As one of the iconic symbols of Italian coffee culture, the Moka pot can be said to be one of the must-have kitchen utensils for every Italian family. In China, Moka pots did not receive much love from enthusiasts in the past few years.
Until the camping economy took off in recent years, more and more people like to have picnics and brew coffee outdoors. Compared with Pour over(V60) coffee, which requires a bunch of brewing utensils, the Moka pot has a simple structure and only requires a fire source to produce rich and fragrant coffee.
The history of the coffee moka pot (Moka Pot）
Coffee was first introduced to Italians in the 16th century as an exotic and expensive luxury product. As such, it was consumed primarily by wealthy Italians in commercial cafes, which originally served coffee in the brewed and filtered format.
Later, with the increase in demand and the rapid development of the industrial era, people began to look for ways to brew coffee more efficiently. Some people used the pressure generated by steam engines to quickly pass hot water through coffee powder and extract rich coffee liquid. So in 1884, a machine that used steam power to pressurize coffee was created and patented, which is what we now call an espresso machine.
Because these early espresso machines were large, they were only suitable for commercial use. In an American bar, customers order (and serve) coffee while standing at the counter. In an increasingly industrialized society, this quick service was perfect for workers who needed a quick coffee on the go—a tradition that continues to this day.
But at that time, only men could go to cafes to drink coffee. A man named Alfonso Bialetti hoped that everyone could make pressurized coffee at home. At that time, Italian women often used the steam pressure of an old-fashioned washing machine called Liciveuse to push water down and "squeeze" the principle. He applied it to coffee-making equipment and applied for a patent.
After several years of continuous use and improvement, in 1933 this coffee pot with a siphon principle was named Moka Express (derived from the Latin exprimō, which means "to squeeze out") and was mass-produced. As a cheap and efficient way to brew coffee at home, the Moka pot was immediately loved by Italian people and has become one of the must-have kitchen appliances for every household.
Moka pot extraction principle
The Moka pot is designed for use on the stove and has three main parts. We can heat it with a convenient tool such as an induction cooker or an electric ceramic stove, or we can heat it directly with a fire source. The lower pot is filled with hot water. There is a powder trough in the middle for holding coffee powder and a metal channel connects the upper, middle and lower parts. The upper pot is responsible for filling the extracted coffee liquid.
When the lower pot is heated, as the water temperature increases, more water vapor is generated in a limited space. The hot water surges up through the metal pipe in the middle, passing through the fine-grained coffee powder in the middle, and then emerges from the upper pot like a fountain, leaving the concentrated coffee liquid with coffee oil in the upper pot. This is the extraction process in a Moka pot.
Using the vapor pressure of boiling hot water to extract an effect close to espresso, this is why the Moka pot is so popular among coffee lovers who enjoy outdoor activities and brew at home.
How to make espresso coffee using a moka pot?
The coffee extracted from the Moka pot is characterized by richness, solidness and mellowness, so FrontStreet Coffee recommends that you use Italian blended coffee beans/medium-dark roasted coffee beans. If you use lightly roasted coffee beans, the extracted coffee will have a sour and bitter taste due to too high temperature and high concentration.
If you want something with a distinct aroma and rich body, we recommend you choose the "Front Street - Sunflower Warm Sun Blend Coffee Beans", which is a blend of 70% Honduran sherry coffee beans and 30% sun-dried red cherries. It has rich aromas of vanilla cream, sherry whiskey, and the berry tones expected from sun-dried Yirgacheffe coffee beans.
If you want to go with single-origin coffee beans, which are rich in body and not too bitter, I recommend you choose "Front Street-Brazilian Queen Manor Coffee Beans". This coffee bean comes from the well-known specialty coffee bean producing area in Brazil - the Queen's Manor in Morgiana, Sao Paulo State, at an altitude of 1400-1950m. The variety is yellow bourbon.
Bourbon coffee beans are known for their sweetness because they have a thicker pectin layer that provides sugar. Combined with the semi-sun drying process, more fructose substances can penetrate into the green coffee beans as much as possible, giving the coffee that originally has a roasted nut tone a dry sweetness and a more mellow taste.
Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) Moka pot usage suggestions:
1. First grind 20g coffee beans into powder.
2. Separate the upper pot and the lower pot of the Moka pot, and pour water into the lower pot. The water level should not exceed the pressure relief valve of the lower pot.
3. Put the coffee powder into the metal filter (powder trough), and use a measuring spoon to tap the coffee powder to compact it a little (gently, do not use force).
4. Install the powder trough on the lower pot, and then tighten the upper pot. (Please be sure to tighten and confirm that the upper and lower pots are indeed connected together.)
5. With the lid open, heat with direct fire, and control the firepower so that the flame does not exceed the bottom of the pot. (Because there is a possibility of boiling and overflowing, it is recommended to do it with the pot lid open until you master the trick. If the distance between the racks of the gas stove is too large and the Moka pot cannot be placed stably on it, please add a net and then heat it with direct fire.)
6. When the hot water boils and coffee extraction begins, turn off the heat. When all extraction is complete, in order to avoid over-steaming, please pour the coffee into the cup as soon as possible.
Professional coffee knowledge exchange More coffee bean information Please follow Coffee Workshop (WeChat public accountcafe_style ）
For more specialty coffee beans, please add Front Street Coffee on private WeChat (FrontStreet Coffee), WeChat ID:qjcoffeex
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
