the shorter the time; the more powder, the longer the time needed.

How much water to add to a moka pot: once the coffee grounds are ready, the second step is to add an appropriate amount of warm water to the lower chamber, because hot water shortens the time needed to bring the water to a boil, letting us get a cup of moka pot coffee faster! The water level just needs to stay below the pressure relief valve. Front Street uses a double-shot single-valve moka pot, and finally poured in 130ml.

Screw the upper chamber tightly onto the lower chamber: the thing to note in this step is that if you have filled it with hot water, it is best to use a damp cloth for insulation to avoid scalding yourself.

Place on a heat source and start brewing: there is not much to say about this point, just place the moka pot on a heat source that can conduct heat and heat it.

Turn to low heat and wait for the coffee liquid to seep out: when the moka pot makes a clear sound during brewing, it means the hot water, pushed by steam, is about to overflow with the coffee substances, so at this point we need to lower the heat. Otherwise, high heat will continuously produce steam, increasing the pressure, and then the hot water, due to excessive pressure, will flow out faster, failing to extract enough coffee substances, and in the end the whole cup of coffee will taste thin and weak. So when the coffee liquid is about to overflow, it is best to lower the heat.

Stop the heat and wait for the extraction to finish: when the coffee liquid has already come out halfway, we need to turn off the heat source, because the residual heat inside the moka pot is already enough to "push" out the remaining hot water.

Tasting the coffee: once the moka pot stops releasing liquid, we can pour out the coffee liquid and taste it!

Cleaning and maintenance of the moka pot: since most moka pots are made of aluminum and stainless steel, long-term use makes them prone to oxidation and blackening, so Qianjie suggests that after each extraction, first clean out the coffee grounds, then disassemble each part, rinse them clean with water, and finally let them dry before reassembling and putting them away. This can prevent the moka pot from aging quickly and also make our extraction smoother.

Moka pot coffee too bitter or too sour: normally, a properly extracted moka pot coffee will have a somewhat strong coffee aroma and a balanced mouthfeel. If a strong bitterness or sourness appears, that means the coffee is over-extracted or under-extracted. If the coffee is too bitter, Qianjie suggests coarsening the grind or reducing the dose of powder, thereby shortening the extraction time; if the coffee is too sour, Qianjie thinks you might as well grind finer, or add a bit more coffee powder and tamp it firmly.

Moka pot water not coming up : if the moka pot has been brewing for a long time without producing any liquid, and the water was filled too full when pouring it in, then we had better stop the extraction. Because this can easily create a risk of the moka pot exploding. There are many situations that cause the moka pot to produce no liquid: grinding too fine, too much powder, tamping too firmly, and so on. These operations all greatly increase the resistance of the coffee puck, leaving very few and very small gaps for water to flow through, which is why after brewing for a long time, the coffee liquid still cannot come out.

Moka pot coffee with no crema: If the moka pot coffee you extract has almost no bubbles at all, then it may be that the coffee beans are roasted too light and are not suitable for moka pot extraction. In addition, a moka pot failing to produce crema may also be due to grinding too coarse, or the coffee beans not being fresh, or using pre-ground coffee for extraction.

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