History Of The Moka Pot
Italian Coffee Culture To Australia, The Moka Pot
Following on from our overview of Hario V60's history and next in our documentation of the histories of coffee's most iconic coffee brewers, we say hello to the Moka Pot. Arguably one of the most recognisable coffee brewers you’re likely to come across due to it’s distinctive design and popularity, but what is a Moka Pot? How it does it work? And what coffee should you use in it? All of these questions, along with a brief history will be covered here.
The Italians are renowned for many things; delicious food, exceptional wine, and a robust coffee culture. It’s therefore no surprise that they would be at the forefront of innovation when it comes to coffee paraphernalia - this is where the origin of the Moka Pot harkens back to. Released in 1933, the Moka pot was the invention of Italian engineer, Alfonso Bialetti. You may have heard of the name Bialetti before. Bialetti industries are still operating today and are a highly regarded manufacturer of coffee-related brewers and equipment.
The Moka pot quickly embedded itself in Italian culture, with many households and cafes adopting this stove-top brewer due its convenience and ease of function. The Moka pot was also a very popular choice amongst Italian migrants who influenced the communities they adopted in other countries. This was especially apparent following the Second World War in Australia. It was these migrants that were responsible for introducing the Moka pot to Australia and Australia now has one of the most vibrant coffee cultures in the world. Who knows, maybe the Italians had something to do with that.
Moka pots are typically made from aluminium but you can find some that are made of other metals such as stainless steel and other similar alloys. This shiny, reflective material is as iconic as its application - instantly recognisable and very hard-wearing. A good Moka pot can theoretically last a lifetime (providing you take care of it of course) - whatever you do, don’t put it in the dishwasher! The stove-top brewer became a firm favourite for households all over Europe, suitable for gas stoves and electric stoves, and is undeniably accessible. It doesn't require any additional equipment, it is easy to use, easy to clean, and produces great results, especially for dark roast coffee.
How The Moka Pot Works
The Moka pot works as follows. The upper chamber which includes the lid, handle and spout can be unscrewed leaving the bottom chamber where water is added (known as the ‘Boiler’). Separating the top chamber and the boiler is the filter. The filter acts as the portafilter found in espresso machines where ground coffee is loaded and extracted. As the water boils, pressure inside the chamber increases. When the pressure reaches a certain level, the water is pushed up through the chamber and up through the coffee grinds in the filter. The extracted coffee will then begin to pour into the upper chamber and can be poured directly into your desired cup.
Now comes the controversial, and highly contested part of the moka pot puzzle and that is to do with the water. Traditionally speaking, Italians would add cold water to the boiler and would allow the water to gradually heat up to the boil on top of the stove. Physicist Warren King conducted a few tests around this theory and concluded that filling the chamber with cold water meant that the coffee was extracted at too low a temperature which in turn, impacted the overall quality of the finished cup. This hypothesis has also been shared by established baristas such as James Hoffman who often encourages users to pre-heat water before pouring it into the boiler. The important term here is ‘pre-heated’. Note how he states ‘pre-heated’ and not ‘boiling’, that’s an important distinction as adding boiling water has the opposite effect to King's findings in so much that boiling water causes the coffee to be extracted at too high a temperature. King deduced that a 70 degrees Celsius preheat provided optimum results. This might seem like too much of a hassle but it’s most certainly worth it.
Dark Roast Coffees
We should also briefly mention the coffee itself. As you may have discovered by now, all coffee is different. Some coffee is roasted for espresso, some coffee is better suited to filter, some roasts are light, some are dark - you get the picture. If the Italians are famous for one thing when it comes to coffee it’s espresso and that’s partly what the Moka Pot is designed to recreate. Espresso is such a big part of Italian culture that the moka was invented purely to ensure that Italians could enjoy similarly strong, robust coffee at home for breakfast, after dinner, and during social gatherings. However, the pressure characteristics of traditional espresso machines and the moka pot are quite different. To extract espresso, you’re looking at roughly 9 bar of pressure whereas the moka pot only typically creates 1-2 bar so and because of this, the moka pot can’t really be characterised as an espresso brewer as the resulting extraction is quite different. That being said, the results strive to be similar. You should use finely ground coffee in your moka pot, it’s an important variable as it helps slow down the extraction as the water gushes through the filter. You’ll commonly find that finely ground coffee, especially Italian style coffee, is a little darker and full bodied as this best recreates the properties of espresso. If you’re looking for a light bodies, almost tea-like coffee then the moka pot probably isn’t for you and we’d recommend something like a V60 or Chemex where extraction is much gentler and slower. The moka pot is really designed for that rich, full body coffee taste so if that’s your bag, then the moka pot should definitely be a brewer to add to your cupboard. They’re relatively inexpensive and are easy to find and the resulting coffee is extremely enjoyable.
GUSTATORY (adjective): curating excellence in taste.