Autumn and winter are the most suitable seasons for camping. In order to enjoy a coffee addiction outdoors, many friends have begun to purchase Moka pots. Buying one with a capacity of 1 to 2 people is enough to achieve the freedom of coffee. This is also the main reason why Moka pots suddenly became popular in the past two years.
But when friends open the shopping mall, they will find that in addition to brand and portion options, Moka pots also have single-valve and double-valve options."Single valve or double valve?" Many friends don't know the difference between the two, so they stop here and dare not make a hasty purchase. So today, Front Street will share with you the difference between a single-valve Moka pot and a double-valve Moka pot~
To figure out the difference between them, we need to first understand the operating principle of the Moka pot, because the double valve adds a "special device" to the original one.
The principle of Moka pot
Still this picture, from this picture we can directly understand the structure and principle of the Moka pot. The Moka pot is mainly divided into three layers: the bottom of the pot for holding hot water, the powder trough for holding coffee powder, and the upper pot with a filter.
The working principle of the Moka pot is very simple, it uses water vapor to generate pressure to guide the hot water for extraction! By heating the lower kettle, the water in the sink is converted into steam as it climbs to its boiling point. The presence of water vapor will squeeze the space, forcing the hot water in the kettle to flow upward along the pipe. Then the hot water will be extracted as it passes through the coffee powder, and finally turns into coffee liquid and gushes out from the outlet at the top. (Friends who need to know how to use the Moka Pot can go to this article "Nanny-level Moka Pot Use Tutorial")
This is the extraction principle of Moka pot coffee, and it is also our most common single-valve Moka pot extraction principle. The double valve adds a booster valve on this basis, which is the device of the liquid outlet.
(Single valve on the left, double valve on the right)
The boost valve, as its name suggests, plays a boosting role. This boost valve deliberately narrows the gap and limits the "circulation channel" of the coffee liquid. When the coffee liquid cannot seep out because the gap is too small, it will accumulate inside and form a blockage, thereby achieving a pressurization effect!
Pressure is one of the important extraction parameters for pressurized extraction such as Moka pots and espresso machines. The higher the pressure, the higher the extraction efficiency. Since the existence of this booster valve will give the Moka pot more pressure, that means we can extract coffee with higher extraction efficiency. Under the same extraction parameters, the coffee extracted with a double-valve Moka pot will have a concentration and extraction rate closer to that of espresso. When you use it to make a latte, you no longer have to worry about the watery taste because the concentration is not enough, nor do you have to worry about the taste of the coffee being masked by milk.
Such a change is a very practical improvement for most people. Originally, the extraction pressure of the single-valve Moka pot was not that high, so the coffee powder was required to be ground like espresso, or into flour-like particles that were closer, which was not friendly to most hand grinders.
Because the ground coffee powder particles are coarser, the concentration and extraction rate of the extracted coffee will be relatively reduced, and the taste will not be that good. After the pressure increases, even with coarser grinding, you can get a cup of coffee with considerable concentration and extraction rate due to the increase in pressure!
In addition, because of the existence of this booster valve, the extracted coffee is not only stronger, but also contains more coffee oil. Therefore, when making Moka pot coffee, it is very suitable to pair with medium-dark roasted Italian beans - Front Street Classic Blend, which combines the caramel aroma of Brazilian red bourbon and Indonesian Mandheling. At the same time, in order to increase the richness of oil, Front Street Classic Blend adds a small amount of Robusta, and the coffee produced has a rich flavor of butter, dark chocolate, and roasted chestnuts.
This has led to many merchants on the market currently promoting the ability of a double-valve Moka pot to extract coffee oil as a selling point. For example, using a double-valve Moka pot can make better-looking latte patterns.
In fact, the coffee oil extracted from the double-valve Moka pot is not suitable for latte art! Because this layer of fat is different from the fat on the concentrate extracted by the espresso machine, it is not delicate at all. It is a coffee liquid foam that is forced to form because the gap is too small and the coffee liquid is squeezed.
This layer of foam is very rough and will break and dissipate soon after extraction. Therefore, the effect of grease can only be used to improve the touch, and is not suitable for making latte art, and may even hinder it. Therefore, friends, please do not think too much about this layer of "grease".
But in general, Front Street would still recommend friends who are planning to buy a Moka pot to buy a double valve, because it is more tolerant and has wider applicability. And if you have no need for milk coffee and just want to drink a cup of black coffee, then buying a single-valve Moka pot is enough! After all, the price gap between the two is quite large (100+), so money must be spent wisely!
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
