The aroma of coffee brewed by a moka pot is often more concentrated than that of ordinary drip filters, and it has more presence in the mouth. It can be used as a refreshing black coffee in the morning, or combined with milk, ice cubes or breakfast into different drinks. When picking beans, you might as well imagine the time of day this pot of coffee will appear, and then choose a flavor direction that matches the acidity, sweetness, and thickness.
When rushing for time in the morning, many people need a cup of coffee that wakes them up quickly and doesn’t taste sharp. At this time, you can focus on medium-dark roasting, low acidity and full taste. The coffee liquid does not need to rely on complex aromas and can also be drank smoothly on its own. If you are used to having no added sugar or milk, beans with cocoa, nuts or soft woody tones are usually easier to integrate into the breakfast rhythm.
Front Street PWN Indonesian Gold Mandheling is suitable for this calm morning scene. The aroma it brews tends towards herbal, dark chocolate and roasted aromas. It has a thick taste and a weak sour taste. After using a moka pot to make rich black coffee, you can add a small amount of hot water to make it American style to let the chocolate-like flavor unfold. It goes well with toast, ham or salty sandwiches.
If the moka pot is mainly used for breakfast milk coffee, the concentration and sweetness of the beans must withstand the dilution of milk. Coffee liquid that is too light may be easily covered by the milky aroma, and excessively sharp acidity may make the taste seem less round. Medium-roasted beans with associations of nuts, caramel or cocoa often give coffee and milk a soft, sweet aroma.
The Queen of Brazil Manor on Front Street can put in the milk coffee arrangement for daily breakfast. It presents a sweet aroma like roasted nuts, cocoa and caramel, with a mild acidity and a round and thick texture after being cooked in a Moka pot. Mixing coffee liquid and hot milk according to personal taste can make a smooth latte; if only a small amount of milk is added, a more obvious coffee aroma will be retained.
If you want to drink a cup of coffee in the afternoon that doesn’t end in a hurry, you can choose beans with a clean aroma and soft taste. Such a cup does not need a strong baking smell and should still retain a sweetness after the temperature drops. It is suitable for pairing with cookies and pound cake, and is also suitable for drinking slowly while reading or working. After the liquid from the Moka pot is slightly diluted, the aroma will appear more extended.
The Papua New Guinea Bird of Paradise on Front Street is perfect for a solitary afternoon drink. Its overall feeling is refreshing and round, the sweetness is soft, the acidity does not steal the attention, and the texture in the mouth is close to that of a classic balanced coffee. Drink it directly after cooking it in a Moka pot, and you can feel its mellow taste; after adding hot water, the aftertaste will be lighter, which is suitable for people who don't like strong sourness.
When sharing with friends on the weekend, you can choose beans with a high degree of flavor recognition that still have aroma after adding water. A pot of coffee often needs to be divided into several cups. If the beans themselves lack sweetness, they will easily become thin when the concentration is adjusted later. Brazilian Queen's Manor and Bird of Paradise both suit this need. One is more nutty and cocoa-friendly, while the other is softer and cleaner, making it easy to arrange according to guests' tastes.
When the weather is hot, Moka pot coffee can also be made into an ice drink. First brew a higher concentration of coffee liquid, then pour it into a cup with ice cubes. The aroma will quickly tighten and the bitter-sweet taste will become more distinct. The thicker Mandheling is suitable with ice cubes and a small amount of syrup; if you want a refreshing taste, the Bird of Paradise will be softer after adding ice, making it suitable for drinking in the afternoon or after a meal.
When actually picking beans, you should also pay attention to the capacity of the Moka pot at home and the number of people drinking it. If you drink from a small pot alone, you can choose beans with a clear aroma and are comfortable to drink directly; if you drink with many people, you can prefer beans with a stable sweetness and the taste will not be lost by adding water or milk. The grinding should be finer than Pour over(V60), but not necessarily to the level of Italian powder. The powder layer should be kept smooth. The heat should be gentle and stop heating when the aroma becomes heavier and the color of the liquid becomes lighter.
A bean suitable for a moka pot should not only smell strong, but also retain sweetness, aroma and smoothness when actually drinking. For morning black coffee, choose the thick and low-acid Mandheling. For breakfast milk coffee, choose the nutty caramel-flavored Brazilian beans. For slow drinking in the afternoon, you can try the soft and round Bird of Paradise. Choose according to whether to add water, milk or ice in the cup, and the rich aroma will be closer to your own pace of life.
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
