Brewing Good Coffee with a Moka Pot

It’s not too hard to make good coffee with a Moka Pot. In general, follow these guidelines:

• Grind coffee finer than for a filter or pourover brewer, but coarser than for espresso.
• If you have an electric hob or are using an adapter plate on an induction or gas hob, preheat before brewing, then turn it down to the lowest heat setting while brewing.
• Pour freshly boiled water into the bottom chamber instead of starting with cold water.
• Fill the basket with coffee and use a distributor if you have one.
• As soon as the flow of coffee starts to sputter, run the base under cold water to halt the brew.

The most important aspect of this to keep in mind is stopping the brew at or just before the sputtering phase begins. This is the phase that introduces a lot of harsh bitterness into the coffee, so it’s best to brew with the lid open so you can keep an eye on how the coffee is flowing.

Once the coffee starts flowing, it should come out at a steady pace; neither too quickly nor in small dribbles. It’s important to keep an eye on the flow rate to ensure that it does not increase too much, indicating that the water in the base is heating up too quickly, and that it does not stall, indicating not enough heat is being applied. You can modulate the flow rate by removing the pot from the stove to slow down the flow, or slightly turning up the heat to increase it.

Finer grinds will cause sputtering to happen earlier but, since a finer grind is needed for lighter roasts than darker roasts to achieve adequate extraction, this just means you’ll get a lower yield of coffee when brewing a lighter roast. In general, medium to dark roasts will result in about 2/3 the volume of water coming out as coffee, with lighter roasts being closer to ½. That being said, you may wish to use less water for darker roasts so that the brew finishes quicker which may result in a better tasting cup of coffee.

If, however, the sputtering phase starts earlier than expected, this indicates either that your coffee is too finely ground or that the pot is heating too quickly, adjust these variables as necessary until you achieve a good brew.

It may take some experimentation to find a working and consistent brew method for your combination of Moka Pot size and stove. For example, I’ve found that the four-cup induction Moka Pot works best when kept at a constant number 2 heat setting on an IKEA Tillreda induction hob and using coffee ground just slightly finer than for filter machines.