How to Make Amazing Espresso with a Moka Pot | Step-by-Step Instructions

How to make espresso with a Moka pot? You need to ground the coffee to the required grind size for the Moka pot to produce better espresso-style coffee.

Take sufficient water in the pot, keep the ground coffee in the filter, and let the coffee brew on a stove. As soon as the coffee is about to sputter, take it out from the stove and complete the brewing process.

Knowing about the Moka pot and espresso is a due here for the best brewing. We got you covered in the next section. Dive down.

Moka Pot & Espresso Brewing

Moka pot, the Italian-style coffee maker pot, is a fantastic innovation that properly blends your desired coffee flavor. Available in both stove and electric sources, you get the feasibility of brewing coffee quickly for your need.

Now coming to the flavors of coffee. You are sure to get fantastic espresso-style coffee. But how to brew it?

A significant gap persists in fulfilling your goal here. Espresso requires 9 bars of pressure to reach the desired float and thickness to serve your challenge for a strong and raw taste. But for Moka pots, you’ll get only 1.5 bars of pressure utilization.

Brewing Espresso In Moka Pot
Brewing Espresso In Moka Pot

But you can brew espresso in the pot; in fact, its 1-cup Moka pot is designed to serve you a sufficient amount of espresso for a single person. For multiple, the 3-cup Moka pot is here; the rest won’t be serving the purpose. If you want to know more about Moka pot size, head over to this article.

All you have to do is follow the proper brewing and finishing method. But before that, choosing the right grind and puck size for brewing will determine the ultimate result.

After that, finishing the coffee before it blondes out and putting all the unique flavor in the Moka pot will use the raw taste and oil extraction from the grind to make espresso.

You won’t get the mellow espresso taste from the Moka pot. But who keeps you away from giving it a try to make one? We’ll deal with the following topic to make the best espresso possible in Moka pots.

Choosing the Right Coffee and Grind Size

You would never want to have anything other than dark-roasted coffee for proper grinding in the Moka pot. You’ll see the result by yourself when you do the grind.

The unique texture of the coffee with smooth and soothing oil extraction gives the best flavor of espresso to lose you away from any monotony while drinking the coffee.

You’ll need to grind the roasted coffee as well. Our recommendation immediately goes to the burr coffee grinder, which is especially suitable and preferred for Moka pots.

With the coffee grinder, you can grind as fine as table salt. To be precise, you’ll need 15-17 grams of ground coffee to fill the coffee basket in the Moka pot. That’d be around 2-3 tablespoons approximately.

Step-by-Step Instructions for Making Espresso with a Moka Pot

Espresso in Moka Pot
Creating espresso-like coffee using my one-cup moka pot

After ensuring the proper coffee ground and type, the next step is to make the coffee. And you’re making espresso here, not latte or cappuccino, in a Moka pot.

You better go through the steps properly because you need to ensure the taste and flavor of espresso properly here.

But before that, let’s ensure that you have the following things ready beside you.

  • Stove or any other vital heat source
  • Coffee grinder
  • Water
  • Kettle
  • Heat resistant towel

Now, let’s jump on the steps!

Step 1: Heating the water

You can heat the water in the kettle. Set it on a stove around 205°F. For this purpose, it will be better if you use the electric kettle, it would be more efficient with the heating.

Anyways, there would be no problem if you don’t have one, you can go with the usual Moka pot.

Step 2: Filling the Moka pot

Now it’s time to fill the Moka pot with hot water. Fill the water chamber with water just below the safety valve.

Never submerge the safety valve under water, and also don’t half-fill the pot. Filling the pot above the safety valve will prevent the safety valve to function in case of overpressure. And Half-filling the Moka pot only yields a weaker brew.

Step 3: Take ground coffee in the Moka pot

The time finally has come; you’ll be taking the main ingredient in the metal filter of the pot now. Fill the ground container with coffee grounds, and gently level with your hand.

Related post: Can you use a paper filter in a Moka pot?

Never tamp too firmly, it can create a blockage to the water flow. Eventually, it can lead to overpressure, and in the worst case Moka pot explosion.

Step 4: Assemble and heat

Assemble and join the top filter to the Moka. The pot will be hot due to the hot water, so do the joining with a heat-resistant towel. Now, just put it on the stove and heat it.

Nice crema on top of Moka pot espresso
Nice crema on top of Moka pot espresso

Step 5: Making the coffee

Let the coffee heat for a while. After a few minutes, you can see and hear the brewing sound from inside the pot.

When the coffee spreads around wholly, remove the pot and keep it on a heat-resistant surface. There, it will complete the rest of the brewing and be ready to serve you.

Step 6: Pour and enjoy

You’re done with making espresso fully now. Just pour it into a cup and enjoy; you’ll need no further doings.

More on Moka pot:

Ready to Serve Moka Pot Espresso
Ready to Serve Moka Pot Espresso

Tips for Obtaining the Perfect Cup of Espresso from Your Moka Pot

You’re done knowing how to make espresso in a Moka pot. But who doesn’t want it to be perfect?

So, here are some tips to consider and keep in mind while you are up to making your desired espresso with a Moka pot.

  • Ground the coffee into table salt form. Avoid tamped coffee at any cost.
  • Ensure that the filter is clean and unclogged. It’s best practice to clean the moka pot every time after use. It will help keep the moka pot in good shape and also prevent oxidation and mold formation.
  • Fill the coffee ground container and water chamber.
  • Preheat the water before adding it to the water chamber.
  • Move the pot away from the stove when you hear the gurgling sound. After that Let it finish the brew with residual heat.

Troubleshooting Common Issues with a Moka Pot While Brewing Espresso

Users and our expert teams have faced and discovered various issues as the pot brews coffee in it. Some common problems with proper solutions are stated.

  • Water leakage from the Moka pot: No way to stop the leakage. You need to change the gasket every 4-6 months.
  • Safety valve shooting steam: Clear the filter clogging, avoid pouring too much water into the reservoir, and avoid tampering with coffee grounds before brewing.
  • Coffee spilling out while brewing: Turn the heat level down and maintain it throughout the brewing process.
  • Moka pot getting burnt marks: Don’t keep the Moka pot in high-level flame.
  • Coffee extraction is low: Clean the filter thoroughly from time to time. Consider changing it after every 4-5 months of usage.
  • The handle becomes too hot during brewing: Reduce the stove’s heat while brewing.

Want more ways to make espresso? Below are more resources:

Conclusion

How to make espresso with a Moka pot should not be pondered in your head if you follow the steps we have discussed. Just make the coffee as per our instructions, and the result is due to speak for itself.

You must also follow the tips for getting the perfect espresso from the Moka pot. It’s not like you’ll get the perfection anyhow you want. You need a proper and systematic approach, especially for Moka pots.

By the way, keep the common issues in mind, and act as if they need to be solved. Happy brewing.

Sujit Modak

Leave a Comment