What is a Moka Pot?
Friends who like to drink Italian coffee must know that Italian coffee originated in Italy. The Italians' love for coffee can be said to be engraved in their bones. The average person in Italy has several cups a day. They can be called a nation that "drinks coffee like water." But if you go to a cafe to consume every cup, the accumulated expenses over time are not a small sum.
It is against this background of demand that Italian Alfonso Barrati (Alfonso Bialetti) in1933The moka pot was invented. It extracts coffee by heating the base. It is a type of espresso coffee appliance and the most common and classic representative of all Italian coffee appliances. Because of this, the Moka pot is still a standard kitchen fixture in Italian families, and almost every household has one.
How the Moka Pot works
The structure of the Moka pot is very simple, consisting of three parts: an upper pot, a powder trough, and a lower pot:
Lower pot: used to hold water;
Powder trough: put in finely ground coffee powder;
Upper pot: receives the extracted coffee liquid.
The extraction principle is also very intuitive——When the water in the lower pot is heated, it generates steam pressure. The steam pressure gradually increases until it is enough to penetrate the coffee powder layer in the powder tank, and then the hot water is pushed to the upper pot, thereby extracting rich and mellow coffee liquid. The entire process uses the vapor pressure generated by boiling water. The extracted coffee has a flavor close to that of espresso. It is simple to operate and is very suitable for home use.
What do you need to prepare coffee with a Moka pot?
1. Moka pot
2. Electric ceramic stove (or gas stove + stove)
3. Coffee beans
4. Bean grinder
With these basic tools ready, you can get started. Here’s a detailed explanation of how to use a Moka pot:——
Moka pot usage tutorial (7Step out of the cup)
No.1Step: Choose the right coffee beans
It is recommended to use medium-dark roasted coffee beans. The coffee extracted from the Moka pot has a relatively strong taste, while the medium-dark roasted beans can present a mellower and fuller flavor layer. We will choose Front Street’s classic Italian blended coffee beans as an example.
No.2Step: Fill with water
Pour pure water into the lower pot of the Moka pot, and control the water level below the pressure relief valve.0.5cmThe position is sufficient, and do not exceed the pressure relief valve.
No.3Step: Filling powder and cloth powder
The coffee grind size should be slightly coarser than that of an espresso machine. You can refer to the size of the gaps in the powder trough filter to ensure that coffee powder particles will not leak into the lower pot.
Slowly pour the coffee powder into the powder trough, gently tap the pot body to distribute the powder evenly, and then use the powder spreading technique to smooth the surface. The powder trough must be filled, this is the key! When the density of coffee powder in the powder trough is more uniform, the problem of local over-extraction or under-extraction can be avoided, thereby reducing bitterness or foreign flavors.
No.4Step: Assemble Heating
Put the powder trough into the lower pot, tighten the upper and lower pots, place it on the electric ceramic stove, and start heating over high heat.
No.5Step: Turn to low heat
When the Moka pot is heated to a certain temperature and makes an obvious "whining" sound, immediately turn the electric ceramic stove to low heat and open the lid of the pot for easy observation.
No.6Step: Turn off the heat
When about half of the coffee liquid in the pot has flowed out, turn off the electric ceramic stove decisively. At this time, the residual heat and residual pressure in the pot will automatically remove the remaining coffee liquid."gushing"Push to the upper pot——This process is very healing.
No.7Step: Take out a cup and taste it
After all the coffee liquid has been extracted into the pot, you can pour it into a cup and enjoy. The coffee extracted by the Moka pot is very rich and can even extract something similar to espresso.Crema(grease layer). You can drink it directly, or you can add an appropriate amount of hot water to make an American style, or mix it with milk to make a latte. Each has its own unique flavor.
AboutCremaLittle knowledge about (grease)
Many people are curious about how a Moka pot can produce grease? In fact, this layer of Crema is composed of countless tiny carbon dioxide bubbles. The darker the coffee is roasted, the more carbon dioxide accumulates in the beans, which is released during the extraction process to form a rich oil layer. This is one of the reasons why a Moka pot is more suitable for medium-dark roasted coffee beans.
In addition, freshly roasted coffee beans also need to go through4～7The bean-raising period of three days allows the internal gas to be gradually released and the flavor to become stable. It is recommended that you do not rush to use the coffee beans after receiving them. Brewing after the beans are properly cultivated, the flavor will be better.
Moka Pot Grain Beans Recommended List
The following coffee beans are very suitable for brewing in Moka pots. Each has its own unique flavor and is suitable for daily drinking.——
☕ Latin American production areas
The overall flavor of Latin American coffee beans is balanced, often with nutty and cocoa properties, and has a mellow and smooth taste, which is very suitable for Moka pot performance.
1. Moka pot ration beans recommended——Front Street Queens Estate Coffee Beans
Origin: Morgiana, Sao Paulo, Brazil
Manor: Queen's Manor
Altitude: 1400-1950m
Variety: Yellow Bourbon
Treatment method: Sun treatment
Flavor: Nuts, chocolate, cream, peanut, caramel
2. Recommended Moka Pot ration beans-Front Street Huilan Coffee Beans
Origin: Colombia Huilan
Altitude:1500-1800m
Variety: Cadura
Treatment method: Water washing treatment
Flavor: dark chocolate, nuts, caramel, soft acidity
☕ Asia production area
If Central and South America represents the sweetness of nuts and chocolate, then Asian coffee represents the wild spice flavor. The following two are both medium-dark roasted, showing a full and rich mellow tone.
3. Moka Pot Grain Beans Recommendation - PreviousStreet PWN Gold Mandheling Coffee Beans
Production area: Gayo, Sumatra, Indonesia
Altitude: 1600m
Variety: Ateng
Treatment method: wet planing
Flavor: Spices, herbs, sandalwood, dark chocolate, caramel, nuts
4. Moka pot ration beans recommendation - Front Street Yunnan small coffee beans
Production area: Baoshan, Yunnan
Altitude: 1200m
Breed: Catim
Treatment method: washed
Flavor: Nuts, chocolate, brown sugar, tea taste
Tips： The ration beans recommended above are all medium-dark roasted, very suitable for Moka pot extraction, and are extremely cost-effective for daily drinking. Whether you are a black coffee lover or like to drink with milk, these beans can give you a satisfactory performance.
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
