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Moka potmoniek van rosse / Unsplash
Moka pot
Steam pressure pushes water up through the coffee on your stove.
Where it comes from
Alfonso Bialetti began selling the aluminum Moka Express in 1933. Some sources credit the design to engineer Luigi De Ponti.
It brews at about 1–2 bar of pressure, far below espresso's 9, so it's strong but technically not espresso.
How to make it at home
- Fill the base with hot water to just under the valve.
- Fill the basket with coffee and level it. Don't press it down.
- Screw the pot together, holding the hot base with a towel.
- Heat on medium-low with the lid open.
- Take it off the heat as soon as it starts to gurgle.
Coffees to try with it
Medium to darker roasts are the usual recommendation.
More ways to brew
Turkish coffeeTürkiye: Coffee and water boiled together in a tiny pot, served with its foam and grounds settled in the cup.Vietnamese phinVietnam: A slow, strong drip over sweetened condensed milk and ice: cà phê sữa đá.Café de ollaMexico: Coffee steeped with cinnamon and piloncillo in a clay pot.Ethiopian coffee ceremonyEthiopia: Green beans roasted, ground and boiled in a clay jebena, shared over three rounds.