In the early days, espresso machines were not so popular in households, and the price of Moka coffee pots was not high, and they could also make stronger coffee liquid. This is the meaning of the existence of Moka coffee pots.
As coffee becomes more and more popular, Moka pots are gaining popularity as an affordable coffee appliance. More and more people are equipped with a Moka pot at work or at home so that they can enjoy the delicious taste of coffee at any time. However, many friends are not familiar with how to use a Moka pot, so after purchasing it, they find that they have no idea how to use it, and the coffee they extract does not taste right! Therefore, what Front Street wants to share today is: a guide to using a Moka pot! I hope I can help you make delicious Moka pot coffee!
The structure and working principle of the Moka pot
The Moka pot is mainly divided into three parts, the lower pot that holds water, the powder trough that holds powder, and the upper pot that receives coffee liquid.
The principle of the Moka pot is very simple. By heating the lower pot, the water in the pot reaches the boiling point and changes into water vapor. The water vapor that has nowhere to be released will slowly accumulate, thus filling the pot with pressure. When the pressure accumulates to a certain level, the remaining hot water will be pushed to the upper pot. Just before the hot water reaches the upper pot, it will pass through the powder trough, so at this time it will extract the coffee powder, and then permeate out of the upper pot with coffee substances. The liquid that finally emerges from the spout is the coffee liquid.
Moka pot coffee grinding
Compared with other production methods, the coffee powder used in the Moka pot does not have that high requirements for grinding! Very fine particles close to espresso coffee make it easier to achieve quasi-espresso coffee!
Coarse sugar particles for Pour over(V60) coffee and flour particles for Turkish coffee are not recommended! Grinding that is too coarse will make the resistance of the powder cake too small, which will cause the hot water to pass through too fast and not be able to extract enough coffee substances, which means it is easy to under-extract; while grinding that is too fine will cause the resistance to be too high, and the hot water will accumulate in the powder tank for a long time, which will cause the risk of explosion! ! ! So if you find that the water has been boiling for a long time, but the liquid has not come out for a long time, it is best to turn off the fire source, readjust the grinding, and then extract. Safety is the most important thing!
Amount of powder used in Moka pot
Different specifications of Moka pots will have different amounts of powder used, and coffee powder of different thicknesses will have different volumes. Under the same weight, the finer the ground coffee powder will have a smaller volume! Changes in volume will affect extraction, so many times, we use the officially recommended powder volume but cannot extract good-tasting coffee. This is because the difference in grinding results in extraction differences!
Therefore, we can directly fill the powder tank with coffee powder and make it flush. This ensures that we have a higher error tolerance during extraction. The amount of powder used to fill the powder groove is the amount of powder that is best suited for the size of the Moka pot and the current grind. Then Front Street suggested that friends record the values so that they can adjust the extraction plan later~
Moka pot water usage
The amount of water in the Moka pot is also an issue that everyone is more concerned about. You can take out the Moka pot and put it under the pot. There will be a metal valve in the sink of the pot. This thing is called a "pressure relief valve".
Its function is to avoid the accident of exploding the pot due to excessive pressure caused by grinding too finely or other factors. If too much water is added to cover this valve, the pressure relief valve may lose its pressure relief effect and increase the risk of the pot exploding. Therefore, Front Street Association suggests that it is most appropriate to control the water volume below this valve. Similarly, in order to better adjust the extraction, Front Street will recommend measuring the amount of water injected.
What kind of coffee beans are suitable for Moka pot?
Front Street can say very straightforwardly that the Moka pot is suitable for extracting all coffee beans. We can choose the specific beans according to our own needs. If you want to use moka pot coffee to make a cup of latte, then dark roasted coffee that can produce rich oil and a bitter taste that is not overwhelmed by the taste of milk is your first choice! If you want to use Moka pot coffee to make a cup of refreshing black coffee, then choosing a light roasted coffee with floral and fruity notes will be better! The specific choice depends on your own needs.
The points that need attention are the above, so let’s get into the tutorial of making Moka pot coffee!
Moka pot instructions
Prepare the materials needed to make coffee: coffee powder, water, Moka pot, and heating source for heating.
1. Add water: We first add an appropriate amount of hot water. Because hot water can shorten the time to boil water, let us get a cup of Moka pot coffee faster!
2. Fill the coffee powder: Fill the appropriate amount of coffee powder into the powder trough, and then put the powder trough into the lower pot.
It should be noted that after pouring coffee powder into the powder trough, we'd better tap the powder trough gently. The purpose of this is to allow the coffee powder to naturally squeeze downwards, fill the gaps, and reduce the generation of channel effects. After filling, just use your fingers to smooth the surface of the coffee powder. Note that if the coffee powder used is too fine, it is best not to press it, because this will increase the resistance of the powder trough and make it more difficult for hot water to pass through.
3. Tighten the upper and lower pots: What needs to be noted in this step is that if the filling is hot water, it is best to use a wet rag for insulation to avoid burns.
4. Place it on the heating source and start cooking: There is not much to say about this. Just place the Moka Pot on a heating source that can conduct heat.
5. Turn to low heat and wait for the coffee liquid to seep out: When we cook until the Moka pot makes a clear sound, it means that the hot water is about to overflow with the coffee substance driven by the steam, so at this time we need to reduce the heat.
Otherwise, the fire will continuously produce water vapor and increase the pressure. Then the hot water will flow out faster due to the excessive pressure, and it will not be able to extract enough coffee substances. In the end, the taste of the entire coffee will become dull and light. Therefore, when the coffee liquid is about to overflow, it is best to reduce the heat.
6. Stop heating and wait for the extraction to be completed: When the coffee liquid has come out to half, we need to turn off the fire source, because the residual temperature in the Moka pot is enough to "urge" the remaining hot water out.
7. Tasting the coffee: When the Moka pot stops dispensing liquid, we can pour out the coffee liquid and taste it!
If we feel a strong burnt and bitter taste when drinking moka pot coffee, it means that the extraction is over-extracted and we need to appropriately reduce the amount of extracted liquid. Just end the extraction early the next time we make it! If it tastes too sour and has some foreign smell, it is likely that the extraction is insufficient and the grinding can be adjusted. If the grind is in a state where it cannot be adjusted, then we can increase the extraction and slightly increase the amount of water in the moka pot. After many attempts, you will know how to extract a delicious cup of Moka pot coffee~
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
