For more knowledge about specialty coffee, please follow the WeChat public account: FrontStreet Coffee
With the launch of a new generation of pressurized moka pots, everyone is focusing on this 90-year-old coffee appliance. The Moka pot has set off another wave. Many friends want Front Street to talk about how to choose between single valve and double valve of the Moka pot. Some friends also want to know how to use the Moka pot, so Front Street came to popularize the knowledge of the Moka pot.
Does the moka pot powder hopper have to be filled?
When filling the moka pot powder slot, it is recommended to fill it fully, so that the coffee extraction effect will be better than filling only half of the powder. If only half is filled, the resistance of water passing through the coffee will be smaller, so the taste of the extracted coffee will easily become lighter and the drink will not be so rich. So it’s not necessary to fill it up, but the coffee you make when you don’t fill it up may not taste as good.
The principle is very simple. When the amount of powder used is less, the resistance to hot water is smaller, and the easier it is for the coffee liquid to enter the upper pot. Firstly, the extraction time is shortened, so the coffee has a sour taste. Secondly, because of the constant washing of hot water, the powder layer at the bottom is over-extracted, making the coffee bitter and unbearable.
Front Street often mentioned in articles about espresso extraction that water is inert and will preferentially choose the "road" with less resistance to pass through, commonly known as the "channel effect". Therefore, in addition to the change in resistance, the reduction in the amount of powder will also leave a certain space inside the powder tank. When the hot water moves upward, it will preferentially bypass the powder layer and then go directly to the upper pot. This part of the coffee liquid will most likely be under-extracted.
If you want to use less powder to make a cup of Moka pot coffee, Front Street recommends that when pouring coffee powder into the powder trough, tap it gently from left to right to let the fluffy coffee powder naturally fall down and make the particles closely connected. Then find a small spoon and use the back to gently "press" the powder layer until the powder layer is completely thin to half. In order to avoid over-extraction due to long contact time between hot water and the thinned powder layer, we pour half the amount of high-temperature hot water into the lower pot before loading the powder trough, which can effectively shorten the heating time. When the liquid from the Moka pot fills the bottom, we immediately remove it from the fire source, and then use the remaining heat to release all the remaining coffee liquid.
After this adjustment, not only did there be no splashing, but there was also a small amount of foam layer, and the concentration was much higher. Front Street makes this "half moka pot coffee" into iced milk coffee, with obvious cocoa and cream flavors in the mouth, and a balanced and mellow taste.
If you want moka pot coffee to have oil, there are two conditions, one is fresh medium to dark roasted coffee beans, and the other is that the extraction method requires pressure.
Coffee beans will store a large amount of carbon dioxide when they are heated, which will be released when they encounter water during extraction. Therefore, the darker the roast, the more gas. At this time, light roast beans should be avoided first, because they cannot release too much oil. Home novices who want better value for money should give priority to the Front Street Italian Bean series, including Front Street Black Cocoa Blend, Front Street Classic Blend, Front Street Commercial Blend, and Front Street Premium Blend. They all use medium-dark roasting, with their own caramelized aroma, and the espresso they make is rich in oil.
So is a single-valve Moka pot better or a double-valve one?
According to different structures and functions, Moka pots come in two types: single valve and double valve. A single valve means that the extracted coffee liquid flows directly from the small hole at the top. A double-valve Moka pot will add a pressure accumulation valve on the basis of the hollow conduit. During extraction, the small hole through which the coffee liquid comes out of the hollow tube is blocked, and a certain steam pressure is required to flush it upward. Therefore, a double-valve Moka pot with greater steam pressure can extract richer coffee oil and a richer flavor. However, an increase in pressure can easily cause the coffee to be over-extracted, so the grinding thickness and amount of coffee powder need to be adjusted.
Front Street believes that single-valve Moka pots have a higher error tolerance and the coffee brewed will not be so easily over-extracted. It is more friendly for novices who are new to coffee. The double-valve Moka pot requires greater liquid pressure and is easy to extract oil, but the risk of over-extraction is also greater. If you are not careful, the coffee you make will be very bitter.
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
