Do Moka Pots Make Great Coffee?

YES!

I'm a big fan of Moka Pots and if you've never tried one, hop on Amazon and grab a 3-cup for $15 and give it a try.  Bialetti is the standard, a bit more expensive, and may be worth it; however, I would recommend any of the aluminum 3-cup options with good reviews on Amazon.  A six cup is also a good size to have, but I would start with a 3-cup and then move to the 6.

James Hoffman (YouTube video link at the bottom) does a really good job of giving you a repeatable technique.  My technique is very similar, but I like to proceed very slowly once the coffee starts to seep into the top container.  I can do this by removing and replacing the Moka pot on the burner to control the speed and heat.  I start with about half gas and drop it to low as soon as it starts to seep.  I also remove it from the burner at this point to slow it way down then replace it when I get a very slow seep with the gas on low.

I usually make an Americana type drink with Moka pot coffee.  In a 3-cup Moka Pot I will put in about 140g of water and 18-20g of coffee ground pretty fine.  This will net me about 90g of coffee nectar that I then mix with hot and room temp water to get the flavor and temp I want.  I will usually end up with about a 200g cup of coffee that is full of flavor and body. I tend to gravitate to lighter roasts like Mid-South or Ethiopians because this technique really brings out the fruity flavors in coffee.

If you love coffee with a lot of body and flavor...this is a great option.  Coffee from a Moka Pot is like nothing else out there and is extremely popular in Europe for good reason.  You will have a learning curve for sure, but it's worth it!

If you're a fan of Moka pots, let us know you're technique!

Cheers,

Tod

Take a look at James Hoffman's video on how to use a Moka Pot.  Hoffman is the Guru!