Guide to Brewing Modern Italian Stovetop Coffee

Gather your equipment

• Bialetti Moka pot (or similar stovetop espresso maker)
• Freshly roasted beans
• Grinder (if your beans aren't ground)
• Digital scale (optional but recommended)
• Kettle
  
  

Prepare your coffee beans

• Grind coffee to a medium-fine consistency (coarser then an espresso)
• ⁠For any size Bialetti, you always want to use a full basket of coffee. We're targeting a 1:10 ratio of coffee to water(20g:200g). depending on the size and make.
  
  

Brewing Process

Prepare the Moka pot

• • Disassemble your Moka pot into its three parts: base chamber, filter basket, and top chamber
  • Fill the base chamber with water straight off boil up to the safety valve line
  • For darker roasts using a less water in the brewing chamber, for lighter roasts you need to fill the chamber right up to the base of the overflow value.
  • Using hot water instead of cold helps prevent the brewer(and thus the coffee) From over heating.
    
    

Add the coffee

• • Fill the basket with your ground coffee and distribute so it is full and even
  • ⁠Place the filter basket into the base chamber
  • Gently level the coffee without tamping
  • Brush away any coffee grounds from the rim and threads.
    
    

Assemble the pot

• • Screw the top chamber onto the base firmly but not excessively tight, a tea towel might be required as the base can be hot
  • Make sure the seal is properly aligned to prevent leaks.
    
    

Brewing

• • Place the Moka pot on your stove over medium-low heat
  • Keep the lid open to monitor the brewing process
  • Within a few minutes, coffee will begin to emerge from the centre column
  • Watch for stream that will gradually become lighter and begin to splutter
  • Remove from heat when the stream becomes pale yellow or you hear a gurgling sound
  • ⁠If this happens take off the heat and run the base under a tap of cold water.
    
    

Serve immediately

• • ⁠For light roasts, diluting to coffee down a little more to Americano strength will result in the most complex brews, For Darker roasts the concentrate will be much closer to Espresso strength and makes a great "espresso" or the base of a Milk beverage.
    
    

Additional Tips for Specialty Results

Water quality matters

• • Use water with a neutral pH and moderate mineral content
  • Water quality significantly affects the final taste profile.
    
    

Temperature control is crucial

• • Use lower heat for a slower extraction (4-5 minutes is ideal)
  • Too hot will create burnt, bitter flavours
  • Too low will extract incompletely
  • Keep the lid open and heat the pot until water begins to flow through coffee and then surf the heat as to avoid any increase in pressure. Just as you start to see the first splutters remove the pot form the heat and decant the coffee as quickly as possible.
    
    

Maintenance for better taste

• • Clean your Moka pot thoroughly after each use
  • Only use water to clean (no soap or detergents) and Espresso machine cleaner once in awhile
  • Allow to dry completely before reassembling
  • Replace the rubber gasket periodically if required.
    
    

Experiment and adjust

• • Try different coffee origins and roast profiles
  • Adjust grind size slightly finer for more body, slightly coarser for cleaner cup
  • Note your parameters(Weight the coffee and liquid in and out of the brewer) and results to replicate successful brews.