What Is A Moka Coffee Pot?

A Moka coffee pot is a small coffee pot used on top of the stove to make coffee. You may never have used one but I am sure it looks familiar to you. It works by passing hot water that has been pressurized by steam through ground coffee beans and produces a hot beverage similar to espresso.

The New York Times says, "The Moka Express is a beautifully designed example of the ingenuity that can arise from adversity." It was invented by Luigi De Ponti in 1933 for use at home. In the 1930s, Italy was in an economically difficult time, which made making coffee at home appealing. This simple little device crafted from aluminum was extremely popular and is still crafted by Bialetti, the same firm that produced it in the 1930s. The original model is called the Moka Express.

The Moka is more popular in Europe and Latin America than it is in North America and, according to the New York Times, 9 out of 10 Italian households own a Moka pot.

On this page, learn a bit more about the Moka coffee pot, watch a video that explains the simple method used to make Moka coffee and let us know what you think of Moka coffee. In the interest of full disclosure, please note that I am not a coffee drinker. I put tea in my coffee mug but I have a coffee-loving family!

The picture of a Moka pot in action shown here was shared kindly by Beat Rice on Flickr who says that the only thing missing from this page is, "a mention of the coffee smell spreading throughout the house in the morning, which is the only thing that can cheer up an Italian who gets up too early to face a working day..." I expect that the aroma of freshly brewed Moka coffee would work for you, too, even if you are not an Italian.

Why Is Moka Coffee Stronger Than Drip Coffee?

Moka coffee is stronger than drip coffee because the temperature of the water and steam is higher, which causes a better removal of caffeine and flavours from the coffee grounds. Not only is it stronger but it also has a different flavour.

How Do You Brew Moka Coffee?

I am not going to try to answer that question myself. However, I am happy to recommend Brewing Italian Coffee With A Moka Pot, which does a fine job of summarizing what is involved in making moka coffee. I also found this short Youtube video by Parisi Artisan Coffee, which shows the simple steps to making your Moka coffee:

How Does Moka Compare to Espresso Coffee?

The coffee produced from a Moka pot is considered similar to the coffee from an espresso machine. A Moka pot can produce foam emulsion (crema) that is similar to but not exactly like espresso's. (And yes, espresso is spelled with an 's' and not an 'x' as in expresso, a common spelling error.)

You can learn more about the variety of sizes and colors of Moka pots available on Amazon by clicking right here.

Would you recommend Moka coffee? Would you like to try it?

See you
in the kitchen!
Brenda

More Moka Resources

Who Made That Moka Express? - NYTimes.com
"In 1933, when Alfonso Bialetti introduced the Moka Express, Italy's economy wasn't doing much better than it is today. The Great Depression was in full swing, major banks were failing, unemployment was rampant and Italians were forced to curtail the

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© 2011 Treasures By Brenda (Previously published elsewhere.)