Recently, a fan of Front Street fell in love with using a moka pot to make coffee, especially a rich cup of moka pot in the morning. But this fan wasn't sure if he was using the moka pot correctly, so he discussed the issue with Front Street Street.
Front Street believes that as a standard household coffee appliance, the Moka pot should not be bound by too many rigid standards. As long as it meets a few main operating methods according to Front Street's tutorial, the rest can be freely used according to your own taste.
What is a Moka Pot?
The Moka pot is divided into three parts: the upper pot, the powder tank, and the lower seat. The lower pot is a sink that holds water, the powder trough is used to hold finer ground coffee powder, and the upper pot is used to hold the extracted coffee liquid. The principle of coffee extraction in a Moka pot is very simple. It uses the steam pressure generated in the lower pot. When the steam pressure is large enough to penetrate the coffee powder, it will push the hot water to the upper pot and brew rich coffee.
Although its pressure (1.5-2bar) is dwarfed by that of an espresso machine (9bar). But the coffee creme can still be extracted and the taste is rich. Through the following pictures of FrontStreet Coffee, you can actually see it at a glance, clearly showing its internal structure and coffee extraction principle.
Moka pots are also divided into single-valve and double-valve ones. Double-valve Moka pots can produce more coffee creme than single-valve ones. Single valve means that the coffee liquid flows out directly from the two small holes at the top of the hollow conduit of the Moka pot. Double valve refers to adding a pressure accumulating valve on the basis of a hollow conduit. This pressure accumulating valve usually blocks the small hole of the hollow conduit for the coffee liquid to exit. A certain steam pressure is required to flush it upward and allow the coffee liquid to spray out. The coffee flavor brewed by single valve and double valve is also different. The single valve Moka pot has a lower concentration of coffee and lower fat, while the concentration of coffee brewed by a double valve will be higher and the fat will be higher.
The capacity of a Moka pot is usually expressed in terms of "cups" or "portions". Common specifications on the market are 1, 2, 3, 6, 9, 12 and 18. For the same capacity as one serving, a cup of coffee requires about 30 to 40 ml of concentrate. If it is for a single or two people, you can choose the size of 1 to 2 cups, which is the smallest version; if you like to share it with friends every day, you can choose for 3 people; if it is for home use and can brew more than three cups of coffee at a time, you can choose the large model for multiple people, and the corresponding price will be slightly higher.
First, what coffee beans to use?
The flavor of the coffee you make has a lot to do with what kind of coffee beans you use. Front Street generally recommends using coffee beans that are medium roasted or above, because coffee beans that are roasted too lightly will make the coffee very sour and uncomfortable to drink. Here Front Street recommends several delicious coffee beans that Front Street has tried for reference. You can place an order at Front Street Tmall flagship store or Front Street Taobao store.
The first one, Front Street Boutique Blend Coffee Beans, is an Italian blend of coffee beans made from Front Street Brazilian semi-dried coffee and Front Street Colombian washed coffee. The coffee produced has rich flavors of nuts, roasted peanuts, cocoa, cream and caramel.
The second one, Front Street Queen Estate Yellow Bourbon, is a medium roasted coffee bean that highlights its very sweet sucrose flavor. Drinking it directly or making it into milk coffee has good performance.
The third type is Front Street Indonesia pwn golden Mandheling. The golden Mandheling coffee beans of Pawani Company are one of the highest quality coffee beans in Indonesia. It has the characteristics of mellow, full and strong fragrance of Mandheling coffee, and it is also very good in terms of cleanliness. Suitable for people who are used to drinking bitter coffee.
Second point,moka pot coffee grinding
One of the more important things when making Moka pot coffee is the grinding thickness. If the grinding is too coarse, the coffee liquid will easily spray out. The lid on the Moka pot also prevents burns from the coffee spraying out. If the grind is too fine, the coffee liquid will not easily penetrate the powder layer and rise up, and the coffee liquid will be very burnt and bitter.
The powder diameter is about 0.3-0.55mm. The thickness of the coffee powder looks similar to that of an espresso machine to the naked eye, but it is actually thicker than that of an espresso machine.
The third point, the ratio of powder to water
Many friends asked Front Street how much water should be put in the Moka pot and how many points should be added. In fact, this should not be asked by Front Street, but depends on how much water and powder your pot can hold. When foreigners make moka pot coffee, they rarely use a scale to measure it accurately. Because there is a pressure relief valve in the water-filled lower pot of the Moka pot, as long as the water does not exceed that valve, it will be fine. Generally, the water will be poured directly under the pressure relief valve. The amount of powder also depends on the capacity of your powder tank. Be sure to fill the powder slot and there should be no gaps without squeezing.
When making Moka pot coffee, you need to fill and press coffee powder, which is quite different from an espresso machine.
Point 4: When to turn off the fire?
First of all, there are many ways to heat the Moka pot. Common household appliances such as electric ceramic stoves and induction cookers commonly used in Front Street can come in handy. In addition, open flames can also be used to heat the Moka pot. However, Front Street needs to remind you to keep the fire low during use. Remove the coffee liquid immediately after it comes out and move away from the fire source to prevent burns.
When boiling a Moka pot, the heat should be uniform, medium heat is best. When you hear the "Woo-Woo" sound, you can open the lid and observe. When the first drop can be sprayed out, you can turn off the heat. If you continue to use high heat or wait until the coffee boils before turning off the heat, the cup of coffee will most likely taste burnt.
Point 5: Do you need to open the lid when boiling the Moka pot?
Some friends have seen videos of people making Moka pots and like to open the lid. In fact, this is to show the audience the state of the coffee liquid gushing out. Under normal circumstances, you can not open it. If you don’t know when to turn off the heat, you need to open the lid of the pot and observe the gushing state of the coffee liquid. Of course, if you keep the lid open, the coffee liquid may splash out and burn your skin.
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
