Brew Guide: Moka Pot (Stovetop Espresso)

If there is one method of making coffee that makes me want to pull my hair out, it's the Moka Pot (stovetop espresso).

Burnt coffee. Bitter coffee. One batch I made tasted so metallic I might as well have been licking a coin. I tried a lot of recipes on the internet and somehow made it worse each time, which takes a special kind of skill. What was I doing wrong? I had no idea.

So when my friend Heidi (who's in the process of becoming a sommelier and has an impeccable palate) mentioned she had been brewing Mood coffee on her Moka Pot, I knew her recipe had to be good.

I first met Heidi when she hired me to work on her team back in my finance days. I had been grinding it out in public accounting for years and looking for something a little more fun and a little less stressful in my life. And I think luck was on my side because I ended up working for the best manager ever. From the very beginning Heidi was warm, and, despite our manager-direct report relationship, we quickly formed a bond over a mutually shared sense of humour.

I also attribute my introduction into the world of specialty coffee to her as well. Every Thursday we'd venture into the Toronto underground (aka the PATH) in search of good coffee. And we always found the best places thanks to her. Soon enough I was drinking less Starbucks and more indie coffee and there was no turning back after that.

Fast forward 8 years and turning to Heidi again when I was beyond stumped with the Moka Pot was a no-brainer. I've been trying recipes, tweaking recipes, watching a lot of YouTube from James Hoffman to traditional Nonnas showing me how to make a great coffee with a Moka Pot. And I have to say, I haven’t really taken to them. And then Heidi sent me her recipe and everything changed.

When I first tried her recipe I knew immediately what I had been doing wrong. Filling the basket up too much because I thought I had to pack the coffee down like an espresso puck. Leaving the Moka Pot on the stove for too long which resulted in a burnt flavour. And getting impatient and turning the heat up too high, ruining the delicate nuances of speciality coffee. I had forgotten that the Moka Pot, just like any other method of making coffee, required an open mind and some flexibility.

Heidi was kind enough to share her recipe with me so I could share it with all of you! Her and her husband even put together a short step-by-step video to follow along, which I've posted on Instagram here and Facebook here (I honestly have the best friends!).

I love this recipe because it's super versatile and you can change it up based on what you prefer. Add a bit more coffee if you want it stronger, take some away if you want it less strong. Make sure you use a fine grind for this, close to a powdery espresso grind.

And as always, if you try this recipe out, let me know what you think of it!

Enjoy!

How to Brew a Moka Pot/Stovetop Espresso by Heidi

What you need:

• Moka pot (stovetop espresso, Bialetti, etc. It goes by so many names!)
• Fine ground coffee, close to a powdery espresso grind. This is vital for a properly brewed Moka Pot.
• Filtered water at room temperature

Steps

1. Fill the base with room temperature, filtered water up to the line, just under the little pressure valve inside.
2. Drop the funnel basket in and fill it with your finely ground coffee. Level it off gently. You don’t have to fill it up all the way. This might take some trial and error to determine how much coffee to water ratio you prefer. The key here is to measure using a scale or tablespoons and log how much coffee you brew with so you can replicate it again and again once you find a ratio you love.
3. Screw the top chamber on firmly.
4. Set it on the stove over medium-low heat. High heat rushes everything and scorches the coffee before it's had a chance to brew properly.
5. Leave the lid open and watch it brew. This is the coolest part. You'll watch the coffee climb the spout, dark and syrupy at first.
6. Listen for the change. When the stream turns lighter, almost blonde, and you hear a sputter and gurgle, close the lid and pull it off the heat immediately. That sound is the pot telling you it's done.
7. Pour, and enjoy!

As you might have gathered from all of the recipes I’ve already tried out myself, there are so many ways to brew the Moka Pot. A few ways you can experiment with the recipe to find your perfect brew are:

• Use boiling, filtered water in Step 1 and pour into the base of the pot when beginning to brew.
• Play around with grind size. The Moka Pot will always be partial to a fine grind. But feel free to play around with the grind a bit, trying it slightly coarser, or slightly finer to see what you prefer.
• Adjust the amount of coffee you use to find the perfect coffee-to-water ratio.
• Alter the stove temperature, again only slightly in either direction. You want to ensure you're always keeping it on a low enough heat but altering the temperature one notch in either direction might be a fun experiment.

I hope this elusive way of making coffee becomes clearer with this brew guide!