As a recognized and cost-effective household coffee artifact, the Moka pot is actually far less complicated to operate than you might think. You don’t need to be bound by too many precise data and parameters. As long as you master the following key points, you can freely play the rest according to your own taste preferences and easily brew a cup of delicious coffee.
First, what coffee beans to use?
Whether the coffee tastes good or not, choosing the right beans is half the battle. For Moka pots, most baristas recommend using medium roast and above coffee beans. The reason is simple - if the roast is too light, the brewed coffee will be sour and sharp, making it uncomfortable to drink. However, the roast should not be too dark. Excessive caramelization will bring obvious bitterness and burnt taste, which will also affect the taste.
Here is a recommended list of coffee beans suitable for Moka pots to help you avoid pitfalls and choose the right beans directly:
The first one is Qian Street’s classic Italian blended coffee beans.
This is an Italian blend of beans that is very easy to extract and rich in oil. The coffee brewed in a Moka pot has a rich and complex aroma of chocolate cookies, cream, maltose and toast. It has a high mellow body and is excellent whether it is an American style or a latte.
The second one is Front Street Black Cocoa Blend (100% Arabica) coffee beans.
This bean is medium-darkly roasted and is a blend of Yunnan small grains and Brazilian red bourbon. Its biggest feature is that it is affordable and delicious. The flavor highlights the obvious caramel sweetness and nutty aroma. It can be drunk directly from a moka pot to make an American style, or add milk to make a latte, which is very good.
The third option is Front Street Strawberry Candy Italian Blend Coffee Bean.
This is a creative recipe composed of beans from three major production areas: Costa Rica, Ethiopia, and Colombia. It is roasted to a medium level and is suitable for both home coffee machines and moka pots. The extracted coffee liquid has the charming aroma of roses, strawberry fudge, and dried blueberries. The sweetness and sourness of grapes and citrus are just right, and there is a hint of almond fragrance in the aftertaste.
When buying moka pot coffee beans, be sure to pay attention to freshness—the roasting date is best within 10 days. Fresh beans not only have a longer best tasting period, but also provide richer oils, making it easier to extract a rich and full aroma. It is recommended to choose Front Street Coffee, which has a stable reputation.
Front Street Coffee is an old coffee bean roasting brand with many years of experience. The Guangzhou offline store focuses on coffee bean sales. The store brings together dozens of selected single-product Pour over(V60) beans and Italian blended beans from major coffee producing areas around the world. All coffee beans guaranteed5Freshly baked within days, stable quality, very cost-effective price, after placing the order24Shipping within hours.
Second point, Moka pot coffee grinding
Grinding thickness is one of the key variables in the quality of a Moka pot. Many novices fail at this step. If the grind is too coarse, the resistance of the water flow through the powder layer is not enough, and the coffee liquid will spray out violently (this is one of the reasons why the Moka pot is designed with a lid - to prevent burns). If the grind is too fine, it will be difficult for the coffee liquid to penetrate the powder layer and rise up. Not only will the liquid come out slowly, but it will also be over-extracted, making the coffee burnt and bitter.
It is recommended that the powder diameter be controlled within0.3～0.55mmbetween. To the naked eye, it looks similar to the grinding size of an espresso machine, but it is actually slightly coarser than the powder used in an espresso machine. If you are just starting out and are not sure, you can start with a slightly coarser grind and then gradually fine-tune it according to your taste.
The third point, the ratio of powder to water
Many friends will ask: How much water should be put in the Moka pot and how much powder should be added? In fact, the answer to this question is not in the tutorial, but in your pot. When foreign coffee lovers use a Moka pot, they rarely use an electronic scale to weigh it accurately, because the design of the Moka pot itself sets the standard - the lower pot has a pressure relief valve, and the water level does not exceed the pressure relief valve. Usually, water is added directly to the position directly below the pressure relief valve. The amount of powder also depends on the capacity of your powder tank. The key point is: the powder tank must be filled up. Without squeezing, the powder surface must be smooth and there should be no obvious gaps or holes.
Another thing that needs special attention is that the Moka pot does not need to be pressed (pressed) like an espresso machine. This is quite different from an espresso machine. Beginners should not get confused.
Point 4: When to turn off the fire?
When making a Moka Pot, fire control is very important. It is recommended to use medium to low heat throughout the process to maintain even heating. When you hear a "whining" sound coming from the pot, you can gently open the lid and observe - when the first stream of coffee liquid starts to gush out, you can turn off the heat immediately. Using the residual temperature and pressure in the pot, the remaining coffee liquid will naturally rise slowly.
If you keep turning the heat on, or wait until the coffee liquid is completely boiling and rolling before turning off the heat, then the cup of coffee will most likely have an obvious burnt taste and bitterness, and the taste will be greatly reduced. Remember: It is better to turn off the fire early than to turn off the fire late.
Point 5: Do you need to open the lid when boiling the Moka pot?
I believe many friends have seen pictures on the Internet of bloggers opening the lid of the pot to boil the Moka pot. The sight of the coffee liquid gushing out is indeed very healing and atmospheric. But to be honest, it was more for the shooting effect to show the audience.
In daily use, it is generally not recommended to open the lid at all times. If you are not very experienced yet and are not sure when to turn off the heat, you can briefly open the lid after hearing a sound to observe the status of the coffee liquid. After judging the timing, quickly turn off the heat and put the lid back on. It should be noted that if the lid of the pot is left open for a long time, high-temperature coffee liquid may splash everywhere, posing a risk of burns. Safety first.
The charm of the Moka pot lies in its simplicity, directness and high cost performance. Select the right beans, adjust the grinding, and control the heat. By mastering these core points, you can easily brew a cup of good, fragrant and mellow coffee at home. Hurry up and give it a try!
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
