This is the best method for delicous Moka Pot coffee
Chances are, you've seen one of these somewhat confusing little devices. Maybe at a your local bodega, parent's or grandparent's home, even some camping enthusiasts may have one of these kicking around.
Regardless if where, or if you've even seen one, they are very popular, especially in Italy, where in some places, if you ask for espresso, this is what they'll use to make it, and im not going to argue with them.
The trick with these is that they are capable of making some delicous coffee. They are also capable of producing some of the most horrendous coffee you'll ever encounter. All of this comes down to the method, which we'll dive into next. Note: If your Nonna's method is different, I will defer to her. Nonna always knows best. Im not looking to start an international incident here.
Start with Good Coffee Beans
Get yourself some good coffee, something you already know you like. For an even more authentic experience, (this is one of the only times i'll suggest this) is to buy some pre-ground Italian style coffee from your local grocer. You may have seen those vacuum sealed, Lavazza options on the shelf. Start here. There are better options of course, but this may just end up being to your liking. The idea here is to make this as easy as possible.
Get the kettle on
That's right. Get that kettle on and boil some water. We do this first to avoid scorching the coffee we're about to add to the hopper. If we allow the water to heat up from cold, it increases the amount of heat the ground coffee is exposed to, creating bitterness.
Fill the bottom of the Moka Pot to just under the release valve. Filling further than the release valve can cause some safety concerns. One being rendering the safety release useless. Let's not do that.
Fill the coffee hopper
With your coffee of choice, fill the little coffee hopper level to the lip. You don't need to mound it. You also don't need to tamp your coffee like you would an espresso portafilter. Just clean up the edges to ensure a proper seal with the main body.
Pro tip: If you have one, place a dampened aeropress filter on top of your coffee hopper. They should be the same size or very close. This will produce a very clean cup of coffee.
Put it all together
At this point you can attach the top portion to the bottom. Be careful here as the bottom portion will be quite hot due to the boiling water. You also don't have to muscle this too tightly. Snug is enough.
Place the Moka Pot on your oven at just above medium heat, and open the lid to watch what happens. This part will take some practice. What you want to avoid is a huge violent eruption once the coffee springs forth. If that's the case your heat is too high. Next time, reduce it slightly. You want a calm, flow of coffee from the spigot.
Once your Moka Pot is around half full, remove it from the heat. and let it fill with the residual heat. Once it gets as full as you want it. Run the bottom under cold water to stop the coffee brewing process.
Enjoy your coffee!
Now pour yourself a lovely cup of coffee and fancy it up however you like. Call your mother, pet your dog, and have a lovely morning.