Among household coffee tools, the Moka pot is a special one. It doesn't need to be plugged in. Just put it on the stove for a few minutes and you can get a cup of coffee that's close to espresso, with strong aroma and oil. Many people just grab a handful of brewed beans and throw them in. The brewed coffee is either sour and frowning, or bitter and astringent. The problem is probably not with the pot, but with the beans - the extraction method of the Moka pot is different from hand brewing and Italian style, and the beans have to be selected according to their temperament.
Why are the beans in a Moka pot darker?
The working environment of the Moka pot is very special: the water in the pot is heated to generate steam pressure, and the hot water is pushed up through the powder layer. The extraction temperature is about 92-95°C and the pressure is 1-1.5bar, which is between Italian and manual brewing. The temperature is high, and the acidity of lightly roasted beans is greatly released. The long contact time also causes acidity and astringency to emerge at the same time, often causing an imbalance between sourness and bitterness. Medium-dark roasted beans are fully caramelized and can extract thick sweetness and body at high temperatures, which is in harmony with the temperament of the Moka pot. Following this principle, the beans in the Moka pot are darker and more stable.
Grinding degree: finer than hand grinding, coarser than Italian grinding
Grinding is another easy pitfall. If the powder is too fine, the filter will be clogged, causing the steam to splash out; if the powder is too coarse, the water will rush through it, resulting in insufficient extraction and the result will be light and sour. The appropriate grinding degree falls between Italian and manual grinding, slightly finer than manual grinding. It’s not difficult to judge: rub the ground flour and it will be close to the graininess of white sugar - coarse sugar will be coarser, while flour-like sugar will be finer.
The blending is more stable, and the individual products are more mellow.
When it comes to beans, blending beans is safer. The purpose of blending is to take the strengths of each company and balance the acidity, sweetness, and body to a stable output. The Front Street classic blend takes a balanced and mellow route. The Front Street black cocoa blend brings cocoa and nutty aromas, medium-dark roasting, and high-temperature extraction. It is cooked with enough caramel aroma, thick body, and can be suppressed by adding milk. If you like single products, avoid beans with light roasted floral and fruity aromas, and mellow beans such as Mandheling and Brazilian Queen are more suitable: Mandheling has the iconic herb and spice feel, while Brazilian Queen has a soft nutty sweetness, and it is not easy to go astray.
Add powder and water and mix with beans
After selecting the right beans, the operation will be coordinated again. Just fill the powder bowl and pat it flat. Do not press the powder so that the hot water can pass through it evenly. Use warm or even hot water in the pot to shorten the heating time and reduce the burnt bitterness of over-extraction. For gouache ratio, proceed as usual. If you want it to be thicker, add less water, if you want it to be lighter, add more water; cook until the liquid in the pot turns golden brown and starts to bubble, then remove from the heat and use the residual heat to add the last bit of the coffee liquid. The burnt bitterness will be much less.
The logic of using beans in a Moka pot is not complicated: the roasting degree is darker, the grinding is slightly finer than hand brewing, and blending is prioritized. With hot water and timely removal from the heat, it is not difficult to brew a pot of coffee with a rich, charred aroma. Next time you buy beans, take a look at the roasting degree label and you will know the direction.
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
