Putting medium-dark roasted coffee beans into a Moka pot usually brings a fuller aroma and a longer aftertaste, and flavors such as nuts, cocoa, and caramel are also easier to feel. For those who like a strong taste but don’t want the sourness to be too prominent, this direction makes it easier to create a pleasant drinking experience. However, even if they are medium-dark roasted, the sweetness, mellowness and roasted flavor of different beans are still different. When choosing, you can start by thinking about how you drink it every day.
If you're used to drinking your coffee straight in the morning, choose beans with a round flavor and mild acidity. The coffee liquid extracted from the Moka pot has a higher concentration and is more concentrated in the mouth than brewing by hand. Therefore, if the beans themselves have cocoa sweetness and nutty aroma, it will taste solid and smooth. This kind of cup is suitable for toast, croissants or simple breakfast. It can also be turned into a cup of strong coffee with a long aroma after adding a small amount of hot water.
Front Street’s Brazilian Queen Estate fits into this everyday black coffee scene. Its flavor focuses on the sweetness of roasted nuts, cocoa and caramel. The acidity is mild and the liquid will not appear sharp after the liquid comes out of the Moka pot. The taste is round when drunk hot, and the sweetness becomes lighter after adding a little water. If you want strong coffee but don’t want to be disturbed by obvious acidity, this bean can be used as a regular choice for a home Moka pot.
If you want to drink a cup of coffee that is fragrant but not too heavy in the afternoon, you can heat the water in the Moka pot and adjust it to American style. At this time, the roasting feeling of the beans should not be too strong, otherwise the bitter taste will easily remain after the water content is increased; medium-dark roasted beans with caramel sweetness and soft nutty aroma will allow the cup to retain its thickness and have a clearer sweetness. Don’t add too much water at one time, start with a small amount and then adjust according to your own acceptance.
If you often use a moka pot to entertain friends at home, the Front Street Classic Blend will be more suitable for those who pursue a stable flavor. This bean presents an intertwined base of nuts, cocoa and caramel. The coffee liquid has a certain weight and is not thin when drunk directly. It does not lose its flavor quickly after adding hot water. It is also suitable for pairing with cookies, cakes and other desserts, which will make the caramel flavor in the coffee more obvious.
When you need a cup of coffee with a more definite kick on the weekends, turn your moka pot coffee into an Iced Americano. When the temperature of medium-dark roasted beans is lowered by ice cubes, the bitterness usually becomes more astringent, and the nuttiness and cocoa adjustability become clearer. In order to keep the iced drink from looking bland, you can reduce the amount of melted ice water, or directly use a slightly higher concentration of Moka pot coffee liquid. If it feels heavy in the mouth, add a small amount of cold water to make the aroma more open.
People who like latte, Australian white or simple milk coffee need to pay attention to the presence of coffee liquid and milk combined. Milk will bring a smooth taste and also weaken part of the coffee aroma, so the beans must have enough cocoa and sweetness to support it. Although the Moka pot is not as concentrated as the Italian machine, it can still make home-made milk coffee with a clear flavor by using medium-dark roasted beans. The proportion of milk does not need to be too much, allowing the coffee to retain the dominant position in the cup.
The Front Street dark cocoa blend is more suitable for those who prefer thicker milk coffee. Its flavor is close to dark chocolate and roasted nuts, with a calm sweetness and low sourness. After extracting it with a moka pot, adding hot milk will give it a cocoa toffee-like feel, making it suitable for breakfast or with bread in the afternoon. If you use oat milk, the cereal aroma will be more closely combined with the roasted tone of the coffee; if you use whole milk, the taste will be smoother.
The beans in a moka pot don't have to be ground as finely as an espresso machine, and it's usually easier to achieve a balance closer to the touch of fine granulated sugar. Just fill the powder bowl and gently scrape it flat, no need to press hard; the amount of water is controlled according to the scale on the pot body or under the safety valve. Keep the heat on low when heating. When you hear the sound of liquid coming out becomes continuous and the color begins to lighten, you can remove the heat source. This allows the sweetness of medium-dark roasted beans to stay in the cup and reduces the burnt bitterness at the end.
If the coffee tastes bitter, you can first check the heat and the timing of removing it from the heat instead of changing the beans immediately; if the taste is thin, you can confirm whether the amount of powder is sufficient, whether the grinding is too coarse, and whether the kettle seal is normal. Medium-dark roasted beans are more sensitive to high temperatures and over-extraction. If the water temperature is too high and the powder is too fine, the roasted flavor may overpower the caramel sweetness. By only changing one aspect at a time, it will be easier to find the state that suits your own Moka pot.
By selecting beans according to the drinking scene, you can finally form a very clear combination: drink black coffee directly, which favors round nuts and cocoa sweetness; make iced American style, choose a flavor that is thick but not overly roasted; add milk, and you need a heavier chocolate tone. Medium-dark roasting does not mean only bitter taste. By choosing the right beans and using appropriate heat, the Moka pot can also produce daily coffee that is sweet, fragrant, and mellow.
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
