Moka Express
Encyclopedia
The moka pot, also known as a macchinetta del caffè (literally "small coffee machine") or "Italian coffee pot", is a stove top coffee maker which produces coffee by passing hot water pressurized by steam through ground coffee. It was first patented by inventor Luigi De Ponti for Alfonso Bialetti
in 1933. Bialetti Industrie continues to produce the same model under the name "Moka Express".
The moka pot is most commonly used in Europe
, but also in Latin America
n countries. It has become an iconic design, displayed in modern industrial art museums such as the Museum of Modern Art
, the Cooper–Hewitt, National Design Museum, the Design Museum
, and the London Science Museum
. Moka pots come in different sizes, from one to eighteen 50 ml cups. The original design and many current models are made from aluminium
with bakelite handles.
and are used over a flame or electric range. The aluminium moka pots cannot be used on induction stove
s. There are, however, also many stainless steel models available. Electric self-heating moka pots are also available.
Brikka is a modified moka pot manufactured by Bialetti. It incorporates a weighted valve as a pressure regulator
on top of the nozzle that allows pressure to build up inside the water tank in a manner similar to a pressure cooker. This increases the pressure of the water flowing through the coffee grounds, and increases the extraction temperature beyond the boiling point of water at atmospheric pressure.
Mukka Express is modified moka pot also manufactured by Bialetti that allows milk to be frothed and mixed with the coffee during brewing. The name, "Mukka", is a pun on the Italian for cow, "mucca". Bialetti also manufactures several stainless steel moka pots, i.e.: Musa, Class or Venus.
Alessi is an Italian kitchenware manufacturer known for their moka pots. Bodum
has added a "Chambord" stove top espresso maker to their line which, while differing in appearance, is similar in function to the moka pot. Cuisinox also markets several models of moka pots in both aluminium and stainless steel.
Vev Viganò is an Italian manufacturer that specialises in stainless steel moka pots. Their product lines include Kontessa, Itaca, Vespress and Carioca.
Bellman makes a stainless steel moka pot, the CX-25 Series, operating at higher pressure and capable of creating a crema. It also has a wand to steam liquids, such as milk for cappuccino.
The brand Volturno has been manufacturing moka pots in Argentina
for many decades; the name Volturno is sometimes used synonymously with moka pot there.
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). Add finely-ground coffee
to the filter as shown below. Tightly screw the upper part (C, which has a second metal filter at the bottom) onto the base. Place the pot on a suitable heat
source, bring the water to its boiling point
, and thereby create 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.
and flavours from the grounds, and resulting in a much stronger brew than that obtained by drip brew
ing, but with a different flavour.
. Depending on bean variety and grind selection, Moka pots can create a foam emulsion, known as crema. However, the maximum pressure for coffee extraction which can be achieved with a Moka pot is 1.5 bar
. According to the Italian Espresso National Institute and the Specialty Coffee Association of America, an espresso must be made using a precise extraction pressure of 9 bar. So, while a Moka coffee pot can produce a crema similar to espresso's, different equipment is required to make a true espresso.
After use, a thin coat of oily coffee residue is left lining the interior of the stems, filters and upper chamber. It is said to be desirable to retain this residue, as it subsequently prevents coffee from acquiring an unpleasant metallic taste through contact with the aluminum wall. A moka pot should be cleaned well with hot water but no soaps or detergents, which strip away the protective coating. With aluminium moka pots it is important to dry all parts with soft cloth and store them separately as any moisture trapped inside the pot can cause the aluminium to corrode.
Alfonso Bialetti
Alfonso Bialetti was an engineer who became famous for acquiring Luigi De Ponti's invention of the simple yet elegantly designed Moka Express coffeemaker. Designed in 1933, the coffee pot has been a style icon since the 1950s...
in 1933. Bialetti Industrie continues to produce the same model under the name "Moka Express".
The moka pot is most commonly used in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, but also in Latin America
Latin America
Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area...
n countries. It has become an iconic design, displayed in modern industrial art museums such as the Museum of Modern Art
Museum of Modern Art
The Museum of Modern Art is an art museum in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, on 53rd Street, between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. It has been important in developing and collecting modernist art, and is often identified as the most influential museum of modern art in the world...
, the Cooper–Hewitt, National Design Museum, the Design Museum
Design Museum
Design Museum is a museum by the River Thames near Tower Bridge in central London, England. The museum covers product, industrial, graphic, fashion and architectural design. It was founded in 1989 and claims to be the first museum of modern design...
, and the London Science Museum
Science Museum (London)
The Science Museum is one of the three major museums on Exhibition Road, South Kensington, London in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. It is part of the National Museum of Science and Industry. The museum is a major London tourist attraction....
. Moka pots come in different sizes, from one to eighteen 50 ml cups. The original design and many current models are made from aluminium
Aluminium
Aluminium or aluminum is a silvery white member of the boron group of chemical elements. It has the symbol Al, and its atomic number is 13. It is not soluble in water under normal circumstances....
with bakelite handles.
Variations and brands
Traditionally, moka pots are made of aluminiumAluminium
Aluminium or aluminum is a silvery white member of the boron group of chemical elements. It has the symbol Al, and its atomic number is 13. It is not soluble in water under normal circumstances....
and are used over a flame or electric range. The aluminium moka pots cannot be used on induction stove
Induction cooker
An induction cooker uses induction heating for cooking. Unlike other forms of cooking, heat is generated directly in the pot or pan , as opposed to being generated in the stovetop by electrical coils or burning gas...
s. There are, however, also many stainless steel models available. Electric self-heating moka pots are also available.
Brikka is a modified moka pot manufactured by Bialetti. It incorporates a weighted valve as a pressure regulator
Pressure regulator
A pressure regulator is a valve that automatically cuts off the flow of a liquid or gas at a certain pressure. Regulators are used to allow high-pressure fluid supply lines or tanks to be reduced to safe and/or usable pressures for various applications....
on top of the nozzle that allows pressure to build up inside the water tank in a manner similar to a pressure cooker. This increases the pressure of the water flowing through the coffee grounds, and increases the extraction temperature beyond the boiling point of water at atmospheric pressure.
Mukka Express is modified moka pot also manufactured by Bialetti that allows milk to be frothed and mixed with the coffee during brewing. The name, "Mukka", is a pun on the Italian for cow, "mucca". Bialetti also manufactures several stainless steel moka pots, i.e.: Musa, Class or Venus.
Alessi is an Italian kitchenware manufacturer known for their moka pots. Bodum
Bodum
Bodum, Inc., is a tableware and kitchenware company founded in Copenhagen, Denmark, in 1944 by Peter Bodum. In 1978, the founder's son and new chief executive officer, Jørgen Bodum, moved the company to Switzerland to locate Bodum strategically in central Europe.Besides being known for the...
has added a "Chambord" stove top espresso maker to their line which, while differing in appearance, is similar in function to the moka pot. Cuisinox also markets several models of moka pots in both aluminium and stainless steel.
Vev Viganò is an Italian manufacturer that specialises in stainless steel moka pots. Their product lines include Kontessa, Itaca, Vespress and Carioca.
Bellman makes a stainless steel moka pot, the CX-25 Series, operating at higher pressure and capable of creating a crema. It also has a wand to steam liquids, such as milk for cappuccino.
The brand Volturno has been manufacturing moka pots in Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
for many decades; the name Volturno is sometimes used synonymously with moka pot there.
Brewing coffee with a moka pot
Funnel
A funnel is a pipe with a wide, often conical mouth and a narrow stem. It is used to channel liquid or fine-grained substances into containers with a small opening. Without a funnel, spillage would occur....
-shaped metal filter (B). Add finely-ground coffee
Coffee
Coffee is a brewed beverage with a dark,init brooo acidic flavor prepared from the roasted seeds of the coffee plant, colloquially called coffee beans. The beans are found in coffee cherries, which grow on trees cultivated in over 70 countries, primarily in equatorial Latin America, Southeast Asia,...
to the filter as shown below. Tightly screw the upper part (C, which has a second metal filter at the bottom) onto the base. Place the pot on a suitable heat
Heat
In physics and thermodynamics, heat is energy transferred from one body, region, or thermodynamic system to another due to thermal contact or thermal radiation when the systems are at different temperatures. It is often described as one of the fundamental processes of energy transfer between...
source, bring the water to its boiling point
Boiling point
The boiling point of an element or a substance is the temperature at which the vapor pressure of the liquid equals the environmental pressure surrounding the liquid....
, and thereby create steam
Steam
Steam is the technical term for water vapor, the gaseous phase of water, which is formed when water boils. In common language it is often used to refer to the visible mist of water droplets formed as this water vapor condenses in the presence of cooler air...
in the boiler.
A gasket
Gasket
thumb|sright|250px|Some seals and gaskets1. [[o-ring]]2. fiber [[Washer |washer]]3. paper gaskets4. [[cylinder head]] [[head gasket|gasket]]...
ensures a tightly closed unit and allows for pressure to safely build up in the lower section, where a safety valve
Safety valve
A safety valve is a valve mechanism for the automatic release of a substance from a boiler, pressure vessel, or other system when the pressure or temperature exceeds preset limits....
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
Pressure
Pressure is the force per unit area applied in a direction perpendicular to the surface of an object. Gauge pressure is the pressure relative to the local atmospheric or ambient pressure.- Definition :...
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
Coffee percolator
A coffee percolator is a type of pot used to brew coffee. The name stems from the word "percolate" which means to cause to pass through a permeable substance especially for extracting a soluble constituent....
, 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.
Moka coffee vs. drip coffee
The flavour of stovetop espresso coffee depends greatly on bean variety, roast level, fineness of grind, and the level of stovetop heat used. Due to the higher than atmospheric pressure involved, the mixture of water and steam reaches temperatures well above 100 °C, causing a more efficient extraction of caffeineCaffeine
Caffeine is a bitter, white crystalline xanthine alkaloid that acts as a stimulant drug. Caffeine is found in varying quantities in the seeds, leaves, and fruit of some plants, where it acts as a natural pesticide that paralyzes and kills certain insects feeding on the plants...
and flavours from the grounds, and resulting in a much stronger brew than that obtained by drip brew
Drip brew
Drip brewing, or filtered coffee, is a method for brewing coffee which involves pouring water over roasted, ground coffee beans contained in a filter. Water seeps through the coffee, absorbing its oils and essences, solely under gravity, then passes through the bottom of the filter...
ing, but with a different flavour.
Moka coffee vs. espresso coffee
Moka pots are sometimes referred to as stove-top espresso makers and produce coffee with an extraction ratio similar to that of a conventional espresso machineEspresso machine
An espresso machine is used to produce the traditional Italian coffee beverage called espresso.-History:The first machine for making espresso was built and patented by Angelo Moriondo of Turin, Italy, who demonstrated a working example at the Turin General Exposition of 1884. He was granted patent no...
. Depending on bean variety and grind selection, Moka pots can create a foam emulsion, known as crema. However, the maximum pressure for coffee extraction which can be achieved with a Moka pot is 1.5 bar
Bar (unit)
The bar is a unit of pressure equal to 100 kilopascals, and roughly equal to the atmospheric pressure on Earth at sea level. Other units derived from the bar are the megabar , kilobar , decibar , centibar , and millibar...
. According to the Italian Espresso National Institute and the Specialty Coffee Association of America, an espresso must be made using a precise extraction pressure of 9 bar. So, while a Moka coffee pot can produce a crema similar to espresso's, different equipment is required to make a true espresso.
Maintenance
Moka pots require periodic replacement of the rubber seal and the filters, and a check that the safety release valve is not blocked.After use, a thin coat of oily coffee residue is left lining the interior of the stems, filters and upper chamber. It is said to be desirable to retain this residue, as it subsequently prevents coffee from acquiring an unpleasant metallic taste through contact with the aluminum wall. A moka pot should be cleaned well with hot water but no soaps or detergents, which strip away the protective coating. With aluminium moka pots it is important to dry all parts with soft cloth and store them separately as any moisture trapped inside the pot can cause the aluminium to corrode.