The Moka Pot or a stove top espresso maker is perhaps one of the best things to have happened to coffee. The original design was created by an Italian engineer Alfonso Bialetti in 1933 and is still manufactured by Bialetti Industries under the brand name ‘Moka Express’. Now-a-days, you will find more Chinese clones around, but I think the clones are more efficient than the original.
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If you love coffee, and like to brew it yourself, a stove top espresso maker is the one thing you must possess. The beauty of this product is that it gives you perfect espresso every time. You just can’t go wrong.
How It Works
- There is a water chamber at the bottom that has to be filled up to just below the valve. If you see the featured image above, you will notice the steel valve in the top right corner of the water chamber.
- So you fill it with water and then keep the coffee basket on top of it. Put roast & ground coffee in the basket. Then attach the top fitting.
- The pot then goes on a flame for a few minutes.
- Before long, you see that fresh espresso has filled the top container. Actually, the water in the bottom chamber boils, creates pressurized steam that passes through the coffee basket. That brings ready to drink espresso to the top chamber.
- When the pot starts making a spluttering sound, it is taken off the heat.
Which Size To Buy
In my humble opinion, the original design of the Moka Pot is not a very efficient one, mainly because the size of its coffee basket is too big. From experience, I have learned that in order to get perfect coffee from the Moka Pot, you have to fill the coffee basket to the top. And if the size of the coffee basket is too big, you may end up using more coffee powder than you need to.
That is why the new Chinese designed stove top espresso makers are better. Those have smaller coffee baskets.
The Chinese stove top espresso makers also come in different pot sizes, like for 2 cups or 4 cups, etc. Buy according to your need. But even if you have a size bigger than you need, you may brew coffee, transfer to a container and store it in the fridge for the next round. I have a smaller size and still I am able to use one brew for 3 to 4 cups of coffee.
Always Fill The Coffee Basket
This is worth saying for a second time. Always fill the coffee basket to the top. This gives you a clear coffee liquid without any coffee grinds in it. The brew you get will be too strong, but it works well if you drink coffee with milk.
If you have too much of the decoction, you can always transfer it to a small container and store it in the fridge for a few hours.
Enjoy your coffee.
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