The moka pot is how coffee is prepared in many Italian homes,
they use "la moka" which is a 3 piece metal
contraption. The bottom part holds the water, the middle part is
a funnel shaped filter holding the ground coffee, and the top
part receives the coffee. The top part screws tightly (air tight
actually) onto the bottom part holding the filter in between.
When properly filled and assembled, the moka is put on the
stove, the water boils, pressure increases in the bottom part,
pushing the water through the coffee into the top reservoir. As
the last of the water makes its way with vapor in the top part,
it makes a rumbling noise which warns you that coffee is ready.
A moka pot makes very good strong coffee.
To brew coffee using a moka pot you will follow the following
steps:
1 . Place water in the bottom section of the pot to the level of
the valve.
2. Fill the filter basket with ground coffee. Do not tamp it. As
the water reaches the grounds they will expand effectively
tamping your coffee for you.
3. Put the unit together and place on a medium heat. Brewing
should take approximately 5 minutes. If it takes longer use a
slightly higher heat.
A warning is in order. Many of the moka pots that are available
in the United States are if cheap aluminum construction.
Aluminum will leave a very distinct bad flavor in your coffee as
the coffee reacts with the aluminum. Spend the extra money and
get a good food grade stainless steel pot if you are going to
use a moka pot.
Even though moka pots are often called stove top espresso
machines the coffee they produce is not what is typically
thought of as espresso. The entire process is different.
Comments
moka v. percolator
We use a moka pot on the stove to make our coffee and typically use Italian roast beans...or as dark as possible. I'm trying to keep my caffeine intake below 300mg, and I'm wondering how the brewing process (and extraction of caffeine) of my moka pot compares to an espresso machine, or percolator.
RE: moka v. percolator
Let me state for the record I am not 100% sure on this but I
believe that moka should be similar to a strong cup of coffee. Not
the same as the thin swill you will get a the diner but similar to a
good strong cup of coffee. To stay under 300 mg I'd
stick to one mug a day.
Don't forget that other foods and drinks have caffeine so
coffee is not your only intake. So you might even want to step back
to a single cup instead of a mug.
This all assumes you are making a proper cut of coffee. If
you are using a two tablespoons of coffee for a whole pot (the
approximate amount used in my office) then the dishwater you get will
have less caffeine (and flavor).
sounds reasonable
You're right...it's like really strong coffee...I fill up the little basket with coffee grounds, and put the requisite amount of water in the bottom, so, no, it isn't like dishwater swill generally found in some places....my husband is Swiss and he'd die before drinking weak coffee. I generally don't drink a mug-full...it's like 2-3 oz of coffee, and then lots of milk...a latte, if you will. If I want to drink some in the afternoon, I'll take a smaller amount of it in the AM and save most of it for the afternoon. I suppose if I wanted to drink more of it, I could mix half caffeine grounds with half decaf, but husband might complain.