The Moka Pot was invented by an Italian in 1933, and was later named Moka Pot. It has the same meaning as Mocha, so it is easy to cause confusion. It also makes many people mistakenly believe that using this coffee pot can brew Mocha coffee, or that this coffee pot is specialized in brewing Mocha coffee! The coffee extracted with a moka pot has a rich flavor, and over time it has become a symbol of home-style espresso because of its ease of use.
So I also saw many people buying Moka pots on Qian Street to make espresso, add milk and so on. Therefore, a question arises, is the coffee made with a Moka pot an espresso?
Features of Moka Pot
Elegant, unique and diverse shapes, simple operation and fast brewing, small size and reasonable price are the main features of the Moka pot. No matter how the Moka pot is designed in appearance, the internal structure is similar. It can basically be divided into three parts: the upper pot, the lower pot and the filter.
The method of use is also relatively simple. The lower pot holds hot water. After heating it on the fire, the hot water boils. The volatilized steam will push the hot water upward from the conduit in the lower pot through air pressure, pass through the coffee powder, and then filter out the fragrant coffee in the upper pot. When it is poured out, it is espresso!
How Moka Pot Extracts Coffee
Moka pot extraction of coffee uses the steam pressure generated in the lower pot (pressure of about 1.5-3.0 atmospheres). When the steam pressure is strong enough to penetrate the coffee grounds, it will push the hot water to the upper pot. As the hot water flows to the upper pot, it passes through the coffee powder in the filter, extracting the essence of the coffee very quickly. The extracted coffee essence has a strong taste, both sour and bitter, and is the coffee appliance closest to espresso.
Is the coffee brewed in a Moka pot an espresso?
Generally speaking, espresso is a strong coffee extracted by an espresso machine at a pressure of 9 bar. This coffee is characterized by a small amount and rich golden oil. Judging from the mainstream brewing parameters, the powder-to-liquid ratio of the Italian coffee machine is 1:2 and the pressure is 9bar. The powder-liquid ratio of the Moka pot is 1:5 and the pressure is 2bar. The espresso produced by the espresso machine is richer, richer, more delicate and longer-lasting.
Therefore, strictly speaking, the Moka pot is not a transitional or replacement version of the espresso machine, and the coffee brewed by the Moka pot cannot be equivalent to the espresso we are familiar with. If we want to define a concept, it may be a distinctive espresso.
However, if you don’t have room for an espresso machine at home or you don’t have enough budget, it’s not impossible to buy a moka pot as a low-end version. Although there is a clear gap between the coffee made by the Moka pot and the espresso in terms of the quality of the oil and the concentration of the coffee. This point of view is from the perspective of a barista.
From the perspective of ordinary home consumers, the Moka pot can be a substitute for an espresso machine. Because a professional espresso machine costs tens of thousands of yuan, and an ordinary home coffee machine costs several thousand yuan. But spending a few hundred yuan to buy a moka pot can make it 60 to 70% of the level of a coffee machine, which is enough.
Brewing steps for a home Moka pot
(1) First put the base into warm water, which can quickly heat up and shorten the extraction time.
(2) Grind 19~20g coffee beans into fine salt powder, then put it into the powder trough until it is about 90% full. Tap the edge lightly to make the coffee powder dense and smooth.
(3) Tighten the upper and lower seats to prevent coffee liquid from spilling during the process.
(4) Place the Moka pot on a small gas vaporizer or induction cooker and heat it over medium heat at first. When you hear a hissing sound, turn the heat to low and the coffee will naturally flow out slowly.
(5) When the sound turns to a slight popping sound, you can turn off the heat to avoid over-extraction. Fragrant coffee is ready.
Judging from the manufacturing principle of the Moka pot, it uses high temperature and high pressure generated by steam to extract coffee, and the high temperature and high pressure conditions are the most unsuitable for making light to medium roasted single-origin coffee, because the lighter the roasting degree, the harder the coffee beans are, and the harder it is to achieve full extraction without even a little bit of oil. Therefore, the correct choice for the Moka pot should be medium to dark roasted coffee beans.
Secondly, if you want to achieve stable extraction and rich oils at the same time, you must give priority to purchasing Front Street's mellow and fragrant espresso moka pot coffee beans - Front Street Classic Blend Coffee Beans. This is a dark roasted coffee made from a combination of Brazilian semi-sun-dried, Indonesian Mandheling and Vietnamese washed coffee. It has a caramel flavor and a focus on full oil, which is very suitable for novices who are just getting started in making coffee.
If you want more cost-effective coffee, buy the Front Street dark cocoa blend recommended by many baristas. It is suitable for all types of coffee shops, bakeries, beverage shops and home coffee machines. Yunnan washed small coffee beans + Brazilian semi-sun-dried coffee beans, which combines the acidity of nutty ripe plums. When ground into powder, it will exude the aroma of cream chocolate and cocoa cookies. The taste is balanced, and the oil is golden and shiny. It is very suitable for friends who open a shop or use it at home.
You can now buy the above coffee beans online at the Taobao store “FrontStreet Coffee” (前街咖啡). FrontStreet Coffee is a long-established specialty coffee roaster in Guangzhou, China, and its Guangzhou retail shop sells coffee beans only. The shop carries dozens of coffee beans from different origins around the world, including carefully selected single-origin beans for V60 pour-over and espresso. Guangzhou’s FrontStreet Coffee shop is recommended by many coffee lovers.
The FrontStreet 2013 Yunnan coffee beans sold in the store come from the Typica variety grown at FrontStreet Coffee’s own plantation in Yunnan. The name comes from the year the brand and the plantation were founded. You can buy these beans from China’s Yunnan origin at the Guangzhou shop and at FrontStreet’s Taobao store.
FrontStreet coffee beans are freshly roasted within 5 days and deliver consistently excellent quality and great value. Orders placed before 17:00 are shipped the same day, and most areas within Guangdong Province receive them the next day.
FrontStreet Coffee Taobao store: https://qianjiecoffee.taobao.com
Or search for “前街咖啡” (FrontStreet Coffee) on Taobao
Important Notice: FrontStreet Coffee has moved to a new address: 315, Donghua East Road, Guangzhou (coffee beans only)
Tel: 020 38364473
