When I left for Europe nearly a year ago, I knew that my daily coffee fix(es) would be a bit tougher to come by as American drip-style coffee is less prevalent than espresso. Which is fine; I love espresso, but I love being able to savor my mug of morning coffee even more. So, whenever I wanted something like that, I would usually have to settle for an Americano (espresso and water).
It wasn’t until Erika and I got to Vienna that we were able to truly savor a great cup of coffee again (save for this great Starbucks that we had in Elgin, Scotland). What set the coffee there apart from everywhere else was the preparation: Moka pot.
In America, the Moka pot style of coffee or “Cowboy Coffee” often gets a bad rap. It is usually reserved for camping trips and often known for producing either very watery or scorched bitter coffee. In Europe however, it is one of the most common ways to prepare coffee at home and as such, has become my preferred method as well.
This simply designed, three-chamber, stovetop coffee maker is the work of Italian metalworker Alfonso Bialetti who named the device after the Yemen port city: Mocha. Its effective and minimal design works by allowing water in the bottom chamber to boil and allowing the build-up of pressurized steam to travel upwards, passing through coffee grounds in the second chamber before it reaches the final chamber on top, where it condenses back into a liquid and waits to be poured.
For those of us who prefer to make Chemex, Aeropress, or pour over styles of coffee at home; there is something incredibly soothing and satisfying that comes with the ritual and practice of making a great cup of coffee with these methods that drip/automatic coffee makers just do not offer.
BREWING A GREAT MOKA POT
WATER
As with anything worth drinking; it all starts with the water. As with other methods of preparing coffee, you want to use good quality filtered water. Where the Moka pot strays however are with temperature. While most methods stress the importance of using cold water; the Moka pot works best in my findings using room temperature water. This is because of the length of time it takes for the extraction process to work and helps prevent overly bitter flavors.
It should also be noted that many of us take the term “cold water” a little too literal. Your water does not need to be refrigerator cold. What is being implied is that since many of us use simple tap water, to let the water run cold before using.
The idea, in theory, is that you are 1) allowing your line to be cleared out of any build-up and 2) hot water is more likely to pick up heavier elements from both your water heater and the tap line.
When filling the water chamber, you want to fill it just below its pressure release valve.
IT’S ALL IN THE GRIND
We have been using a Bodum burr grinder at home for probably the past 6 or 7 years now with great success. It has easy to use features and allows you various grind sizes from espresso to drip to French press and lets you gradually increase your grind between each setting.
While coffee made with a Moka pot is referred to as stovetop espresso; it isn’t. I like to use the third notch between espresso and drip. The grinds are just coarse enough where it doesn’t allow much in the way of sediment to build up in the final product.
Once you have ground your coffee, gently fill the basket until it is level and DO NOT tamp the grounds. There is not enough pressure being produced to force the steam through the grounds.
Moka pots use a pretty low level of pressure, usually 1-2 bars. Espresso machines produce much more pressure (9 bar) for a much quicker extraction and help produce their signature crema.
BREWING
After you have your grounds basket set, simply screw the top piece on and you are ready to go. I set mine on top of the stove and turn the burner to a medium/medium-low setting. You don’t want anything too high because you’ll just end up with a hot cup of misery. Your coffee will scorch in the basket before it brews and your efforts will be for naught.
Most coffee enthusiasts insist on letting the water heat up on the stove first and then adding your coffee basket and then screwing on the top. I, however, enjoy not burning my hands and handling dish towels around open flames. Call me old-fashioned.
What I like most about using a medium/medium-low setting is that brew time is almost always 7-10 minutes. This has become a great opportunity for me to establish a mindful meditation routine.
I like to start by sitting in a comfortable chair by the window or on the ground and close my eyes. I take in a few deep breaths to get settled in and then focus on my breathing from there. This has been immeasurably useful in helping me prepare mentally for the usual chaotic day ahead.
The sound of the Moka pot, making its trademark gurgling sound as it reaches the end of its brew cycle; acts as a gentle alarm allowing me to “come to” in a more peaceful way than setting an actual alarm.
Once your pot begins to gurgle, take it off the burner and run cold water over the water chamber. This stops the brewing process and helps prevent your coffee from becoming burnt.
Then pour into your favorite mug and you are ready to enjoy.
