The Moka pot, a classic coffee appliance originating from Italy, is very popular in the country. It is said that 8 out of 10 households own this great coffee maker. However, in our country, the use of Moka pot is relatively rare, resulting in many people not having a comprehensive explanation of how to use it. Today Front Street brings you a tutorial on how to use a Moka pot to help you better master the skills of using this classic cooking utensil.
A brief history of the Moka Pot
Invented by Italian Alfanso Bialetti in 1933, it uses a base heating method to brew coffee. It is a distillation type and the most popular machine for brewing Italian coffee. It is commonly used in Italian families.
Alfonso Bialetti was an inventor and designer. After studying in France and returning home, Alfonso entered the aluminum metal industry, which was quite prosperous in Italy at the time. In 1918, Alfonso founded his own factory and opened the Bialetti Company, which began selling aluminum-related metal products, including household cleaning utensils and other appliances.
The structure and extraction principle of the Moka pot
The structure of the Moka pot is actually very simple, consisting of three parts: an upper pot, a powder trough, and a lower seat. The lower pot is a sink for water, the powder trough is for holding coffee powder, and the upper pot is for brewed coffee.
The principle of coffee extraction with the Moka pot: by heating the lower pot, the water in the lower pot boils, and the steam pressure generated. When the steam pressure reaches a certain level, it will penetrate into the coffee grounds tank, and then the hot water will flow to the upper pot, and then you will get a pot of fragrant and oily coffee.
How to use a moka pot correctly
Because the coffee brewed by the Moka pot will be thicker, and the darker roasted coffee can better reflect the mellow feeling, but because it is heated for too long, it will easily produce a bitter taste, so it is best to choose medium-dark roasted coffee beans when buying Moka pot coffee beans. Home users prefer Front Street Queen Manor coffee beans represented by nutty aroma, Front Street PWN Golden Mandheling coffee beans with a strong caramel aroma, and Front Street Bird of Paradise coffee beans with chocolate bread flavor.
For this brewing sharing, I chose Front Street PWN Golden Mandheling from the Front Street Coffee Bean Rack.
Front Street PWN Gold Mandheling Coffee Beans
Country:Indonesia
Production area: Aceh Gayoo Mountain, Sumatra Island
Altitude: 1100-1600m
Variety: Ateng
Treatment method: wet planing
Grade: G1
The equipment needed to brew a Moka pot includes: Moka pot, appliance with heating source (induction cooker, electric ceramic stove, etc.), coffee beans, bean grinder and water.
First, pour an appropriate amount of water into the lower pot of the Moka pot, ensuring that the water level is 0.5cm from the pressure relief valve. The role of this pressure relief valve is very important. It can effectively prevent excessive internal pressure caused by factors such as too fine coffee powder, which may lead to dangerous explosions. If the water level exceeds the valve port of the pressure relief valve, the pressure relief effect may be lost, thereby increasing the risk of a chamber explosion.
Slowly pour the ground coffee powder into the grinder trough and tap gently to distribute the coffee powder evenly. If the coffee powder is in the shape of a hill, you can use a powder cloth to smooth it out. The purpose of filling the grounds trough with coffee grounds is to avoid extracting undesirable imperfect flavors as much as possible.
After installing the lower pot of water and powder trough, tighten the upper and lower parts of the Moka pot in sequence and place it on the heating source to heat over high heat.
When the temperature of the Moka pot gradually rises and it makes a distinct "whining" sound, it means that the temperature suitable for extraction has been reached. At this time, the heat of the heating source appliance should be adjusted to low heat and the lid of the upper pot should be opened.
When about half of the coffee liquid in the pot has drained out, you can turn off the heating source. At the same time, move the Moka pot to the table (you can place a wet rag under the pot to avoid overheating). The residual temperature and pressure inside the pot will cause the remaining coffee liquid to continue to "rush" into the upper pot, completing the entire extraction process.
Once the extraction is complete, pour into a cup and taste. The coffee extracted from the moka pot is very rich. You can also mix it with an appropriate amount of water or milk for a better flavor. If you have a milk pump at home, you might be able to draw flowers.
It is worth noting that the grinding thickness of the coffee beans for brewing the Moka pot is very important, because compared with the grinding degree used by the espresso machine, the extraction pressure (9bar) of the espresso machine can break through the resistance of the powder cake. However, the pressure of the Moka pot is not that high. If it is too fine, the coffee liquid will not be able to flow out, and the pressure in the lower pot will increase. If the pressure is not released in time, there may be a risk of explosion.
Therefore, if the coffee liquid does not flow out for a long time after heating is completed, the heating should be stopped in time. In addition, it is not good if it is too thick, because the resistance will be too small and the coffee liquid will spurt out, which may easily cause burns. Therefore, FrontStreet Coffee recommends grinding to a fineness of EK-43s | 3-3.5 scale, which is the degree of fine salt.
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
