Straight to the Point: After rigorous testing of 11 moka pots, our top choices are the Bialetti Moka Express and Bialetti Venus Moka Pot, with the latter being induction-friendly.
These days, I find joy in life’s small pleasures, such as starting my day with a robust cup of coffee from my newly re-discovered moka pot.
Mastering the art of Moka pot coffee brewing is a skill that can elevate your home coffee experience. To begin, it’s crucial to avoid overheating the coffee grounds, which can result in a burnt, metallic, and bitter taste. Instead, boil water beforehand and have it ready. Next, insert the filter basket into the bottom chamber and fill it with coffee grounds, ideally maintaining a 1:10 ratio of coffee to water. Level the grounds with a spoon or your fingers, ensuring not to tamp them down. Remember to brush off any loose grounds from the edge of the basket to ensure the top compartment screws on correctly. With the bottom chamber filled with hot water, handle it with a towel and screw on the top. Now, place the Moka pot on the stove on medium heat, covering just the bottom with the flame and keeping the lid open. As the water boils, pressure will push the coffee up into the top chamber through the spout in a slow, steady stream. If the brew starts to spurt, it’s an indication that the water is too hot. The brew is finished when the coffee lightens in color and starts to sputter out. Following Stumptown Coffee’s advice, remove the pot from heat and run the bottom chamber under cold water, tilting it carefully to prevent spillage. This step helps cool the coffee, stopping the extraction process and preventing a metallic taste. For a barista-style touch, warm milk in the microwave and use a handheld frother to create a layer of tiny bubbles on the surface. Pour the milk over your coffee and scoop the foam on top to create a near-replica of a cappuccino. It’s important to clarify that the Moka pot is not an espresso machine. While it can create a concentrated shot of coffee, the pressure in a Moka pot (one to two bars) is significantly lower than that of a standardized espresso machine (nine bars). The milk frother used also creates a different foam structure compared to an espresso machine’s steam wand, resulting in a thicker and silkier texture.
While I’m ashamed to say that I’ve only just recently discovered this miracle coffee maker, I’m just a few weeks into this thing and it’s already become a daily ritual that I very much look forward to. Not only do I feel accomplished that I’m able to replicate something I normally pay upwards of $6 for at a coffee shop, but I also enjoy the time it takes to make it. For five minutes every day, I’m forced to practice patience and focus on putting care into what’s in front of me.
That first sip is heavenly, leaving me in good spirits for the majority of the day. And thanks to its strength, my second-afternoon cup is a thing of the past. Nevertheless, these tools make for good stand-in espresso and frothed milk at home, especially if you don’t have the time or money to invest in real-deal equipment. What’s the Best Moka Pot? After testing 11 moka pots, our favorites landed on two favorites that came from the same company: the Bialetti Moka Express and Bialetti Venus Moka Pot. They both made excellent coffee and are relatively inexpensive, coming in well under $50. FAQ s How do you clean a moka pot? Though you should never put it in the dishwasher nor scrub with harsh abrasives, cleaning a moka pot is really quite simple. For day-to-day use, just give the filter basket a good rinse with hot water (avoid using dish soap, as the metal can absorb this and emit off-flavors) and dry thoroughly after disposing of the spent coffee grounds. Wipe away any stray grounds or drips with a paper towel, and make sure your entire moka pot is always nice and dry before storing it away. What’s the best coffee for a moka pot? You can use any coffee you like in a moka pot—the coarseness of grind matters more here than the roast. The grounds should be coarser than is necessary for an espresso machine, but finer than you’d use in a drip coffee maker. A “fine” or “medium-fine” grind will do the trick if you’re using a burr grinder. Does a moka pot work with an induction cooktop? The answer here is: it depends on the moka pot! One of our top picks, from Bialetti, is compatible with induction cooktops. Why We’re the Experts Yasmine Maggio is an associate editor at Serious Eats. She graduated from New York University with a master’s in journalism. Serious Eats has written extensively about coffee gear, including tested reviews of moka pots, espresso machines, and drip coffee makers. We Tested 24 Milk Frothers and Landed on 5 Favorites for Lattes, Hot Chocolate, and More
