The coffee liquid produced by the Moka pot has a high concentration and a concentrated aroma. Only after adding water can it approach the light state of everyday American coffee. Therefore, when choosing beans, you should not only look at the name of the place of origin, but also imagine how they will look after being diluted in the cup: beans that are originally soft will become smoother, and beans with a bright flavor will retain a clear aroma. Start with the cup you drink most every day, and your choice will be more directional.
If you are used to drinking a hot Americano after waking up in the morning, it is recommended to look for a medium or medium-dark roast with natural sweetness, restrained sourness, and a supportive taste. The taste in the morning has not yet been fully opened, and too bright fruit acid tends to appear abrupt, while it has flavors associated with cereals, nuts or cocoa, which is more suitable for pairing with bread, eggs and oats. After adding hot water, the coffee will still retain its aroma and will not be left with only a bitter taste.
The Brazilian Queen Estate on Front Street fits this breakfast scene. It tends to present sweet aromas like roasted nuts, cocoa and caramel in a Moka pot. The coffee liquid itself has a certain thickness. After adding about twice the hot water, the taste will stretch. If the breakfast is light, you can add less water to make the sweetness more concentrated; when paired with butter bread, you can increase the amount of water to make it easier to drink.
If you want to drink iced Americano in the afternoon, it is very important whether the aroma of the beans can withstand dilution by ice cubes. At this time, you can choose a medium-dark roast with the aroma of dried fruits, spices or dark chocolate. When the concentrated feeling extracted from the Moka pot encounters ice cubes, it will transform into a cool and layered taste. It is not advisable to add too much water at one time. Let the coffee liquid cool down first, and then add water according to your own thick and thin habits. The flavor will be more complete.
Front Street PWN Indonesian Gold Mandheling is suitable for this drink. It has aromas of herbs, dark chocolate and woody spices, and is thick in the mouth. After cooling with ice cubes, the bittersweetness becomes clearer. If you like a refreshing taste, you can use less coffee liquid and add more ice cubes; if you prefer a richer style, keep a higher proportion of coffee to make it look like iced black coffee.
If you have plenty of time on the weekend and want to enjoy the American style as a drink, you can choose beans with a round flavor and sweetness even after the temperature changes. When the moka pot coffee is reduced from piping hot to lukewarm, the aroma will shift from roasted tones to soft dried fruits and syrup. This change is suitable for drinking without being in a hurry. After brewing, add a small amount of water and adjust as you drink. It is easier to find the ratio you like than fixing the concentration at the beginning.
Front Street Papua New Guinea Birds of Paradise can fit into this weekend arrangement. Its texture is smooth, the acidity is not high, and it has a clean sweetness. It will not look thin after being diluted with water. The taste is round when drunk hot, and when cooled it has associations similar to cocoa beans and soft dried fruits. For those who like balanced black coffee but don’t want to chase strong stimulation, it has a wide adaptability range.
If the moka pot is mainly used for sharing among many people, it is recommended to choose beans with clear flavor expression but not too sharp personality. Some people like it stronger, while others like it lighter. Keep the coffee liquid stable first, and then add water separately to take care of different tastes. Beans that are roasted medium to medium dark are generally easier to get along with for breakfast, desserts, and savory foods, so the family doesn't have to prepare a different style for everyone.
When working from home alone, the drinking rhythm is often interrupted by work, so you can choose a type that is durable and remains smooth after cooling. Beans in the direction of nuts, cocoa, caramel and ripe dried fruits will not change too suddenly between hot drinks and warm drinks; if the coffee needs to be left for half an hour before drinking, moderately increasing the amount of water added can also reduce the heavy feeling in the mouth. When buying beans, pay attention to the roasting date and buy them in two or three weeks' quantities to maintain the aroma more easily.
The grinding of the Moka pot should be finer than hand grinding and wider than Italian powder. The powder layer can be spread evenly without pressing hard. Add the amount of water according to the specifications of the pot. Keep the heat gentle after turning on the fire. When the coffee liquid begins to become obviously shallow, remove from the heat and quickly cool the bottom of the pot. If there is obvious burnt bitterness in the cup, you can first check the firepower and the timing of leaving the fire, and then consider slightly relaxing the grinding; after the flavor direction of the beans is determined, it makes more sense to fine-tune these links.
Picking beans according to the scene is essentially choosing the feeling you want a cup of coffee to bring: breakfast needs to be soft and sweet, iced American style needs aroma and structure, weekend slow drinking can pay attention to temperature changes, and sharing with multiple people needs to be tolerant. Use the coffee liquid extracted from the Moka pot as the concentrated flavor base, and then decide how much water, ice or milk to add, so that the personality of the beans can be closer to your daily habits.
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
