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Here’s how to make Moka Pot coffee that comes out bold and smooth! This stovetop coffee maker brews in 5 minutes and works as an espresso stand-in.
Love a great cup of strong coffee? Here’s how to make a smooth, bold brew: the Moka Pot! This stovetop espresso maker makes a dark, intense cup that’s somewhere between espresso and very strong coffee. Or, you can use medium roast for a regular drip coffee cup.
It’s very easy to use, either for your everyday coffee or to make “espresso” for homemade coffee drinks like lattes, cappuccinos, and more. As a coffee drink expert, here’s my method for how to use a Moka Pot!
What’s a Moka Pot?
The Moka Pot is a stovetop coffee maker used to make espresso-like coffee. It uses boiling water to force steam through the coffee grounds, so the coffee bubbles up into the pot versus percolating down like in brewed coffee.
The Moka Pot was invented in 1933 by an Italian engineer, Alfonso Bialetti. It’s manufactured by the Bialetti company, so some people simply call it a Bialetti coffee pot.
What Moka Pot Coffee Tastes Like
The Moka Pot is the best known stovetop espresso maker, but it doesn’t actually make espresso. It’s a very strong coffee that’s similar to espresso, but it’s not quite the real thing. It doesn’t get the foamy crema on top like a true espresso, and lacks the richness in flavor. It also brews in larger quantities than a typical shot. In fact, Moka Pot coffee is closer to an Americano than espresso.
Why isn’t it espresso? The Moka Pot only gets to 1 to 3 bars of pressure when it forces the water through the coffee grounds, versus 9 bars of pressure like an espresso machine. But the flavor is so close, you can use Moka Pot coffee as a stand-in for espresso in espresso drinks like lattes, iced lattes, and more.
Are you an espresso connoisseur? Your best bet is a countertop machine. Go to How to Make Espresso at Home.
Ingredients and Tools You’ll Need
Ready to learn how to use a Moka Pot? Here are the ingredients and tools you’ll need:
- Dark roast coffee: It’s best to use dark or espresso roast coffee with this method. Of course, it’s a coffee pot so you can also use medium roast if you prefer. In my opinion, the Chemex is a better method for light and medium roast.
- Filtered water: Filtered water has the best flavor (I use this filtered pitcher for my coffee).
- Coffee grinder: You’ll want a fine grind here: espresso grind or just slightly larger. An electric burr grinder is a great tool for the job.
- Food scale: It’s nice to have a digital food scale to weigh out the coffee and water.
- Moka Pot: This 6-cup Bialetti Express Moka Pot is the standard size and makes 2 5-ounce cups of coffee.
How To Make Moka Pot Coffee in a Bialetti
Ready to make Moka Pot coffee? The process is quick and easy: it takes under 10 minutes. Here’s what to do:
- Grind the coffee: Grind the coffee to a fine grind: espresso grind or just slightly larger.
- Add water: Add cold filtered water to the bottom half of the pot until it reaches the valve.
- Add the coffee and assemble: Fill the funnel with coffee grounds level with the top, but don’t tamp the grinds down. Insert the funnel into the bottom portion of the pot. Screw the top onto the base until it is just finger tight.
- Place over medium heat: Place the pot on the stove over medium heat. For a gas stove, make sure the gas flame is smaller than the width of the pot.
- Wait while the coffee brews (about 5 to 7 minutes): The water will boil up through the coffee and fill the top of the pot. You’ll hear coffee start to bubble at around 3 to 5 minutes. About 2 minutes later, you’ll hear it boiling rapidly: then listen as the boiling sound increases in volume and frequency. Turn off or remove the Moka Pot from the burner as soon as the stream of coffee slows down and right before you hear a sputtering gurgle.Â
- Check the coffee: Once you turn off the heat, lift the top of the pot and peak inside. The chamber should be full of coffee. If it is not, return the pot to the heat and continue heating until the coffee is done.
When you’re done making the coffee, wash out the Moka Pot with warm water and dry it thoroughly before reassembling.
Why Does My Moka Pot Coffee Taste Bitter ?
Have you ever gotten bitter coffee out of a Moka Pot? This happens because of over-extraction. Here’s why your coffee might taste bitter:
- The heat was too high. High heat can push the water through too fast and too hot.
- You waited for the gurgle. Turn off or remove the Moka Pot from the burner as soon as the stream off coffee slows down and right before you hear a sputtering gurgle.Â
- You tamped the grounds. Keep the grounds level and loose.
- The grind was too fine. Make sure it’s espresso grind or slightly larger.
Coffee Drinks To Try
What’s the best way to use Moka Pot coffee? You can drink it straight up, or use it for coffee drinks! What’s the ratio to swap for espresso? Use 5 ounces (10 tablespoons) Moka Pot coffee to stand in for a double shot of espresso (2 ounces). Here are a few ways to use it:
- Iced coffee: Use it instead of cold brew in Iced Coffee
- Cafe au lait: Make it for French cafe au lait or Spanish cafe con leche
- Iced latte: Swap out the espresso in an Iced Latte
- Latte or cappuccino: Use it to make a Cafe Latte, Cappuccino or Flat White
- Macchiato: Top it with light foam for a Macchiato
- Mocha: Use it as the basis for a chocolaty Mocha
- Dirty Chai latte: Swap out the espresso in a Dirty Chai Latte
- Cocktails: Use it for a Espresso Martini
- Affogato: It’s great to make the classic simple dessert, an Affogato
How To Clean And Store Your Moka Pot
Make sure to rinse your Moka Pot with warm water every time you use it, and dry all three parts before you put it back together. Don’t use dish soap: it strips off the coffee oils that mellow the flavor of the brew. Never place it in a dishwasher!
For long-term maintenance, you can scrub the rubber gasket and metal filter plate about twice a year. Try to replace the gasket every few years for best results.
Frequently Asked Questions
Unfortunately classic aluminum models are not, because aluminum isn’t magnetic. There are stainless steel Moka Pots and models like the Bialetti Venus that work on induction stoves. Some brands also sell an induction adapter disc.
Yes. Any bean works. Just use a grind of fine-to-medium, about the texture of table salt.
It takes about 5 minutes if you start with boiling water, plus a minute or two to boil the kettle and grind the coffee.
Moka Pot Coffee
Here’s how to make Moka Pot coffee that comes out bold and smooth! This stovetop coffee maker brews in 5 minutes and works as an espresso stand-in.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: 1 ¼ cups (10 ounces) 1x
- Category: Coffee
- Method: Brewed
- Cuisine: Coffee
- Diet: Vegan
Ingredients
- 20 grams (¼ cup) dark roast coffee
- 330 grams (1 ⅜ cups) filtered water*
- 6-cup Moka Pot
Instructions
- Grind the coffee: Grind the coffee to a fine grind: espresso grind or just slightly larger. (Use a burr grinder or pre-ground coffee.)
- Add water: Add cold filtered water to the bottom half of the Moka Pot until it reaches the valve.
- Add the coffee and assemble: Fill the funnel with coffee grounds level with the top, but do not tamp the grinds down. Insert the funnel into the bottom portion of the pot. Screw the top onto the Moka Pot until it is just finger tight (don’t over tighten).
- Place over medium heat: Place the pot on the stove over medium heat. For a gas stove, make sure the gas flame is smaller than the width of the pot.
- Wait while the coffee brews (about 5 to 7 minutes): The water will boil through the coffee and fill the top of the Moka Pot. You’ll hear coffee start to bubble at around 3 to 5 minutes. About 2 minutes later, you’ll hear it boiling rapidly: then listen as the boiling sound increases in volume and frequency. Turn off or remove the Moka Pot from the burner as soon as the stream of coffee slows down and right before you hear a sputtering gurgle.Â
- Check the coffee: Once you turn off the heat, lift the top of the Moka Pot and peak inside. The chamber should be full of coffee (if not, return to the heat and continue heating until the coffee is done). When you’re done making the coffee, wash out the Moka Pot with warm water and dry it thoroughly before reassembling.
Notes
*Coffee is best with filtered water: use a filter pitcher like this one.Â
A moka pot is an Italian invention and the way a traditional Americano is made by the Italians. American soldiers during WWII found the normal Italian coffee to be too strong. Italians would combine half brewed coffee and half hot water to make an Americano.
Let us know if you have any questions!