Lets make Stovetop Espresso!

Stovetop espresso in a moka pot. It is one of the easiest and most economical ways to enjoy an authentic Italian coffee at home.

Initially, this was to be a product review of my Bialetti Moka Express. But, it’s such an easy brewing process I decided to demonstrate and review in the same post.

What is a Moka Pot?

The moka pot is a simple brewing device that makes coffee on a stovetop. The current design has been around since the early 1930’s with Bialetti being the most popular and well known manufacturer.

These are the main components from the bottom up:

• Heating vessel
• pressure valve
• funnel
• gasket
• filter plate
• coffee collector
• small column
• lid
• handle
• knob

The Bialetti Express is manufactured out of food grade aluminum with a bakelite handle and knob. The pressure valve is there to handle any malfunctions. (i.e. the grounds are too fine for the water to move through.)

The moka pot is not dishwasher safe. However, mild soap and a sponge are all you need to clean it.

How to brew

The process of brewing stovetop espresso is very simple:

1. Start with hot water. If you use cold water, you’ll be heating up your coffee at the same time you are trying to heat the water.
2. While your water is heating, grind some coffee beans. I like to grind finer than I would for french press but, just a little coarser than I would for espresso. 17 to 22 grams should be good.
3. Fill the funnel with your coffee. However, do not tamp down, just level it across with your finger.
4. Fill the heating vessel with enough hot water to reach the bottom of the pressure valve. Do not overfill or you will have a mess on your hands later.
5. Insert the coffee filled funnel into the heating vessel.
6. Use a glove or towel to protect your hand while you hold the heating vessel and screw the coffee collector onto the base.
7. Place the moka pot on the burner with a medium flame.
8. Keep the lid open so you can watch the show.
9. Once the water is hot enough, it will flow up the funnel, compressing the coffee against the filter plate. This essentially creates a coffee puck, similar to a portafilter from an espresso machine.
10. The water infuses with the coffee and eventually works its way up the small column into the coffee collector.
11. Keep your eye on the flow of coffee. Once the color of the coffee turns a honey/yellow and before it turns into a volcano, it’s time to close the lid and remove the moka pot from the heat.
12. Run cold water from the sink onto the heating vessel to cool the pot down.
13. Afterwards, begin stirring the coffee inside the coffee collector. This will mix all the different layers of extraction together.
14. You have finished. Now, go pour yourself a cup and enjoy your homemade stovetop espresso!

tl;dr

In short, for your visual entertainment, here are photos of the process and a brief video:

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Your thoughts?

Have you made stovetop espresso before? Is there anything I may have left out about this process that you would like to know? Let me know in the comments below.

Here’s a link to a post showing you how to make Cafe Cubano, a popular drink to make with a moka pot.

Thank you for reading this post and I hope you have a great day.