Using Moka Pots can be a little bit tricky and even harder to perfect. So we thought we’d show you how to use an Italian Moka pot.
Not all of us can afford the equipment necessary to make a proper Italian-style cup of coffee. For the rest of us, enter the old school Italian Moka pot.
The Moka pot, named after the city of Mocha in Yemen, was invented in 1933 by an Italian engineer named Alfonso Bialetti. Its popularity exploded outward from Italy after World War 2, and it has become one of the most popular ways of making coffee worldwide.
Necessary Equipment and Ingredients
- One Moka pot
- Coffee grounds of your preferred brand and grind
- A coffee cup
- A little bit of time
Place coffee grounds in the middle portion and cool water into the bottom section.
Once heated on a stove or hob, the water rises through the grounds and the top chamber. There it blends with ground beans and becomes coffee.
The Best Way to Use Your Moka Pot
- Unscrew the top of the Moka pot, remove the small strainer basket, and fill the bottom half with water. Be careful to not add so much water that it rises above the safety valve, though; they’re very easy to spot.
- Place the strainer back where it was and fill it with your grounds of choice (I recommend a medium grind). Take care to not put so much pressure because they become too compacted, but make sure to even out the top of the grounds.
- Remove any potential obstructions before tightening the upper section back into place. Once you’ve made sure it is appropriately reassembled, go ahead and place it evenly over one of the burners on your stove. If the burner is too large, a heat diffuser may be necessary.
- Once it starts to bubble and froth, turn off the stove, remove the Moka from the burner and let it sit for a couple of minutes. This allows coffee to percolate and settle a bit before pouring.
Tip: There are many ways you can spice this process up. Personalize your recipe by adding cinnamon or some other spice or signature addition towards the end or using particular temperatures or burner settings. With a Moka pot, the caffeinated world is your oyster.
Maintaining Your Moka Pot
Don’t forget to clean and rinse your Moka pots after use. Usually, Moka pots are reasonably low maintenance. Occasionally a rubber seal may need replacing, or a filter may need changing, but by and large, they’re durable.
Remember, most Moka pots are not dishwasher safe. It is important to scrub the old coffee from the sides of the pot and rinsing thoroughly.
