Pressure Extraction
Moka Pot
Thick coffee on the stove — the Italian household tradition.
Steam pressure in the lower chamber pushes hot water up through the coffee in one pass. It is not espresso — the pressure is a fraction of an espresso machine's — but it is concentrated, heavy and unmistakably its own thing. The single most common mistake is heat: too much of it, for too long.
- Ratio1:8.8
- Base recipe17g to 150g
- Water temperature95 to 99°C
- GrindFine — Finer than table salt, coarser than espresso
- Total time5 min
- LevelSome practice · 2 cups
Why Moka Pot?
- Strong, concentrated coffee with no electricity involved.
- Cheap, nearly unbreakable, and it lasts decades.
- It is the base for a proper stovetop cappuccino.
What you need
- 3-cup moka pot
- Burr grinder
- Low flame
- Damp cloth
Step by step
- 1
Boiling water in the base
to 150gFill the lower chamber with already-boiling water, up to just below the valve. Starting hot means the coffee spends far less time sitting over the flame, which is what causes the burnt taste.
- 2
Fill the basket
from 20 sFill the funnel with ground coffee and level it off with a finger. Do not tamp it — a moka pot is not built for that pressure, and a packed basket will simply refuse to flow.
- 3
Low flame
from 40 sAssemble it — the base is hot, so use a cloth — and set it over a low flame with the lid open so you can see what happens.
- 4
Out, and stop it
from 3 minCoffee should rise in a slow, dark, steady stream. When it lightens and starts to sputter, take it off the heat immediately and cool the base under a running tap. Everything after the sputter is bitter.
If it did not come out right
| Symptom | Cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| It tastes burntToo much heat, or left on past the sputter | Too much heat, or left on past the sputter | Start with boiling water, keep the flame low, and pull it off the moment the stream turns pale. |
| Nothing comes upGrind too fine, basket tamped, or a blocked valve | Grind too fine, basket tamped, or a blocked valve | Grind coarser, level the basket without pressing, and check that the safety valve is clear. |
Frequent questions
Should I wash it with soap?
Rinse with hot water and dry it thoroughly. Aluminium takes on detergent smell readily, and the old advice about seasoning is mostly about that.