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Do you want to know how to make coffee with a Moka pot? Good! Just read this post and you will know all about it.
You can create a cup of coffee that tastes halfway between drip coffee and espresso when you use a Moka pot.
However, Moka pots have a mixed reputation. Some coffee lovers swear by them, others have sworn off them. One of the big problems with the Moka pot is that without proper instruction it is very easy to make extremely bitter coffee (as many of you may know from first-hand experiences).
But, never fear, with this guide you’ll have no problem making yourself rich, creamy lattes from your Moka pot.
History of the Moka pot
The humble Moka pot was invented in 1933 and is Italian in origin. It was invented by Alfonso Bialetti and works by using steam to push water through the coffee grounds and up into the pot above.
The Moka pot is named after the Yemeni city of Mocha.
Bialetti’s company still makes Moka pots today which you can find here. Bialetti’s original design of the pot has been displayed in multiple art museums across the world.
Do you know the difference between a Moka pot and a coffee percolator? No? Well you can find out in our post about coffee percolators.
The Moka pot method of making coffee is incredibly popular in South America and parts of Europe.
The pots come in many different sizes. Smaller ones make one cup at a time, but you can get Moka pots that serve 20!
The Bialetti is is one of our favorite Moka pots.
Bialetti Express Moka Pot
Before Starting
Make sure you have a clean Moka pot. Some people believe that keeping the old coffee stains in the pot builds a deeper flavor. This is wrong. What it actually does is burn over and over again, adding more bitterness to each brew that you make.
When you grind your coffee, start with whole beans for a fresher flavor. (We love these beans!) Do not grind your beans as finely as you would if you were making espresso – you want your grinds to be slightly coarser.
Bones Coffee Company Flavored Coffee Beans
The water you’re adding to the Moka pot should already be hot. Take the water from the kettle rather than heating it up from cold on the hob. Adding hot water prevents burning the coffee and creating excess bitterness.
There is a safety valve (it looks like a screwhead) in the bottom half of your Moka pot. When adding your hot water it should reach the safety value but go no higher. For one serving this is roughly 2 ounces of water.
Use a towel or oven mitts when attempting to attach the two halves of the pot together as the bottom half will be very hot and you could burn yourself.
In this article, we’ve put together a guide to help you make the best Moka pot coffee in your life. We’ve even added a few ideas of other things you can make with your Moka pot coffee.
Making Your Coffee
Now that you have prepared your coffee grounds, and filled the Moka pot with hot water it’s time to make the coffee.
Place the Moka pot on the stove and allow it to heat. The water will begin to boil, creating steam which will push the coffee up into the main part of the pot.
Continue to let it do this until you begin to hear a gurgling sound. Once you hear this sound take it off the heat, and run cold water over the bottom part of the pot. This halts the brewing process, preventing over brewing and bitterness.
Pour out your perfect cup of Moka made coffee.
Making into a Latte
Why not add some hot, frothy milk to your Moka made coffee…
Here are two of our favorite ways to make frothed milk:
Step 1 – Heat Your Milk
There are two ways to do this, either put a cup of milk in the microwave for 30-45 seconds.
Or put a cup of milk in a saucepan and heat for a few minutes until it is steaming. Doing this will give you thicker, more creamy tasting milk.
Step 2 (A) – Using a Milk Frother
Check out our favorite milk frother
Bonsenkitchen Electric Milk Frother
If you have a bamboo whisk made for matcha, this also works well using the same method.
Step 2 (B) – Using a French Press
Check out our favorite french press
Bodum Chambord French Press Coffee
Replace the lid and use the filter to pump the milk until it increases 2-3 in volume.
Step 3 – Mix the Milk
Transfer to the coffee cup, keep knocking the cup as you do this to release any bubbles.
At this point you could even try and create some latte art – see here for some inspiration.
And there you have it, a step by step guide to making delicious coffee in a Moka pot – time to get brewing.
Coffee Art
What Can You Use This Coffee For?
Moka pot coffee can be used to make delicious lattes as shown above, but it can also be used in many other recipes.
Why not try using this coffee to make an iced latte – simply perform the method above, with cold milk, instead of hot, and pour over ice. Then add a few drops of vanilla or hazelnut extract and a dusting of chocolate powder.
Earlier in the year, the internet went crazy over Dalgona coffee. Moka pot coffee is the perfect brew to use as a base for this recipe as it is not quite as strong as an espresso but is more impactful than drip coffee.
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