The Moka

what's the Moka?

... for the tipycal italian coffee.

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THE MOKA

The moka pot, also known as a macchinetta (popular; literally "small machine"), is a stove top espresso coffee maker, based on the principle of preparing coffee with steam pressurized water.

First patented by Alfonso Bialetti in 1933, his company Bialetti continues to produce the same model known as the "Moka Express".

Fill the boiler (marked A in the diagram) with water almost up to the safety release valve and insert the funnel-shaped metal filter (B). Finely-ground coffee is added to the filter as shown below. The upper part (C), which has a second metal filter at the bottom) is tightly screwed on the base.

By placing the pot on a heat source, the water is brought to boiling point creating steam in the boiler.

A gasket ensures a tightly closed unit and allows for pressure to safely build up in the lower section, where a safety valve provides a necessary release in case this pressure should get too high (with clean filters, that should not happen).

For best results, fill up the entire filter with coffee and place over medium to medium-high heat.

The steam eventually reaches a high enough pressure to gradually force the surrounding boiling water up the funnel through the coffee powder and into the upper chamber (C), where the coffee is collected.

When the lower chamber is almost empty, steam bubbles mix with the upstreaming water, producing a characteristic gurgling noise.

As with percolators, the pot should not be left on the stove so long that the coffee boils.

Ideally, with a little practice, it should be removed from the heat before it actually starts gurgling - usually, when only about half of the top chamber has been filled.

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