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The first thing I want to tell you about a Moka Pot coffee maker is that it does not make Espresso. While Moka pots are sometimes called espresso maker alternatives, you do need a machine to make espresso. That’s part of the definition. A Moka pot will help you make a very strong coffee brew that you may liken to espresso. With that out of the way, just what is a Moka pot?
At first glance, a moka pot will seem to be the same as a coffee percolator. However, they work through different principles. A percolator boils water and pushes it through a tube so that the hot water falls over coffee grounds that are filtered from the water below. The same water is continually recirculated or ‘percolated’ up the tube and over the coffee. As the coffee is brewed, this already brewed coffee gets circulated up through the pot and onto the coffee grounds again.
Despite what fancy coffee snobs tell you, a percolator will make a great, strong cup of coffee that is not excessively bitter if you have the right ground and get your timing right. During the early 1970s, before the first “Mr. Coffee” drip makers took over, everyone in my extended family used an old-fashioned percolator. If you are looking for a recommendation, you can’t go wrong with the Farberware 50124 Classic Yosemite Stainless Steel Coffee Percolator.
What is a Moka Pot?
A Moka pot is a stove-top coffee maker that uses a tube like a percolator, but the coffee is not recirculated through the grounds. While a percolator has two chambers, one for the water and one for the coffee, a moka pot has three chambers.
The lowest chamber holds the water. The middle section, just above the water chamber, holds the coffee. This middle section is basically a funnel. The coffee sits at the top of the funnel and the funnel arm extends down into the water chamber. The top section features a tube that opens into the middle section, but whose opening is filtered.
How Does a Moka Pot Brew Coffee?
When water is boiled in the bottom section, the steam and pressure force the water up the arm of the funnel into the middle section to mix with the ground coffee, which is filtered top and bottom. Then, the water continues to be forced up to the top chamber through the tube that opens into the middle chamber. The ‘brewed’ coffee comes out of the top of the tube to collect in the top chamber. The animation below shows the process at work.
Although an advantage of the Moka pot over a percolator is that it does not recirculate already brewed coffee back through the coffee grounds, they both have one drawback. If you heat the water in the brewer, you will be using boiling water to brew your coffee, which is a bit hotter than is optimal. If you are like me, you won’t care that much. But if you are a coffee perfectionist, you might find this renders a brew that is too bitter.
It may be best, then, to preheat the water before placing it in the moka pot and then simmering it gently on the heat so that the temperature is better suited for coffee steeping, just below the boiling point (212° F) at around 195°F and 205°F. Most Moka brewers work on a 10 to 1 ratio, water to coffee.
Tips From Coffee Expert James Hoffman For Using a Moka Pot
Besides the basic filling instructions, most of these tips are optional. You can just throw the pot on the stove and hope for the best. If you want the perfect moka pot brew, follow these tips, below.
- fill the coffee basket all the way with finely ground coffee
- give the coffee a gentle stir to remove clumps and tap the container to pack it tight
- fill the water to just below the valve in the fill chamber
- use an optional AeroPress filter above the bottom chamber for extra filtration
- control the temperature to avoid sputtering and spitting, indicating the water is too hot
- if the water does become too hot, rinse the bottom chamber under cold water to cool it down and avoid undue bitterness
- once you hear a gurgling noise, the water is almost gone, so stop brewing to avoid over-extraction
- the lighter the roast, the finer you should grind the coffee
- use a little less water for darker roasts than for lighter roasts
For even more coffee perfection using the Moka Pot, watch the video below. This video will also help you determine how finely you should grind your coffee, which, for the Moka pot, is quite fine but not quite to Espresso levels. And yes, it is best to grind your own just before you brew, not only because of freshness but because it is difficult to purchase pre-ground coffee that is ground just so unless you buy Espresso ground, which is probably too fine.
When heating the water, you only need it to be hot enough to produce steam pressure and force the water up through the chambers. There is no need to get the water to a full boil. As in the tips, if you hear sputtering and spitting noises, the water is too hot.
Ideally, you should heat the water just until it is hot enough to start brewing, and then try to maintain that heat, and thus that pressure, until brewing is done. Heat the water gently, just below medium heat. If you are using a gas stove, make sure you can’t see the flame. If the flame comes up over the sides of the pot, it’s too high!
If you want, you can brew with the lid open so you can monitor how fast the liquid is coming out and then adjust accordingly. You want a nice, slow, gentle flow, like a lava oozing out of a lazy volcano.
Brief Moka Pot History
The Moka pot was invented in 1933 by an Italian Engineer named Luigi Di Ponti. Named after the city of Mocha in Yemen (think Mocha coffee), it became a primary means of making coffee in Italy before spreading to the rest of Europe and Latin America. The first commercial pots were made by Alfonso Bialetti, to whom Di Ponti sold the original patent.
- The original moka coffee pot: Moka Express is the original stovetop espresso maker, it provides the experience of the real Italian way of preparing a tasteful coffee, its unique shape and the inimitable gentleman with moustache date back to 1933, when Alfonso Bialetti invented it.
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Moka Pot Sizes
Moka pot sizes are not classified by what we Americans think of as a cup of coffee. Instead, they are classed according to how many 50 ml (2 fl oz) espresso cups they produce. In that respect, they come in units that will hold 1 cup, 3 cups, 6 cups, 9 cups, and 12 cups. To relate that to a regular cup of coffee, you’d need a 6-cup Moka Pot to produce a rather large cup. A 3-cup unit will get you there, though, if you can accept 6.5 ounces instead of 8. 6-cups seems to be the most popular size in America.
No, there is no rule that says you have to drink Moka pot coffee out of Espresso cups. And, again, a Moka pot will not produce espresso. Moka pots produce relatively low pressure of 1 to 2 bars (100-200 kPa / 14.5 to 29 PSI) while espresso machines use a pressure of 9 bars (900 kPa / 130 PSI).
Moka Pot Maintenance
Moka pots were traditionally made of aluminum but modern units are available in stainless steel, which is highly recommended. It’s best to clean all the parts in warm water after each use. The leading maker, Bialetti recommends no detergents or abrasives and says only water is needed for cleaning.
You’ll need to check the user manual on your particular product, but do not assume your Moka pot is dishwasher safe. It probably is not. Bialetti’s are not.
Occasionally, you will need to decalcify your Moka pot. To do this, fill the water up to just below the safety valve (as usual) and add two teaspoons of vinegar. Heat the water to distribute the solution throughout the unit, just as if making coffee, but with no coffee, of course. After this is done, wash the unit.
The holes in the filter plates could become obstructed, so you should check them periodically to make sure they are clean. A brush should work to clear them but a fine needle will also work.
Rubber seals (gaskets) can wear out and may need to be replaced. Make sure you buy from a maker that sells spare parts, including and especially gaskets, so that you can enjoy your Moka pot for years. Bialetti recommends replacing the gasket once a year, regardless.
Recommended Moka Pot
As you have probably already guessed, I would recommend the Bialetti Moka Express Pot, made in Italy. it comes in all the basic sizes and is made of stainless steel with a silver finish. Bialetti, again, is the original Moka pot maker.
Disadvantages of a Moka Pot
The main disadvantage of a Moka pot is that you have to pay attention and observe to get a cup of coffee that is not overly bitter. If you are a set-and-forget kind of person, then the Moka Pot is not for you. If you enjoy the ritual of making a cup of coffee, then this product is as ritualistic a way to make coffee as you’re going to find.
Another problem is that it takes some time to learn how to get the most out of your Moka pot. Again, if you are into coffee and really like to get into the nuts and bolts of brewing a perfect cup, you may enjoy this. If you just need your morning cup before you can function as a human being, then there are easier ways to go.
If you prefer to buy coffee already ground, then you will have to consider ordering coffee that is ground for Moka pots (there are many options) or purchasing whole beans and grinding them yourself.
If you drink coffee all day long or need coffee for more than a couple of people, the Moka pot is probably a bad choice. Even the largest units will only produce two cups of coffee, give or take.
Safety is another concern. A Moka pot is a heating vessel that you use on a stove or hot plate. The entire unit will get very hot! Caution must be used to avoid serious burns. It’s easy to get careless with something as ordinary as making coffee.
The other disadvantage is that some parts, namely the gaskets mentioned above, will wear out and need to be replaced.
