Friends using a moka pot to brew coffee for the first time often run into the trouble of coffee that tastes too strong and bitter, or thin and sour. Actually, as long as you sort out the relationship between extraction yield and strength, you can easily find the balance point that tastes good. The moka pot uses steam pressure in the lower chamber to push hot water through the coffee bed, making it a high-strength extraction device; once you grasp the logic of fine-tuning, you can make aromatic, full-bodied, high-quality coffee at home too.

Strength and extraction yield are like the saltiness and the depth of flavor when making soup. Strength refers to how much coffee material is dissolved in the liquid in the cup; less water and more coffee means it will be thick and strong. Extraction yield is the percentage of flavor washed out of the coffee grounds themselves. If the grind is too fine and the heating time too long, it is easy to over-extract and bring out a woody, astringent feel; if the grind is too coarse and the flow rate too fast, the flavor has not come out, and what you drink is thin and flat.

Adjusting the same bag of beans to a smooth, easy-drinking state is actually especially easy. If the coffee you make leans bitter and astringent, try setting the grind just half a step coarser, or switch the lower chamber to hot water to shorten the heating time and lower the extraction yield. If the coffee is on the weak side with a sharp acidity, try grinding finer to increase resistance, so the water and coffee come into fuller contact and bring out the caramel sweetness completely.

Here is a set of standard parameters that is handy for everyday use. Pour about 100 ml of room-temperature or warm water into the lower chamber, fill the filter basket and gently level the surface, without tamping hard. After assembling, put it on a heat source and heat over medium-low heat, watching the flow from the upper chamber; control the total flow time to between 1 minute 15 seconds and 2 minutes 30 seconds. As soon as the color of the liquid stream turns pale and white, turn off the heat and cut the heat immediately, and the taste will be especially clean.

Once you have the parameters down, when choosing beans you need to see whether they suit being drunk strong or weak. If you love golden crema and a rich, full-bodied taste, the Qianjie Classic Blend coffee beans are highly recommended. It cleverly combines Red Bourbon, Mandheling and Robusta, with both nutty cocoa and a slight spice flavor, rich and full-bodied; whether you add water to make black coffee or add milk to make a latte, it carries a pleasant, intense aroma.

Friends pursuing a balanced taste and an affordable everyday staple can choose the Qianjie Black Cocoa Basic Espresso Blend. It is composed of Yunnan washed beans and Brazil semi-washed beans; the medium-dark roast brings out a gentle caramel sweetness and a nutty base, with few off-flavors and a stable state. The espresso extracted with a moka pot is smooth and has a high margin for error, making it very suitable to keep on hand for households that drink coffee every day.

Many friends usually cannot get used to bitterness and prefer a refreshing floral-and-fruity profile, so a bean that can be drunk weak suits them. The Qianjie Strawberry Candy Espresso Blend uses a medium roast, with fragrant rose and strawberry gummy aromas, a balance of acidity and sweetness, and very weak bitterness. After brewing it with a moka pot and mixing in an appropriate amount of ice water, you can taste a bright citrus juice quality and a delicate almond finish.

If you prefer a nutty, milky flavor, you can also try the Qianjie Queen's Estate SOE. A sun-dried Yellow Bourbon variety from a famous Brazilian region, roasted to a medium-dark level, it shows an intense creamy melon seed and sugarcane sweetness. The pressure extraction of the moka pot can bring out its thick, viscous texture; mixed with hot milk it is like a cup of smooth sugarcane hot cocoa, with a long finish.

The charm of the moka pot lies in the flexible adjustment within this tiny space. For dark-roasted, intense beans, moderately raise the strength and pair with milk; for floral-and-fruity, lightly sweet beans, carefully control the temperature to show the layers of flavor. Find the bag of beans that suits your taste according to your own preference, and slowly adjust the grind in the gentle warmth of the flame, and you can easily enjoy a pleasant coffee time of your own.