I am not trying to be a coffee snob but over the past few years I've come to love the stronger Italian style coffee. I will drink the weak, watered down American style coffee if nothing else is available but I strongly prefer a drink made with espresso.. or did prefer one made with espresso. I considered getting an espresso machine to make my own but decided it wasn't worth the trouble. At the end of June my good friend Rich (the same one who got me hooked on lossless music players) told me about the moka pot he uses. It makes a strong, almost espresso strength cup of coffee. I bought one and am hooked. Now I can have Italian style coffee I want on my schedule, not that of the coffee shops.
A good description of what moka coffee is and a comparison to espresso can be found here. A description of what a moka pot is and its history can be found here. I disagree with one part of the article with the comparison where it talks of lack of consistency with a moka pot. While it is true if you use a grinder that doesn't give you a consistent texture of the ground coffee, just dump approximate amounts of water and coffee into the pot, or use cheap equipment (the eight buck moka pot at the local discount store) you might get a good pot of coffee. If you use decent equipment and are consistent with how you make the coffee you can achieve the same results every time.
It's taken about a month of experimenting with the process and with equipment to get what I want and I've finally come up with a routine for making my coffee and have worked out the amount of each ingredient that give me what I want. Despite being told to grind just what I need when I need it I grind enough coffee for several pots at the same time. My crazy work schedule often has me sleeping at different times than everyone else in the house and the grinder wakes them. I do at least store the grounds in an airtight container.
My formula:
10 oz water
3 tbsp of finely ground coffee
4 ounces of steamed or frothed milk (I use almond or soy milk)
3 tsp of flavored syrup (sugar free is readily available for most flavors)
The process of making coffee with a moka pot is little different from making it in a percolater. They both use the same process. The end result is one large mug of excellent coffee in about five minutes with coffee that is not quite the strength of a drink made with espresso but still a very enjoyable drink.
I know this is not a guide to using a moka pot but I do want to stress that the manual for the pot came with a warning: do not use the pot with the highest heat setting on the stove. The bottom part of the pot is a boiler and it forces the coffee into the pot under pressure. I doubt that if too much pressure built up that the pot would explode but I can see it damaging the pot. There is a pressure relief valve on the boiler that could potentially burn you with steam if it opens.
What setup have I settled on? I use a Bialetti Moka Express (9 demitasse cup size), an Instant brand milk frother, and a Cuisinart model DBM-8 burr style coffee grinder. Aside from measuring spoons that's it.
What I paid:
Moka pot - $32.99 (Bed Bath & Beyond)
Grinder - $58.99 (Bed Bath & Beyond)
Frother - $29.92 (Wal Mart)
Does this setup sound expensive? If you are okay with a $10 automatic drip coffee maker from the dollar store it is very expensive by comparison. I know that $121.90 plus tax sounds like a lot but if you have a high quality Mr. Coffee or Keurig maker my total cost for equipment may actually be less than what you paid.
When discussing cost the increased cost of each cup needs to be brought up. My cost per mug of coffee is approximately $0.65 with milk and syrup included. Depending on what brands are used and what quantities of ingredients are purchased this will obviously vary but unless ultra cheap beans are used or I get the most expensive ingredients the cost shouldn't change too much. By comparison, when using coffee from a 48 count package of Folgers k-cups bought at Wal Mart (just for an example) the cost per cup from a Keurig is about $0.50 per cup, not counting any added creamer or sweetener. Using coffee from a 30.5 ounce can of Folgers coffee (also purchased at Wal Mart) in a ten cup automatic drip maker costs about $0.07 a cup without any creamer or sweetener.
Okay, I know a lot of you are still saying, “That is a lot of money for coffee.” Yeah, you are right but in the long run using a moka pot is going to help me save money and stop wasting coffee when I have to throw out a half full pot because I just didn't want that many cups. How will spending so much save me money? Earlier I mentioned that I have been going to my two favorite coffee shops (one local and one in a nearby town) a lot. I didn't just stop in, get a cup, and leave. It wasn't unusual for me to go two or three times a week and leave only after I'd had at least two lattes, and a double shot of espresso or a cortado. Some nights my tab would be over $20 plus tips and that was if I went by myself and didn't have one or two kids with me. Three times a week wasn't uncommon. Even if I just stopped in and got one latte or cappuccino on my way to or from work I would be spending about $25 a week for coffee (both shops are locally owned and charge less than the national chain that is full of cop hating employees who can't spell anyone's name right). If I make two pots of moka every day I'll only be spending $9.10 per week. In ten weeks or so my savings will pay for all of my equipment and I'll have great coffee in the comfort of my own home or at work. It would be eight weeks but I broke down and bought a cheap, electric moka pot to keep at work.
Something important I mentioned earlier is getting consistency with the coffee grounds. I was having trouble with having sludge in the bottom of my cup or not getting a full pot of coffee every time. After discussing the problem with Rich we figured out that the grinder I was using was causing it. I was using a $30 blade grinder that didn't produce the same results twice in a row and did not produce a very fine grind. He suggested that I get a burr style grinder and use the finest setting (what is normally used for espresso). I have read on-line that the best setting to use with a moka pot is one that is produces a slightly more coarse grind but I am satisfied with the espresso grind. The Cuisinart grinder I bought is automatic. You only have to choose how much you want it to grind, how fine you want it ground, and push the start button. I do not regret the $60 this grinder cost.
I hope that those of you still reading this will at least consider trying a moka pot. It has helped my coffee adventures greatly. I am drinking great coffee I want when I want it and am no longer dependent on the coffee shops to provide it. As Rich put it, great coffee is a luxury. I agree with him and also agree that with a moka pot, it is an affordable luxury.
