Moka Pots

Moka Pots. What the heck are these weird little coffee makers?

They are not a true espresso maker, they don’t have sufficient pressure for that. But they don’t really fit into your regular coffee maker either.

They were invented in Italy by Alfonso Bialetti. The name is derived from the Yemeni city of Mokha, a city historically known for high-quality coffee beans.

Moka pots have been around since 1933. They are typically made from aluminum, but stainless steel ones are readily available.

A moka pot makes a strong coffee, usually on the stovetop. The grind is a medium/fine grind of fresh coffee.

There are arguments on the temperature of the water to use when using it. The current thought is to use hot water, around 160f. BE CAREFULL, the pot is hot to the touch. I usually put the bottom section of the pot on a pot holder, put water in, just below the relief valve, fill the coffee basket with grounds, do NOT tamp! Put the coffee basket on top of the lower section and clean the rim. Screw the top section back on, you want this to be tight, so it doesn’t leak.

But it on the burner, make sure the handle is off of the edge of the burner so it doesn’t get hot.

Now we’re gonna make coffee!!! Open the top so you can watch the magic.

I turn the heat on high, as soon as it begins to come out of the center stem turn the heat down to about 7, when the chamber is about half full turn it down to 4. If at any time it begins spewing coffee out of the stem, remove it from the heat for a moment. Usually I begin moving the pot to the side of the burner at this point. When it begins putting out bubbles, you have run out of water in the lower chamber. Close the lid and pour it into your cup. And enjoy.

Run cool tap water over the pot and disassemble. Rinse it out, do not wash with soapy water, you will taste soap for a while if you do. Wipe it out.

This is a simple and fun way to make a different style of coffee. I hope this helps.