Today Front Street is here to take you through the Moka pot, which is popular in Italian households.
Europeans do not call this pot a Moka pot, but call it an Espresso Pot. From this name alone, it can be seen that the coffee made by the Moka pot is a genuine Espresso, but its cup form is too classical and simple. Some friends questioned it because it is not as high-tech as an espresso machine and the thick layer of grease in the cup cannot be seen when the cup comes out. Therefore, they concluded that the coffee it makes is not Espresso. But such doubts are unconvincing.
Moka pot construction principle
The Moka pot is divided into three parts: the upper seat, the powder tank, and the lower seat. The lower seat is a water sink, and the powder trough is used to hold finer ground coffee powder. The table is used to hold the extracted coffee liquid.
If we first put the lower sink aside, fix the powder trough to the bottom of the Moka Pot upper base by hand. We will see more clearly how he is extracted.
First of all, the metal pipe at the end of the powder tank and the metal pipe in the center of the upper seat are coaxial and of the same diameter. This design is to make the water flow in a straight line. When the water in the base reaches a certain temperature, driven by pressure, the hot water will press up from the metal pipe at the end of the powder trough, pass through the coffee powder in the powder trough, and then filter through the filter at the bottom of the upper base. The coffee liquid will overflow from the metal pipe in the center of the upper base under pressure. In this way, the coffee extraction process is completed in principle.
Just from the safety valve above the lower seat, we can conclude that this pot is a pressure vessel. When the powder trough is correctly and firmly tightened from the upper seat to the lower seat, it is placed on the heat source and heated, so that the hot water has pressure. So we say that the entire extraction process is completed under pressure. Espresso, the original meaning of Latin is "put under pressure," which means that the method of extracting coffee with hot water and pressure belongs to Espresso. Espresso is not only the name of this type of coffee, but also the name of this type of coffee extraction method. However, it should be noted that the pressure of a Moka pot is generally around 1.5-3bar, while the pressure of an espresso machine is 9bar, so the coffee produced by the two is still very different.
Moka pot suitable for coffee and grinding fineness
For domestic coffee lovers, beans are a very important factor. The coffee beans from the production area, what kind, and what kind of roasting are very particular. But in foreign countries, many channels for purchasing coffee beans (powder) are on supermarket shelves. What they pay more attention to is the brand name of the coffee beans, the scope of application of the beans, and the flavor.
In Italy, there are many brands that sell coffee powder specifically for Moka pots. So back to the question of what coffee beans to use in a Moka pot, because the domestic coffee development is different from that in Italy. Except for some large shopping malls that sell imported coffee powder, they are basically some domestic single-origin coffee brands.
The coffee beans suitable for Moka pots are generally required to be medium-dark roasted. Front Street recommends trying Italian blended coffee beans first. For example, Front Street’s Front Street Blend 100% Arabica uses Brazilian and Colombian coffee beans to create a clean and balanced nutty chocolate flavor. It is suitable for Italian coffee machines and moka pots. If you want to get a coffee liquid rich in oil, we recommend Front Street Classic Blend Coffee Beans. This is a new formula specially designed for Moka pots and espresso machines. The coffee made with a Moka pot not only tastes mellow and rich, but also gives American style and latte a pleasant coffee aroma because of the rich oil.
Grinding fineness:
The powder diameter is about 0.3-0.55mm. You can have two methods to measure it. The first is to buy a powder diameter ruler or Mocha special powder for reference; the second is through constant debugging, usually not many times. You can basically get it through after 3-5 tests. If the powder is thick, the coffee liquid will spurt out quickly, and it may be like a fountain. If the powder is fine, you will hear the whine of water boiling. If the coffee liquid has not come up, it is fine. It is recommended that you turn off the heat quickly. Remember to take safety measures when doing such debugging.
How to use a Moka Pot
1) Pour hot water into the lower seat of the Moka pot, and the water level should not exceed the lower edge of the safety valve. The safety valve is the limit of the maximum water level of each Moka pot.
It is not recommended to use cold water, as this will increase the time for the water to soak the coffee powder, causing the extracted coffee to become burnt, bitter and turbid.
2) Load powder. This step is one of the important elements related to the coffee cup effect (amount of water, powder loading, extraction time).
Many friends have made obvious mistakes in this step, which are summarized as follows:
a. The amount of powder is not enough. If you choose the highest water level in the lower seat, your powder will also need to completely fill the powder tank. Otherwise, as the amount of coffee powder becomes insufficient, the taste of the coffee will gradually fade.
b. Use a powder hammer to press the powder. Many friends borrowed the special powder hammer of the Italian machine to press the mocha powder slot. This is an effortless move. If the pressure is too tight and the coffee grounds are too fine, it will be difficult to draw the coffee. So the key to filling the Moka pot with real powder is: fill it as much as possible instead of compacting it. You can add powder in batches when loading powder, and tap the edge of the powder tank with your hands to spread it as fully as possible without leaving any gaps.
When the coffee powder is full, you can tap the powder trough vertically on the table a few times to ensure that the coffee powder can be fully filled.
3) After placing the powder trough correctly on the lower seat, tighten the upper seat on the lower seat. For safety reasons, you can over-tighten it.
4) Place the correctly installed Moka pot on the heat source to heat. For ease of observation, Front Street recommends cooking the Moka Pot with the lid open.
Soon the coffee liquid overflowed from the central metal pillar of the upper seat.
With continuous extraction, the coffee liquid level will gradually rise. When there is grease on the liquid surface, please be alert that the coffee extraction is nearing the end. When the color of the oil changes from dark to light, the heat source should be cut off immediately to stop extraction, otherwise the coffee will be in a state of over-extraction.
In particular, you can't stop after the "Woo" sound appears. This coffee may even taste like roasted rubber.
6) Friends who have the conditions can prepare a towel soaked in cold water in advance and place it next to the heat source. When you finish step five, place the moka pot on a cold towel. This will greatly reduce the possibility of over-extracting the coffee.
Moka Pot Precautions
1. The maximum service life of the sealing ring under the upper seat of the Moka pot shall not exceed one year, so be sure to replace it. This is a bit like the rubber seal of a pressure cooker. If not replaced in time, air leakage may occur due to loose sealing.
2. If there is air or water leakage from the lower pressure reducing valve during the production of the Moka pot, the thin metal piece in the middle of the pressure reducing valve needs to be replaced in time, otherwise the pressure of the Moka pot will be greatly lost.
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
