Adventures in Coffee - the Moka Pot
Aug. 23rd, 2007 10:51 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
rhienellethHaven't done one of these in awhile, so I figured it was time. :) Moka Pots - a simple, cheap alternative to that fancy espresso machine or inadequate drip machine.
I took my Moka Pot camping, along with REI's hand cranked burr grinder, the Traveler II, and a milk frother - actually, that link takes you to Bialetti's stovetop frother/moka pot set. It was, hands down, the best coffee I've ever had camping. I took the same set up last year, and remember being just as impressed. (My friend Bryan, who frequents Bux daily, declared it the best latte he'd ever had. Only, I told him, because you've never been to my house and had me make you one on my machine.
But he had a good point - the moka pot/hand burr grinder/stovetop steamer combo is an extremely cost effective way to make better espresso at home that what you can usually buy out and about. About $65, total, and you've got your set up. And the moka pot makes good coffee, period. But it's rather like Turkish coffee in cup sizes. A "six cup" Bialetti (which comes in cheaper aluminum models and more expensive stainless steel) is actually 12 ounces of coffee, or about one "cup" of drip coffee.
The moka pot also makes a richer, deeper brew than standard drip coffee (hence the comparison to espresso, and use of said brew in lattes). This is because of the way the moka pot works. Standard drip brewers don't brew coffee at the proper temperature - more than 200 degree F. They fall short of this, and thus the brew extracted has less flavor, is weaker, requires more grounds for a stronger cup, etc. It also has a LOT more caffeine than people realize. One standard cup of drip coffee can have anywhere from 2-400ml of caffeine in it. A single shot of espresso has 40ml, pretty much every time. The same should be true for an ounce of coffee brewed in a moka pot, because the temperature the coffee is being brewed at hits that above 200 degrees F (or about 100 degrees C) mark, so the extraction of coffee is much more similar to espresso than drip. The grind of the coffee must also be finer than standard drip, and the hand crank burr grinder by REI that I used camping does an excellent job, and can be adjusted finer or coarser w/the simple application of a screwdriver. (The $15 whirly-blade grinder most folks use does not truly qualify as a grinder, sadly. It chops the poor beans into uneven an haphazard chunks that range from a fine dust to coarsely uneven pieces - this does nothing to improve the taste of your coffee, believe me!) About five minutes of hand cranking and you've got your morning coffee. (I made others help w/this camping, since I was making the actual coffee - heh!)
Zassenhaus also makes a good hand powered burr grinder, and they've got a lovely antique look for your countertop, but they're about $65 themselves. And if you really want something that will grind your beans properly without having to crank it yourself, you can get a more expensive counter top burr grinder - and no, that $50 Krups or Cuisinart won't do. Plastic parts. Cheap construction. You'll be replacing it within a year. So you might as well spend a little more and get the real deal - any of the grinders on that page will do, though I recommend the $149 refurbished Baratza Virtuoso for best grinder for your buck. But enough about how to grind the beans. On to what this post is about.
So, what is a moka pot? How does it work? Well, the Moka Pot makes coffee based on steam. It was invented by an Italian (go figure) named Bialetti in 1933.
First, pour filtered water (always use filtered water when making coffee!) in the boiler (marked A above) to the fill line. Do not go over the fill line, or your filter won't fit. Then place the funnel-shaped metal filter (B) inside the boiler. Freshly ground coffee can be added to the filter either before or after you've placed it in the boiler, level with the top of the filter. Then screw the top half of the moka pot (which has a second, flat metal filter at the bottom) onto the base. By heating the pot on your stove, the water is brought close to the boiling point, creating steam in the boiler. The steam eventually reaches a high enough pressure to gradually force the surrounding water up the funnel through the ground coffee, and into the upper chamber (C), where the coffee is collected. A rubber gasket ensures a tightly closed unit and allows for pressure to safely build up in the lower section, and a safety valve provides a necessary release if this pressure gets too high.
Handy pics of the process:
From here, you can either enjoy a nice cup of dark, rich coffee however you like it, or you can steam/froth some milk and make yourself a cappa or a latte.
A note about moka pots - do not clean them with harsh detergents or in the dishwasher. In fact, moka pots are best when "seasoned". I would run two or three "pots" before you even drink from it for the first time, to aid this. The coffee they produce truly does taste better as the moka pot seasons with use. Just rinse and wash with warm water between uses.
For about $20, you can't beat the coffee these produce, and they're easy and have have the added bonus of allowing you to impress all your friends with your coffee brilliance!
I took my Moka Pot camping, along with REI's hand cranked burr grinder, the Traveler II, and a milk frother - actually, that link takes you to Bialetti's stovetop frother/moka pot set. It was, hands down, the best coffee I've ever had camping. I took the same set up last year, and remember being just as impressed. (My friend Bryan, who frequents Bux daily, declared it the best latte he'd ever had. Only, I told him, because you've never been to my house and had me make you one on my machine.
But he had a good point - the moka pot/hand burr grinder/stovetop steamer combo is an extremely cost effective way to make better espresso at home that what you can usually buy out and about. About $65, total, and you've got your set up. And the moka pot makes good coffee, period. But it's rather like Turkish coffee in cup sizes. A "six cup" Bialetti (which comes in cheaper aluminum models and more expensive stainless steel) is actually 12 ounces of coffee, or about one "cup" of drip coffee.
The moka pot also makes a richer, deeper brew than standard drip coffee (hence the comparison to espresso, and use of said brew in lattes). This is because of the way the moka pot works. Standard drip brewers don't brew coffee at the proper temperature - more than 200 degree F. They fall short of this, and thus the brew extracted has less flavor, is weaker, requires more grounds for a stronger cup, etc. It also has a LOT more caffeine than people realize. One standard cup of drip coffee can have anywhere from 2-400ml of caffeine in it. A single shot of espresso has 40ml, pretty much every time. The same should be true for an ounce of coffee brewed in a moka pot, because the temperature the coffee is being brewed at hits that above 200 degrees F (or about 100 degrees C) mark, so the extraction of coffee is much more similar to espresso than drip. The grind of the coffee must also be finer than standard drip, and the hand crank burr grinder by REI that I used camping does an excellent job, and can be adjusted finer or coarser w/the simple application of a screwdriver. (The $15 whirly-blade grinder most folks use does not truly qualify as a grinder, sadly. It chops the poor beans into uneven an haphazard chunks that range from a fine dust to coarsely uneven pieces - this does nothing to improve the taste of your coffee, believe me!) About five minutes of hand cranking and you've got your morning coffee. (I made others help w/this camping, since I was making the actual coffee - heh!)
Zassenhaus also makes a good hand powered burr grinder, and they've got a lovely antique look for your countertop, but they're about $65 themselves. And if you really want something that will grind your beans properly without having to crank it yourself, you can get a more expensive counter top burr grinder - and no, that $50 Krups or Cuisinart won't do. Plastic parts. Cheap construction. You'll be replacing it within a year. So you might as well spend a little more and get the real deal - any of the grinders on that page will do, though I recommend the $149 refurbished Baratza Virtuoso for best grinder for your buck. But enough about how to grind the beans. On to what this post is about.
So, what is a moka pot? How does it work? Well, the Moka Pot makes coffee based on steam. It was invented by an Italian (go figure) named Bialetti in 1933.
First, pour filtered water (always use filtered water when making coffee!) in the boiler (marked A above) to the fill line. Do not go over the fill line, or your filter won't fit. Then place the funnel-shaped metal filter (B) inside the boiler. Freshly ground coffee can be added to the filter either before or after you've placed it in the boiler, level with the top of the filter. Then screw the top half of the moka pot (which has a second, flat metal filter at the bottom) onto the base. By heating the pot on your stove, the water is brought close to the boiling point, creating steam in the boiler. The steam eventually reaches a high enough pressure to gradually force the surrounding water up the funnel through the ground coffee, and into the upper chamber (C), where the coffee is collected. A rubber gasket ensures a tightly closed unit and allows for pressure to safely build up in the lower section, and a safety valve provides a necessary release if this pressure gets too high.
Handy pics of the process:
From here, you can either enjoy a nice cup of dark, rich coffee however you like it, or you can steam/froth some milk and make yourself a cappa or a latte.
A note about moka pots - do not clean them with harsh detergents or in the dishwasher. In fact, moka pots are best when "seasoned". I would run two or three "pots" before you even drink from it for the first time, to aid this. The coffee they produce truly does taste better as the moka pot seasons with use. Just rinse and wash with warm water between uses.
For about $20, you can't beat the coffee these produce, and they're easy and have have the added bonus of allowing you to impress all your friends with your coffee brilliance!
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no subject
Date: 2007-08-23 08:52 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-08-23 10:19 pm (UTC)Also, I am 33, so, same generation.
I am pretty in love with my moka pot. It's the easiest way to make espresso for groups of people, unless you're rich and can afford a $1,000+ espresso machine for your home (which, sadly, I'm not.) I still use my $200 machine, though, when making a latte for just me. :)
no subject
Date: 2007-08-23 10:29 pm (UTC)We thirtysomethings can remember life before good coffee, among other things. I'm not crazy about all the changes in the past 30-odd years, but I heartily approve of the vast improvement in coffee. :D
no subject
Date: 2007-08-23 10:37 pm (UTC)Mom is still amazed at my newfound coffee knowledge, and adores the burr grinder I got her for Christmas two years ago to replace her whirly-blade one. And now I love coffee so much, it's sheer torture when I travel somewhere that lacks any access to a decent cup.
no subject
Date: 2007-08-23 10:09 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-08-23 10:22 pm (UTC)If I'd known about moka pots before I invested in my espresso machine, I might not have the Saeco, but hey, I'm not complaining too much. :) As it happens, I love the coffee produced by either low tech or high.