You just can't get your Moka pot coffee right? You're probably using low-quality coffee or simply coffee that wasn't made for a Moka pot. Or your Moka pot might be a low quality model. Let's look into what coffee you should use for your Moka pot brew and whether regular coffee does the trick.
Even if you're using high quality coffee your brew might be bad. In that case you might want to consider buying a new high quality Moka pot. Get yours now.
What Is Regular Coffee?
Depending on the coffee you're used to brewing, by regular coffee you can understand many things. If you usually brew yourself a cup of espresso, you'll understand a fine grind that's medium roasted. It could also be either sold as beans or grounds. For this article, though, by regular coffee we'll mean a medium roast, medium grind and bought in a grocery store.
Can You Use Regular Coffee in a Moka Pot?
If we go by the definition above, then no, you shouldn't use regular coffee to brew a round in a Moka pot. If you want delicious coffee out of your Moka pot you should either look for coffee that was especially made for it or make sure it covers all the requirements. Let's look into the different aspects of what would give you the perfect coffee for a Moka pot brew.
Is Ground Coffee Good for Moka and What Is the Perfect Coffee Grind for Moka?
Ground coffee is usually fine for a round of Moka pot coffee. The biggest problem you might face if you buy your coffee pre ground is that more time will have passed from the moment it was ground to when you brew your coffee. As the time passes the coffee gets stale and this lead you to brewing a cup bland and weak coffee. This is why coffee enthusiasts invest in a grinder to make sure they have a freshly ground batch of coffee each time they feel like having a brew.
When it comes to the perfect grind, a Moka pot brews coffee by forcing hot water through the grounds. This is done by the pressure the steam generates. For this reason the contact time between water and coffee is rather short and you need a fine to medium grind. Unlike espresso, where the pressure is significantly higher, a fine ground won't give you good brew.
What Is the Perfect Coffee Roast for a Moka Pot?
There is no single best roast of coffee that will give you the best brew. This depend entirely on your preferences as the different roasts can give you a bitter or a sweet coffee. Additionally a roast can drastically affect the level of caffeine in your brew so you will need to find out which is best for you.
A lightly roasted coffee is the one with the highest caffeine level. When coffee is roasted the process goes a whole lot like the way you make popcorn. As the beans heat up at some point they pop. The light roast coffee is only roasted to the first pop. This means that this blend of coffee will be less burnt, preserving more of the natural fruity and nutty flavor of the beans. Moreover as the coffee is less roasted, it has a higher caffeine level.
To sum up, if you're brewing a round of light roast coffee in a Moka pot you can expect a more pleasing (for most, anyway) flavor and more caffeine. We would recommend going for a light roast if you've already tried the different types of coffee roast as this might be too strong for you.
If you leave the beans a little longer on the roaster you'll have yourself a medium roast. This coffee is characterized with a slightly darker color and a tad of bitterness in the flavor. It is the most widely spread type of coffee blend. It has a slightly lower caffeine level than the light roast but you will still get a strong cup of coffee if you're brewing it in a Moka pot. In fact, a single cup will probably be enough to give you enough energy for the day.
Last comes the dark roast. It's done by leaving the beans stay in the roaster to the point of burning. In fact you get the perfect dark roast by taking the coffee out of the roaster just before it burns. This will give you a more intense flavor than the two other types of coffee roast. The coffee will have lost most of its fruity flavor and some part of its caffeine. A Moka pot can still give you a strong cup of coffee though.
Is Supermarket Coffee Good for a Moka Pot Brew?
Whether or not the coffee you buy in the supermarket is good for a Moka pot brew depends on a few factors. Nevertheless, in most supermarkets you can find some variety in the coffee section. You might even stumble upon a pack of coffee roasted and ground especially for a Moka pot.
Even if there's no Moka pot coffee pack in your local grocery store, you might still be able to make yourself a cup of taste Moka pot joe. Just make sure the coffee you're buying is fine to medium ground and a medium roast. If you have already tried light or dark roast and like them more, you can also go for them.
Something that you have no way of knowing, though, is when the coffee was grounded and if the beans they used were of high quality. Usually the higher price will give away the quality of the coffee but there are some more expensive blends that are still not that good. This is why, we recommend that you only buy coffee from the supermarket if you're on a budget or willing to experiment.
How Do You Make Coffee in a Moka Pot?
Brewing coffee in a Moka pot is pretty straightforward. You only need a burner, some water coffee and of course the Moka pot itself. Let's get on with it.
- Throw a damp towel in the freezer. You will need it later to make sure your coffee doesn't come out bitter.
- Put coffee into the filter of the Moka pot. Make sure it's the right grind size, the right amount and that you don't tamp it. Then put the Moka pot aside.
- Heat up some water. This way you can be sure that your coffee is not going to burn in the Moka pot.
- Pour the water in the Moka pot and put it on the stove.
- Put the Moka pot together and turn the stove on. Now you're ready to start brewing your Moka pot coffee.
- Wait till you hear a gurgling sound coming out of the pot. This is how you'll know your coffee is finished brewing. It's important that you take the Moka pot away from the stove, not to overextract the coffee.
- Cover the pot with the towel from the freezer. This is how you'll cool down the Moka pot quickly and stop the extraction of coffee.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a Moka Pot Make Espresso?
No, the coffee you make in a Moka pot is not espresso and you can't make espresso in a Moka pot.
Is Espresso Stronger than Moka Coffee?
Yes, espresso is stronger than the coffee from a Moka pot. This is because the pressure an espresso machine generates is around 5 times higher which achieves a better extraction.
What Is Moka Pot Channeling?
Channeling is when the coffee in the filter is too tightly compressed. When the water goes up it pushes the more loose coffee grinds out of its way forming small channels. In them the coffee is over extracted and burnt.
Conclusion
Moka pots are very to use and can give you delicious coffee even if you've bought a blend from the supermarket. To get the best coffee out your Moka pot you'll need to go to a coffee shop where you can know for sure when it was roasted and ground.
That's not all you need for a delicious Moka pot coffee though. You'll need to buy yourself a high-quality Moka pot to know you're getting the best taste out of your grounds. Head over to our catalog and get yours now.