3 days ago
Here's Why Coffee Pros Love a Moka Pot — and How to Make the Perfect Cup
Making coffee doesn't have to be costly or complicated. The inexpensive stovetop moka pot should be a leading contender for an easy, top-quality brew. Invented in the 1930s by Alfonso Bialetti in Crusinallo, Italy, this modest coffee maker has become an archetypal symbol of efficient design around the world.
Moka pot devotees have flooded social media with adoration and brewing tips. And top coffee professionals have joined in to share step-by-step tutorials.
Renowned coffee expert James Hoffmann has dedicated several videos to the best practices and science behind the moka pot. He even sliced one in half to show its structure and inner workings.
Related: Why the Best Coffee Is Made in a Moka Pot
'The moka pot extraction concept is based on speed, simplicity, and intensity of flavor,' says Simone Amenini, head of quality control and education for Ditta Artigianale and the Scuola del Caffè Firenze. 'It took the place of the cuccuma, the Neapolitan coffee pot — which isn't actually Neapolitan — widely used in Italian homes starting from the mid-1800s.'
The moka pot could create a stronger-flavored brew, as it extracts the coffee grounds under pressure. 'This decidedly breaks with the trend in other European countries that continued to prefer a softer and smoother coffee on the palate, using infusion-based extractions like coffee pots, French press, syphon, and pour-over,' says Amenini.
Moka pots were always present in the homes where Amenini grew up. 'For a long time, it represented the ideal of coffee at home,' he says. 'It represents the morning coffee that my parents prepare when I am at their house. It represents the after-meal coffee at my grandmother's house when we had the whole family gathered together.'
A moka pot harnesses steam to push water up through ground coffee and into the top chamber where the completed brew sits.
The boiler at the bottom of the pot is filled with water. As the water heats up, it begins to steam and expands the air to press the water up through a funnel and into the middle section, where the ground coffee sits in a basket. The liquid is then pushed through the grounds to the top chamber.
The brewed coffee's journey is the opposite of the many drip coffee machines or pour-over methods which rely on gravity. These techniques allow water to drip down over grounds and into a pot below.
Morgan Eckroth, drink developer and 2022 U.S. Barista Champion, prefers a moka pot to make coffee without the bells and whistles of a high-powered espresso machine.
'I've always found the tactile and methodical nature of the moka pot to be very grounding,' she says. 'I think, for many folks, moka pots hold a lot of nostalgia, and while I don't necessarily have those same memories, there's something about the brewing style that transports me back. It's a coffee maker that requires you to be present for every stage of the brew in a way that's pretty rare nowadays.'
Eckroth loves to travel with a moka pot. Her go-to is the six-cup Bialetti Moka Express. 'It's a brewer that doesn't require the same level of gear that others typically do. A moka pot, grinder, heat source, and coffee are really all you need,' she says. 'A strong, hot cup of coffee from a moka pot while camping is my ideal scenario.'
Many award-winning baristas gravitate to detailed brewing recipes with intensive focus on grind size, gram measurements, and water temperature. But the moka pot has been known to inspire a more intuitive process.
'While I'm a huge proponent of utilizing repeatable and trackable coffee recipes, I typically find myself reverting to simpler brewing with the moka pot,' says Eckroth. 'I fill the bottom chamber with preheated water up to the pressure valve and add enough medium-fine coffee to fill the basket. Following these two steps will usually result in a 1:10 ratio of coffee to water.'
Eckroth recommends to put an AeroPress filter atop the grounds for an extra level of filtration. 'I start the brew on medium heat, and as soon as the first coffee rises into the upper chamber, I turn the heat down to low, and let it brew slowly,' she says. 'At the very first signs of sputtering, as the lower water chamber empties, I cover and remove the brewer. The coffee should then be served immediately.'
Francesco Sanapo, co-founder of Ditta Artigianale and three-time Italian barista champion, feels a deep connection to the moka pot. 'The moka pot is a cultural symbol of Italy,' he says. 'When I was young, I would wake up for school to the smell of moka in my house. Moka plays an important role not only for me, but for all Italian people.'
Sanapo uses a moka pot at breakfast every morning with his family. 'My best advice to is always use good, filtered water.'
Los Angeles chef Royce Burke, the host of the Carpetbagger podcast, brews coffee in a moka pot daily. Burke's love of the moka pot is also sentimental. 'It's so simple, and the tradition of unscrewing it, tapping out the spent grinds, rinsing, filling the water chamber, grinding the beans by hand, pouring them in, screwing it back on, igniting the burner and listening for the gurgling sound of morning, it makes me so happy,' he says.
Fill the bottom chamber with filtered water up to just below the safety valve (the pros often suggest to begin with boiling water for ideal extraction).
Add medium-ground coffee to the filter basket.
Level the grounds. Do not overfill or press down.
Add an AeroPress filter over the coffee grounds for extra filtration (optional).
Screw on the top of the moka pot and place the brewer on medium heat.
Open the top of the pot to watch for the beginning of extraction.
Keep an eye on the pot to see when the coffee begins to fill the top chamber.
Take the pot off the heat before it begins to sputter with bubbles. Be careful in case the handle becomes hot on the stove.
Close the top and wait a few minutes for the coffee to finish brewing.
Most moka pots are not dishwasher safe, so clean them by hand. After you make coffee, rinse with hot water only, and dry thoroughly. When coffee oils build up, add vinegar or citric acid to water in the bottom chamber and brew normally to allow the mixture to enter the top chamber. Then rinse with fresh water.
Read the original article on Food & Wine
