How To – Moka Pot Coffee

The Moka Pot is actually a pretty old method of brewing coffee, invented in the 1930s.

And we could say it’s certainly stood the test of time.

For me personally, there was about a year where Moka Pot was my daily driver coffee maker, and I loved it.

One thing to mention about it right from the start of this article is that it makes a bold brew.

It’s not espresso, even though many people call it a stovetop espresso maker, but it’s really strong coffee you get from it and the taste can be kind of close.

We’re going to look at how to make Moka Pot coffee… the best way!

In this article I’m going to give you a step-by-step tutorial for how to make coffee with the stovetop coffee master.

If you don’t yet have one, they’re wonderfully inexpensive.

And not only that, you don’t have to buy filters for them! It’s certainly one of the most inexpensive coffee makers because of that.

All the parts are included and you don’t have to buy anything extra, except the coffee of course.

If you’re a looking for a great one for purchase, here’s an amazing deal on an amazing Moka Pot!

*I receive commissions from purchases made through product links in this post. I sincerely appreciate if you use my links if you decide to buy something and help me in this way! And if not, no problem. To learn more click here. Coffee cheers!*

With all that being said, here’s the best way to make coffee with a Moka Pot, step-by-step!

Step 1 – Preheat The Water, Grind The Beans

If you know anything about a Moka Pot coffee maker… yes it’s funny that I’d say to preheat the water when the brewing process itself heats the water.

The reason to preheat the water before brewing is so that the temperature of the Moka Pot doesn’t get too hot and cook the coffee, which gives a bad taste.

Simply bring your water to a boil and then wait until it’s cooled down below a boil, to 205 degrees F or below.

When grinding the beans for this brewing method, you want them to be fine; on a scale from 1 to 10 with 10 being the most coarse, grind them at about 1 to 2.

A great coffee to water ratio is 1:12… that’s 1 gram of coffee to every 12 grams of water.

If you’re eyeing it, you’re generally going to want to just fill the brew basket to the top approximately with coffee grinds.

Step 2 – Add Water And Set Filter Basket

Pour the water into the bottom of the Moka Pot.

This should be either as much water as you’ve measured, or if you’re eyeing it (and you want a full pot) then fill the water just up to the safety valve.

But don’t fill the water above the safety valve as this can cause buildup in the valve and block it, causing it to be in fact quite unsafe, and you risk a mess on your stove/countertop or an injury.

Please be careful when touching the bottom piece of Moka Pot after pouring in the hot water, because the hot water heats the metal and can be very hot to the touch.

After pouring the water in, fill your filter basket with the coffee grinds.

Set in either as much as you’ve measured, or if you want to make a full pot of coffee, just fill the basket approximately to the top.

It won’t cause problems if you fill the filter basket full because there is some space between that and the top of the Moka Pot.

But on the other hand, don’t give it a mountain of overfill.

Step 3 – Put The Lid On

Screw the top part, the lid, onto the Moka Pot.

You should make sure that it’s securely tight, don’t let it be too loose.

Not that you should use all your muscle to put it on, as it’s not good to over-tighten it; just think of it like it’s better to have it a bit too tight than a bit too loose.

When it gets too loose, your coffee can spill out the sides when brewing.

Step 4 – Set It On The Heat

Now that your Moka Pot is filled with water and coffee grinds, and properly sealed, set it on the stove on moderate heat.

On a scale from 1 to 10, with 10 being the hottest, I’d put the heat on around 4 or 5.

Make sure the handle of the Moka Pot is not over the heat, please be very aware of this.

Leave the top of the lid open.

Step 5 – Let The Coffee Brew And Remove When Ready

In a short amount of time, your coffee will brew, and you’ll begin to hear a spurting, puffing noise.

This means the coffee is percolating coming out through the top and will be done in approximately under a minute.

There will be a rich brown steam that comes out which gets lighter.

When the steam reaches the color of a yellow honey, turn off the heat from the stove, close the lid and immediately remove the Moka Pot.

Please note: after the Moka Pot has been set on the heat, it gets extremely hot and needs to be handled with care. Only the non-metallic handle can be touched with bare hands. Do not touch any metallic parts of the Moka Pot without using mitts, a rag or some kind of protection from the heat. This also means be careful where you set the Moka Pot as the bottom is extremely hot after being directly over the heat/flames.

Step 6 – Stop The Extraction

Take the Moka Pot and rinse the bottom part of it under cold tap water for about 5 seconds.

When you do this, be careful not to tilt it too much as coffee could pour out.

Put only the bottom part of the Moka Pot under cold tap water, not the top part.

This makes sure that the coffee will stop brewing, and in turn prevent it from getting a metallic taste.

Step 7 – Pour And Enjoy

When the coffee stops bubbling, pour it and enjoy!

Since Moka Pot coffee by nature is quite strong, you can also dilute the coffee by adding more hot water.

This also means you could potentially make more coffee if you choose to dilute it.

Conclusion

Moka Pot is a great way to make coffee.

It’s also quite enjoyable I’d add, because you get to hear it make the gurgling noise when it’s finishing, and you know you’ll have a nice, strong cup of Joe.

Another important aspect of using a Moka Pot coffee maker is how to clean them… which you should consider doing regularly.

They tend to get pretty nasty and limey after a while of usage, and especially if it just spends time sitting without being used.

I hope you found this “how to” super useful, and I hope you have fun brewing with your stovetop coffee brewer!

If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to let me know in the comments section below and I’ll be so happy to hear from you.

And with that, Moka cheers!