How to Make Great Coffee with a Moka Pot

Making coffee doesn't have to be costly or complicated.  The inexpensive stovetop Moka Pot should be a leading contender for any easy, top-quality brew.  Invented in the 1930s by Alfonso Bialetti in Crusinallo, Italy, this modest coffee maker has become an archetypal symbol of efficient design around the world.  

The moka pot extraction concept is based on speed, simplicity, and intensity of flavor.  The moka pot could create a stronger flavored brew, as it extracts the coffee grounds under pressure.  This contrasts with softer infusion based methods, such as coffee pots, French press, and pour-overs. 

How a moka pot works 

A moka pot harnesses steam to push water up through ground coffee and into the top chamber where the completed brew sits.  The boiler at the bottom of the pot is filled with water.  As the water heats up, it begins to steam and expand the air to press the water up through a funnel and into the middle section, where the ground coffee sits in a basket.  The liquid is then pushed through the grounds to the top chamber. 

The brewed coffee's journey is the opposite of the many drip coffee machines or pour-over methods which rely on gravity, whose techniques allow water to drip down over grounds and into a pot below.

Why so many people love the moka pot 

Many prefer making espresso without the bells and whistles of a high-powered espresso machine.  There is a tactile and methodical nature of the moka pot, which to many is grounding, and provides a touch of nostalgia for some.  It's a coffee maker that requires you to be present for every stage of the brew in a way that's pretty rare nowadays.

It's also very easy to travel with.  A moka pot, grinder, heat source, and coffee are really all you need.  A strong, hot cup of coffee from a moka pot while camping is an ideal scenario.  

It's also rather intuitive to make coffee with.  Fill the bottom chamber with preheated water up to the pressure valve and add enough fine ground coffee to fill the basket.  Following these two steps with usually result in a 1:10 ration of coffee to water.  You start the brew on medium heat, and as soon as the first coffee rises into the upper chamber, turn the heat down to low, and let it brew slowly.  At the very first signs of sputtering, as the lower water chamber empties, cover and remove from the brewer.  the coffee should be served immediately.

The moka pot is a cultural symbol of Italy and plays an important role for all Italian people.  Using the Mallard Express Coffee and Tea Italian roast in espresso grind or whole bean to grind down is the perfect choice for the moka pot.    

It's so simple, and the tradition of unscrewing it, tapping out the spent grinds, rinsing, filling the water chamber, grinding the beans by hand, pouring them in, screwing it back on, igniting the burner and listening for the gurgling sound of the morning, it makes people happy.

A step-by step guide to make coffee in a moka pot  

• Fill the bottom chamber with filtered water up to just below the safety valve (the pros often suggest to begin with boiling water for ideal extraction).
• Add fine-ground coffee to the filter basket.
• Level the grounds. Do not overfill or press down. Place filter basket onto bottom chamber.
• Screw on the top of the moka pot and place the brewer on medium heat.
• Open the top of the pot to watch for the beginning of the extraction.   
• Keep an eye on the pot to see when the coffee begins to fill the top chamber.
• Take the pot off of medium heat when it begins to sputter.  May keep on low heat to brew slowly. Then when close to top of chamber, remove from the heat.  Be careful with the handle as it could be hot depending on how it was situated on the stove top. 
• Close the top and let it finalize in brewing.
• Serve immediately. 

How too Care for your Moka Pot

Most moka pots are not dishwasher safe, so clean them by hand.  After you make coffee, rinse with hot water only, and dry thoroughly.  When coffee oils build up, add vinegar or citric acid to water in the bottom chamber and brew normally to allow the mixture to enter the top chamber.  Then rinse with fresh water.